Destruction

Germany's Destruction, together with Kreator, Sodom, and Tankard, constitute the "big four" of Teutonic thrash metal. Emerging when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal intersected with punk's D.I.Y. spirit and morphed into thrash, the group belonged to the style's second wave during the mid- to late '80s, sharing that period with American acts such as Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel, and Dark Angel. Their early releases, 1985's Eternal Devastation and 1987's Release from Agony, rank among the genre's enduring classics. Although the band later rejected much of its self-released 1990s material, they resurfaced with All Hell Breaks Loose in 2000 on Nuclear Blast. AFM Records issued the well-received Inventor of Evil in 2005 and D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. in 2008, after which the group returned to Nuclear Blast for Under Attack in 2016 before moving to Napalm Records for Diabolical in 2022.

The outfit began in 1983 under the name Knight of Demon but adopted Destruction only weeks afterward; its initial Iron Maiden-derived sound likewise gave way to a Venom-dominated approach in that same brief span. Founding members included the imposing vocalist/bassist Marcel Schirmer (known as Schmier), guitarist Mike Sifringer, and drummer Tommy Sandmann. Eager to exploit the global tape-trading circuit that propelled many major 1980s heavy metal acts, the trio promptly recorded and distributed its Bestial Invasion demo among critics and enthusiasts. Steamhammer, Germany's leading metal imprint at the time, soon offered a contract. The Sentence of Death EP appeared in 1984 and was followed the next year by the Infernal Overkill LP. Both efforts, marked by raw aggression and youthful drive, earned strong praise for their unexpected skill and led to a German tour with Slayer later in 1985, plus participation in Montreal's legendary WWIII Festival alongside Celtic Frost, Voivod, and other extreme metal bands.

Upon their return, the musicians prepared 1986's widely praised Eternal Devastation. Sandmann departed shortly before a tour with fellow Germans Rage, prompting Sodom's Chris "Witchhunter" Dudeck to fill in temporarily until Oliver Kaiser joined permanently. Guitarist Harry Wilkens was added as well. After the Mad Butcher EP tested the revised lineup in 1987, Destruction produced what many critics and listeners regard as their peak recording, 1988's Release from Agony. A portion of the audience, however, disliked the quartet's more technical, nearly progressive leanings, which clashed with purist expectations. Selected to open Celtic Frost's Cold Lake tour—an album the headliners themselves later disavowed—the band experienced internal friction on the road. Frontman Schmier was dismissed soon after the 1989 live set Live Without Sense in favor of what were described as "more capable" substitutes: vocalist Andre Grieder, formerly of Poltergeist, and bassist Christian Engler.

Disappointed supporters expressed their displeasure by largely avoiding 1990's Cracked Brain—despite favorable critical notices—along with later releases that included the 1994 and 1995 EPs Destruction and Them Not Me, which introduced vocalist Thomas Rosenmerkel and guitarist Michael Piranio, and especially the 1998 low point The Least Successful Human Cannonball. Schmier formed Headhunter and operated a restaurant, yet he could not ignore the chance to rejoin forces with Sifringer and drummer Sven Vormann; the three relaunched Destruction at the millennium's start and secured a Nuclear Blast deal.

All Hell Breaks Loose arrived in 2000 to warm fan response, while The Antichrist in 2001 and Metal Discharge in 2003, the latter featuring drummer Marc Reign, drew critical approval and restored touring momentum. AFM Records then released Inventor of Evil in 2005, Thrash Anthems in 2007, and D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. in 2008. The band returned to Nuclear Blast for Day of Reckoning in 2011, its first album with drummer Vaaver, followed by Spiritual Genocide in 2012 during the group's 30th-anniversary celebrations. Under Attack, the fourteenth studio album, surfaced in early 2016. A sequel to Thrash Anthems titled Thrash Anthems II appeared in 2017 and preceded the widely praised Born to Perish two years later. Nuclear Blast issued the live recording Born to Thrash in 2020, marking the label's final Destruction release. After signing with Napalm Records in early 2021, the group delivered Live Attack. Six singles on independent High Roller Records sustained the flow of new material to fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Diabolical, the 2022 full-length on Napalm, was produced by Schmier and closed with an unexpected cover of G.B.H.'s "City Baby Attacked by Rats."