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back to album reviews home CDDestruction Dick10 20 03 Artist: Destruction Title: Metal Discharge Label: Nuclear Blast Purchase at: Interpunk Purchase at: Amazon

The reigning motherfuckin’ kings of metal have returned. There’s just no two ways about it, Destruction are the best ‘rip your face and salt the wound’ full speed metal unit out there. The vocals are caustic and the guitar delightfully rubs each and every riff in your face like a bad dog’s nose in shit. The music is cheerfully up-tempo, but filled with more aggression than all those down-beat NuMetal bands combined. There’s no fucking pretense here. It’s all goddamn NOW tense.
The core of this band since day one way back in ’84, Schmier and Sifringer, are such well-seasoned pros that I dare you to find one false note or wrong move anywhere on “Metal Discharge.” And for those metal leery folk out there who take a look at the band name and the album title and expect a bunch of songs for metal fans about metal music (à la Manowar) well, you can change your expectations. These Germans are politicized. The song “Desecrators of the New Age” is an anti-war masterpiece. In stores this comes with a second CD full of covers and demo tracks including a cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash” and an excellent rendition of The Exploited’s “Fuck the USA.” There’s nothing about this album that’s a let down. It firmly bridges old Destruction from just before Schmier’s departure (Release From Agony) with their newer, going for broke, no-holds-barred style. They’re better than ever. And I’m not sure, but the album’s intro sounds like it might be a slight jab in Metallica’s collective ribs. As the album opens the guitar sounds distant and thin, the drums like a pickle bucket and the bass doesn’t exist, then after about five seconds all the levels come up and the real shredding begins. I’m not sure if this is intentional ribbing at the expense of St. Anger or not, but if it is, it’s classic.

DICK