Destruction
Sentence Of Death /
Infernal Overkill
[Steamhammer]
Yet another of those SPV "an album and a EP" combo CDs. This time around
we're dealing with the 1st couple of Destruction releases : 1984's "Sentence
Of Death" EP and 1985's "Infernal Overkill" full-length.
Starting off with a typical (for the 80s) evil voice spoken intro and guitar wanking, "Sentence Of Death" then kicks in proper with the track "Total Desaster", one of the greatest songs ever done by this German (at the time) trio. Quickpaced, catchy as all fuck, and the epitome of black thrash/speed metal. "Black Mass" is up next, and the speed is subdued somewhat for the introduction (taking a more plodding route), but picks up slightly in pace with some very "pounding" drums (reverberated to the nth degree) and then a very typical thrash feel - a good track, but by no means a standout. "Mad Butcher" then follows, and along with the first proper track, represent the best of this EP. Beginning with a now classic guitar fill/line, the pace is quick (well, for back in the days at least) and the feel is frantic - this song also happens to have one of the most amazing (albeit all too breif) "slow part" in the middle of the song, which also contain some pretty visual lyrical depictions of one of the female victims of the "Mad Butcher". A great track that Destruction then decided to "butcher" (pun intended) themselves by re-recording later on in their career. "Satan's Vengeance" is the next song on offer, and to be frank, is nothing remarkable at all - typical (once again) thrash, although the bridge in it is quite catchy, and the guitar line on the outro to the song is also memorable (in a Bay Area sort of way). Lastly on this EP we have "Devil's Soldier", and again except for the first guitar riff, is pretty unmemorable. You might think that with only 2 real stand-out tracks and three "fillers" that this EP might not be worth searching out...but you'd be WRONG. Trust me, "Total Desaster" and "Mad Butcher" more than make up for the short-comings of the other tracks here, and this EP is required listening to all interested in the lineage of black/thrash/speed metal. Lastly, production is basic but effective, and has a very "live" feel to it which lends itself quite well to the material on display here. Onward to "Infernal Overkill"...
I could review "Infernal Overkill" in the same way I just did "Sentence Of Death" (ie: track by track), but I think that would make for a pretty boring read, as there are only so many ways to say "fuck, this track is amazing!!!". Every song on this album (with the possible exception of the instrumental "Thrash Attack") is a classic and fully deserving of your immediate attention. Of course I do have my favorites (the opener "Invicible Force", the frantic "Bestial Invasion", "Antichrist" (which "borrows" a riff from "Total Desaster"), and the epic "Black Death"), but there isn't a bad apple in the bunch. The production on this album is quite a lot more "polished" than on "Sentence Of Death", with the guitar having a very precise and controlled sound (yet still razor sharp), and the overall feel of the album is very "condensed" (not at all like the "live" feel of the EP), but somehow this suits the material (perhaps it's the inhuman and "other worldly" feel it lends to it)...
Grab this CD if you get a chance, you won't regret it...this is Destruction during their height. As a side note, from what I've heard SPV has apparently bitten the dust, so these gems are bound to go out of print in their current format - mind you, this might not be a bad thing as the packaging on the SPV "combo" packs were always pathetic (a distinct lack of linear notes and lyrics, instead choosing to insert generic SPV catalogs instead), but the practise of having the appropriate EPs combined with the LPs give you good value-for-money...
© 1999 chorazaim
Starting off with a typical (for the 80s) evil voice spoken intro and guitar wanking, "Sentence Of Death" then kicks in proper with the track "Total Desaster", one of the greatest songs ever done by this German (at the time) trio. Quickpaced, catchy as all fuck, and the epitome of black thrash/speed metal. "Black Mass" is up next, and the speed is subdued somewhat for the introduction (taking a more plodding route), but picks up slightly in pace with some very "pounding" drums (reverberated to the nth degree) and then a very typical thrash feel - a good track, but by no means a standout. "Mad Butcher" then follows, and along with the first proper track, represent the best of this EP. Beginning with a now classic guitar fill/line, the pace is quick (well, for back in the days at least) and the feel is frantic - this song also happens to have one of the most amazing (albeit all too breif) "slow part" in the middle of the song, which also contain some pretty visual lyrical depictions of one of the female victims of the "Mad Butcher". A great track that Destruction then decided to "butcher" (pun intended) themselves by re-recording later on in their career. "Satan's Vengeance" is the next song on offer, and to be frank, is nothing remarkable at all - typical (once again) thrash, although the bridge in it is quite catchy, and the guitar line on the outro to the song is also memorable (in a Bay Area sort of way). Lastly on this EP we have "Devil's Soldier", and again except for the first guitar riff, is pretty unmemorable. You might think that with only 2 real stand-out tracks and three "fillers" that this EP might not be worth searching out...but you'd be WRONG. Trust me, "Total Desaster" and "Mad Butcher" more than make up for the short-comings of the other tracks here, and this EP is required listening to all interested in the lineage of black/thrash/speed metal. Lastly, production is basic but effective, and has a very "live" feel to it which lends itself quite well to the material on display here. Onward to "Infernal Overkill"...
I could review "Infernal Overkill" in the same way I just did "Sentence Of Death" (ie: track by track), but I think that would make for a pretty boring read, as there are only so many ways to say "fuck, this track is amazing!!!". Every song on this album (with the possible exception of the instrumental "Thrash Attack") is a classic and fully deserving of your immediate attention. Of course I do have my favorites (the opener "Invicible Force", the frantic "Bestial Invasion", "Antichrist" (which "borrows" a riff from "Total Desaster"), and the epic "Black Death"), but there isn't a bad apple in the bunch. The production on this album is quite a lot more "polished" than on "Sentence Of Death", with the guitar having a very precise and controlled sound (yet still razor sharp), and the overall feel of the album is very "condensed" (not at all like the "live" feel of the EP), but somehow this suits the material (perhaps it's the inhuman and "other worldly" feel it lends to it)...
Grab this CD if you get a chance, you won't regret it...this is Destruction during their height. As a side note, from what I've heard SPV has apparently bitten the dust, so these gems are bound to go out of print in their current format - mind you, this might not be a bad thing as the packaging on the SPV "combo" packs were always pathetic (a distinct lack of linear notes and lyrics, instead choosing to insert generic SPV catalogs instead), but the practise of having the appropriate EPs combined with the LPs give you good value-for-money...
© 1999 chorazaim