DESTRUCTION - review added 10th September 2009
Live Album Review: The Curse Of The Antichrist: Live In Agony (2009)
For fans of: Thrash Metal... and bands I now really want to see live
Destruction's last album, the annoying to type D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. was a hulking beast that was more fun than being fed chocolate cake on the end of a pneumatic drill. It wasn't subtle and, musically, it was the equivalent of whacking a piano with a sledgehammer. Judging by the equally annoying to type The Curse Of The Antichrist: Live In Agony, hitting things hard is what Destruction do well.
Formed under the name Knight of Demon in 1982, German thrash gods Destruction have now released 10 studio albums plus numerous EP's. This 2-disc monster is their 3rd live album and is a compilation of songs from Germany's Wacken festival, Japan and more.
The line-up is Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer on bass/vocals, Marc Reign on drums and Mike Sifinger on guitar duties. Several guests appear throughout the 22 tracks including Overkill's Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Rage's Peter "Peavy" Wagner.
There's not much you can say about the album. It's Destruction! It's big, bad in a good way, and sounds just how you imagine it would - like Destruction played much f*cking louder. Most of the good tracks are here, although these releases are never going to please everybody. Schmier's control of the crowd (and his mastery of Japanese!) is a spot-on lesson for younger bands.
The Curse Of The Antichrist: Live In Agony was never going to be rubbish. It isn't perfect. If it was, it wouldn't be Destruction. I doubt we'd have them any other way.
Check out... Some of the drumming will make your ears bleed.
Track List:
Disc 1:
01. The Butcher Strikes Back
02. Curse The Gods
03. Nailed To The Cross
04. Mad Butcher
05. The Alliance Of Hellhoundz
06. D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N
07. Eternal Ban
08. Urge The Greed Of Gain
09. Thrash Till Death
10. Metal Discharge
Disc 2:
01. The Damned
02. Cracked Brain
03. Soulcollector
04. Death Trap
05. Unconscious Ruins
06. Life Without Sense
07. The 7 Deadly Sins
08. Antichrist
09. Reject Emotions
10. Thrash Till Death
11. Total Desaster
12. Bestial Invasion
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): Destruction , MySpace
