Destruction Unit

Originally assembled in 2000, the Arizona-based psychedelic punk outfit Destruction Unit began with singer-guitarist Ryan Rousseau joined by Jay Reatard and Alicja Trout. Its sound erupts in chaotic noise, propelled by heavily fuzzed guitars, relentless drumming, and raw shouted vocals that channel punk’s raw fury through layers of distortion designed to obliterate every listener’s eardrums. Early output consisted of scarce singles and cassettes, leading to the group’s debut full-length Self Destruction of a Man in 2004 and the follow-up Pact of the New Flesh two years later. A sweeping personnel overhaul followed, as Rousseau enlisted his brother Rusty on bass plus guitarists Nick Nappa and J.S. Aurelius alongside drummer Andrew Flores. This expanded, more ferocious configuration brought a triple-guitar barrage into the studio, yielding the 2013 EP Void and the album Deep Trip, issued that summer on Sacred Bones. The band’s ferocious live presence received lasting documentation via Live in San Francisco, released in 2015 as part of Castle Face Records’ series capturing Bay Area shows. Another sonic onslaught, Negative Feedback Resistor, emerged from the studio in September 2015.