DESTRUCTION – Day Of Reckoning

Just to ensure everyone, no matter what happens, Destruction will keep on doing what they do best – bestial Teutonic Thrash Metal – and their album killing spree continues. Moreover, they are back with Nuclear Blast Records, a label that currently holds one of their biggest of gems: The Antichrist. This time around, Destruction inserted their stick into a matter that can haunt one and all — the end of time. When the world is coming to an end, humanity will be in a state of desperation. Evil will surge the skies of a rotten world as the Day Of Reckoning rapidly approaches. What will be the end of humanity be like? Whether Destruction can answer that question or not depends on your perception.

The Day Of Reckoning, amid its widespread stream of devilishness, can also be deemed as an attack on one of our society’s monuments:  religion. Since day one, Destruction has been against religion. However, besides showing their loyalty to Metal with “Devil’s Advocate”, there is a visible concentrated effort to show who and what lies to our faces. Religion is displayed as source of evil, or even the weapon of the devil. With this kind of theme, Destruction have really outdone themselves on being extreme and shocking. To the side of the concept, the music is no less villainous.

One thing is certain; Destruction hasn’t changed a thing in their musical approach. Since the return of Schmier to the band near the end of the 90s, the threesome group has become even more aggressive than before. However, the level of aggression hasn’t changed anything in their perception of how to write their riffs and passages. Furthermore, the unending speed as well as the complex breaks serve as important factors, and there is no time to rest throughout the songs. As always, Destruction are performing flawlessly.  The collective experience of these guys, including their new drummer Vaaver, make them a power trio with a massive array of technical abilities, a partial sense of melody, and vocal insanity. Nevertheless, the band’s attributes didn’t make Day Of Reckoning a super album, rather only another good release … and that explains their rating.

Even with a tight and deep production provided by the famous Jacob Hansen, the newfound material on this album doesn’t shed any new light. Everything here is in good quality, yet, all that is left is to find out the better tracks and the lesser ones. Some of them will kick you in the face, however, some are just plain. Destruction hits with the anti-Christianity “Church Of Disgust”, and “Hate Is My Fuel”, “Sorcerer Of Black Magic”, “Day Of Reckoning”, “Destroyer Or Creator” and “The Price” maintain the demonic reality that holds this album together. Nevertheless, tracks as “Misfit”, “The Demon Is God”, “Devil’s Advocate”, and “Armageddonizer” are practically the same thing … and their kind was heard countless times throughout the band’s earlier discography.

Largely, Day Of Reckoning is a good Destruction album led by their traditional way of being aggressive, speedy, and unmerciful. However, good as they might be and no matter how high quality their performance is, their tradition can’t always knock on the hit machine door and expect an answer.

Tracklist

1. The Price
2. Hate Is My Fuel
3. Armageddonizer
4. Devil’s Advocate
5. Day Of Reckoning
6. Sorcerer Of Black Magic
7. Mistfit
8. The Demon Is God
9. Church Of Disgust
10. Destroyer Or Creator
11. Sheep Of The Regime

Lineup

Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer – Bass, Vocals
Mike Sifringer – Guitars
Wawrzyniec “Vaaver” Dramowicz – Drums