Destruction: Born to Perish (2019)

Destruction is one of the Big Three of German thrash metal, however they have generally been my least favorite of the three.  That is not to say that I do not enjoy them.  Release from Agony is a fantastic album and their first three albums are absolute classics from the scene.  It is just that I have typically preferred Kreator and Sodom over Destruction.  All that being said, Destruction's later albums have been the best of the three bands.  That is certainly true when comparing each band's most recent album.

This is the band's fourteenth full-length album of original material (they did release two albums of re-recorded tracks).  And very little has changed in the band's sound.  Founding members bassist/vocalist Schmier and guitarist Mike Sifringer remain with the band, forming the backbone and crafting the sound that has served Destruction well for almost forty years.  So what have here is typical for the band: rampaging riffs, blazing leads and sneering vocals.

Destruction has once again released an album full of catchy-as-hell songs.  Tracks like "We Breed Evil", "Butchered for Life" and the title track are bound to get stuck in listeners' heads.  The only real complaint I can make is that there is not much variation between the tracks and the band has basically released this exact same album every time for the last fifteen years.  That being said, Destruction knows what they are doing and they do it quite well. 

I always enjoy a new Destruction album.  While they do not really ever reinvent the wheel these days, they still pack a wallop in each new release and they have been amazingly consistent over the years.  This is unlikely to rate on my top albums list, but there is something to be said for some good, old-fashioned thrash metal.