Customer Reviews

Thrash Anthems

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Destruction was one of the lesser tier thrash bands back in the day but every seasoned thrash fan knew of and liked their stuff. "Inventor of Evil" was a nice return to form for the band and is a great album. The one problem Destruction had in Deutschland was that their early stuff (especially pre-"Release from Agony" era) was so poorly recorded it is difficult for somebody today to buy that stuff and appreciate it (unless they listened to it when that stuff first came out.) It's like Chris Guest in "This is Spinal Tap", "this one goes to eleven." Yeah, you have to turn your stereo to "eleven" to clearly hear the early Destruction albums. Remastering is expensive, so why not just re-record the classic songs? Well, the track record for bands who have done re-recording is bad...really bad.

Unlike Testament's "First Strike Still Deadly" which was a re-recording that featured a completely different line up and was overproduced, "Thrash Anthems" doesn't suffer from any of those problems. Schmier sold me on this album when he told me after a show the songs were faithful renditions of the originals with some slight changes to keep things interesting but they didn't try to play heavier or faster for modern sake. Although Schmier (bass/vocals) wasn't on a few of the albums that have songs showcased here, he still does an amazing job for those songs (example: "Cracked Brain"). With all that, hardcore Destruction/thrash fans will indulge in the two new songs that have been included on this disc. So either way, you gotta buy this if you're a completist (but may not like the idea of a re-recording.)

The instruments that were helped the most by this re-recording were the drums. You can clearly hear the bass drum now. The vocals, as Schmier's voice has been altered slightly by the sands of time, are as in-your-face as ever. I actually think I like them better than the original vocals. Some of the harmonized guitar parts that were lost in the mix on the originals are brought out in the center on this release. A great thing to do is listen to this disc and then go get the originals and compare. What can I say, I might even like the originals better because this release made me appreciate them more. Recommended.

This is what I wish all metal bands from the eighties that had terrible recordings would do today! Destruction did a compilation of all of their old 80s material & made it not only sound clean & crisp by today's production standards, but HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY as hell!!! If you seriously thought they sounded heavy then, just pop this baby in your CD player & REALLY get your brain mangled! It doesn't even matter if all of your old favorites aren't on this CD, it's THAT GOOD! Buy this, thrash fans!!

Probably you've heard all but 2 of these songs before. The old recordings of Destruction had an unnamable charm to them, very bleak and "steam-hammer" sounding (that should really appeal to the devotees of "necro" Black MeTal); those recordings cannot be appreciated by some (despite the utter brilliance of the material). And so, Destruction re-recorded half their old classics for the modern listener...and Destruction DESTROYS! This may irk afficianados of the old albums, but for everyone else this is an excellent textbook of how Thrash MeTal could and should be. While the playing is slightly different from the old days (I hate to say it, but I even told Mike in person that his guitar solos are not up to the old incredible standard of playing), the addition of excellent drumming makes these songs seem new. I don't agree with some of the (very slight) changes in the songs, but Destruction is just so pure and true to their old roots that I can easily overlook that. Hearing Schmier doing "Cracked Brain"(which is the only song on here not previously recorded with his vocals, other than the 2 new songs) is worth the price of this album alone! I wish I knew when I ordered this that there is a different version which includes one extra song on it, I think "Eternal Ban"(but I'm not certain). Of all the bands from the heyday of Thrash, Destruction (despite a few detours)--- along with Sodom and Kreator and Exodus(and I'm sure a very few more that I can't bring to mind now)--- remain utterly true and vital to their original intent. If you're someone who always cringed at the old production/sound, you certainly must get this to experience Destruction as they always intended to sound(according to Mike and Schmier)!

I spent the first part of last night listening to "Thrash Anthems", a CD from one of my favorite thrash bands from the 80's, Destruction. I spent the rest of the night scraping my brains off the walls with a spatula! It's that good. Don't get me wrong, I loved the raw, evil sound of their first 3 albums but this CD will make your head explode and leave you huddled in the corner convulsing, weeping, and ashamed that you thought you knew what Thrash was all about. Well now you know! The re-recorded songs have a life of their own and that life is angry, evil, and will curb-stomp your head. What I don't understand is why a few people have given this CD a poor review because they think it sounds too much like the nu-metal garbage of today, HUH? Have you listened to today's metal? Destruction just changed nu-metal's diaper and filled their baby bottles with warm milk AND PURE EVIL! So what if they spent some good money on sound production for this CD, have you listened to any of thier older CDs latley? They are great but they sound like they were recorded with one mic setup in someone's bathroom. Someone said that the charm of the original songs are lost in this new recording. I'm here to tell you that Destruction is not here to charm you, they are here to crush your skull and leave your smoking corpse lying in a ditch. That is exactly what this CD does. There is nothing charming about listening to an old recording from back before they invented bass as there appears to be a total lack of it in their first 3 albums. That is all.

Being somewhat of a purist about my metal, this type of re-recorded "greatest hits" have a tendency to make me cringe at the prospect of what lies in the grooves. Nonetheless, there is nothing even remotely cringe-inducing here. Destruction did this one right-big fat drum, bass, and guitar sound with a nicely polished production helps these old classics shine anew in the darkness of todays metal landscape. Before I decided to write this review, I broke out some of my old Destruction LP's and fired up the turntable. It was comparison time! After a few spins I came to the conclusion that while the old stuff has an undeniable history and cult charm, the new versions flesh out the songs more and make what was once strong even stronger. Many may disagree with my opinion, but the downtuning of Mike's guitar added to the bands newfound 21st century viciousness make this a worthy addition to the Destruction canon.

Ive been a Destruction fan since the beginning. Yes this is a re recording of many of their classic songs, (the new songs are also killer) Yes the originals are classics and for many fans the old recordings fit a niche that cannot be replaced, however I dont understand some of the negative comments about re recording them. If it wasnt for modern production and the digital age most modern metal bands (any genre actually) would fall right on their face. Bringing these "classic" into the modern age is just further proof of what killer songs they were in the first place, they stand toe to toe with whatever thrash band you wanna name....the big 4..whoever.., not to mention these guys absoulutely crush all the so called metal of the post 80s age. Mike is a severely underrated thrash metal hero, and Schmier can write with the best of them. This album rips, it is the definition of thrash and belongs in any real thrash fans collection.

this album is just too produced. they could of taken all the classics and raised the volume making them sound better. they added more layers to the songs which is fine for someone that doesnt know the old tunes. but for someone that has been listening to destruction for years it is just too different. if its not broken dont fix it.

Yes, Destruction re-recorded some of their older songs. Yes, the production is better, and their new drummer is better. Sorry, it doesn't help. Schmier now sings all down and dirty, bypassing the maniacal shriek he used to deliver. The band now sounds all new-school, and they just sort of lost me...got to give this one a thumbs down. It just sounds like a modern metal band covering old Destruction songs. The charm and identity of the original songs are gone. I used to marvel at how the guitarist was able to play so tightly alongside the old shambling drummer. Not a problem anymore, they now have a rock-solid kit basher in the band. Oddly, that doesn't influence me in a positive way. I think this lineup of Destruction should record new material, not overhaul their classics. Upon hearing this CD and their new style, I didn't even go to their show. This listener recommends that you seek out the original "Sentence of Death" and "Infernal Overkill" albums instead.