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DESTRUCTION “Birth of Malice”
DESTRUCTION “Birth of Malice”
By Colonel Angus
DESTRUCTION is back with another thrash-tastic release. Being one of the “Big Four” of German thrash, us listeners have come to expect a lot from this bunch. Three years ago, they put out “Diabolical” which was a modern day classic and proved that they still have what it takes to satisfy old fans while still gathering new metal heads into the fold. Since the 2000s, they have had a string of very good to great albums so I was really excited to get a hold of their newest record “Birth of Malice”.
Things start off with the title track which is a one minute instrumental before the band launch into some crushing riffs. This namesake track combines precision guitar riffs, Schmier’s trademark vocals, and some frantic drumming to create a classic track that is bound to be in the set list for years to come. Things don’t slow down one bit with “Cyber Warfare” coming at you like a freight train. This opening salvo is a fantastic one-two punch of thrash that harkens back to the old–school days when these kind of records hit hard right off the bat and wouldn’t let up for one second.
As we continue, “No Kings – No Master” is one of the fastest pieces on the record and I can just picture the mosh pit forming when this track is played live. While it almost speeds by like a blur of sound, when you listen closely, you hear the impressive precision in the riffing and drumming. “Scumbag Human Race” chugs along but in that typical heavy DESTRUCTION sound that they have been nurturing since the early 80s. You would think that at some point the band would us a bit of a respite but there seems to be no end in sight. “God of Gore” remains on course with another speedy thrash workout making the sonic assault on the listener even more brutal. At this rate, you will need a neck brace form all the headbanging.
Finally we get a slower, yet still crushingly heavy track called “A.N.G.S.T.” This one chugs along until it gets to the middle where they speed up and fall back into thrashing. DESTRUCTION has always been great at taking things down a notch but still incorporating thrash elements here and there in a track to keep it interesting. But as quickly as that tune leaves your speakers, it is back to the barrage of thrash with “Dealer of Death”. One of the things that I hadn’t mentioned earlier is that in a number of the songs on “Birth of Malice”, Schmier adds some melody in the choruses and it really stands out on “Evil Never Sleeps”. This slower tune is another welcome addition to a disk that seems to have been front-loaded with the faster and thrashier material.
Not that there isn’t any classic thrash material towards the end as “Chains of Sorrow” and “Greed” bookend the record nicely with faster material that will keep you headbanging throughout. “Birth of Malice” end on an odd note with a cover of ACCEPT’s “Fast as a Shark”. I say odd because based on the previous material, surely they could have come up with an original piece of music to end their album. As far as cover tunes go, this one is one of the better covers but I feel it was slightly unnecessary. Maybe they just wanted to pay homage to this speed metal original. Either way, they stick close to the original but still put their own spin on it.
DESTRUCTION has been on quite the run with their releases starting in the 2000s. Each one of them being worthy of adding to the collection with some of them being “must buys”. I would definitely put “Birth of Malice” in the must buy column making this the perfect companion to their previous release “Diabolical”. For a band that has had forty years of releasing records, DESTRUCTION doesn’t seem to be slowing down one bit which is fine by me.
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