Album Review: Destruction - Birth Of Malice
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Though the US certainly has its strong plethora of thrash metal, the next place synonymous with thrash if you ask me has to be Germany, and it’s here where we’re looking at Destruction and their eighteenth studio album. Formed in 1983 out of Baden-Württemberg, Destruction were originally named Knight Of Demon, sporting a more Iron Maiden-leaning sound though this rapidly changed following exposure to Venom out of the United Kingdom. Afterwards, Destruction’s early years are littered with classic releases: their 1984 Sentence Of Death EP, 1985’s Infernal Overkill, 1986’s Eternal Devastation, Release From Agony, Cracked Brain and so on. The band have never quit, never slowed down, yet there is a general sense the band never made it as big as their counterparts have in Kreator or even Sodom. With that said the band have tirelessly written and released one of the biggest catalogues in German thrash metal. Destruction, in 2025, keep things true to their sword with sole remaining member Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer on bass and vocals leading the charge. Reckoned for a March 8th release date, Birth Of Malice is Destruction’s latest bludgeoning and I was ecstatic to dive in, given that this record will be released physically through Napalm Records, and independently via digital means.
I will say I was surprised with just how clean Birth Of Malice really is. Perhaps I’ve been inundated with dirtier thrash records as of late, but it’s an oddly refreshing experience to listen to Destruction play and not need to discern too greatly with what is happening, or what instrumental aspects I need to take in. Though there is an unshakeable grit to Destruction’s songwriting, the overarching power the band are capable of is still inherent here, there’s a fluidity and a smoothness to their sound that makes listening so easy. We get the sense that whilst they’re playing thrash as we expect them to, the band aren’t trying to challenge us or push us into boundaries we haven’t been exposed to before. It therefore grants Birth Of Malice an approachability and accessibility other thrash records by Germany’s big four can’t all boast of. Across instrumental and vocal spheres Destruction remove all feasible barriers keeping us from enjoying every minute element of their songwriting, which may actually encourage us to return again since we know the band aren’t placing additional difficulties on top of an already frantic and racing record.
I don’t know how else to describe it, but Birth Of Malice feels genuine. I mean this in the respect that their efforts and energy and performance here don’t feel unnecessarily forced, nor are Destruction putting on a front of passion to keep us convinced in their frenzies. There’s a wondrous and legitimate power bound up in their songwriting and as they continue to play you can feel the positivity oozing through the band’s chemistry. Positivity is far from the first thing thrash screams with yet one can feel it here in droves; you get the sense the band are nowhere near done yet even after more than four decades doing this; Destruction harness a freshness, a raw but refined glee to their sound that makes it abundantly easy to dive into this record. Though they’re hardly reinventing the wheel it’s evident they had great fun writing and recording this album as that excitement pours into us thus lending Birth Of Malice a ripping, fun yet ferocious style perfectly mirrored in Thrash’s 80s heyday.
From the viewpoint of songwriting, Destruction’s thrash has often been cited as more streamlined, straightforward compared to their contemporaries however this is hardly a detriment as Birth Of Malice truly showcases the positives attributed to songwriting that refuses to complicate things for audiences. Look at the drums for instance, you’ve heard these typical patterns innumerable times over but, given the kind of songwriting and easy to enjoy thrash Destruction exemplify, the drums are exactly the force they need to be to lend Destruction the backing pace needed to keep our engagement enforced. There’s no need to pursue technical or more avant-garde approaches to songwriting when that’s not what audiences are after from you nor does it fit your established sound; keeping things straightforward doesn’t equate dull and uninspired. There are moments where the drums break into more freeform performance yet these moments are sporadic and brief, thus returning us to the medley of Destruction’s conventionally written drum tracks, blending seamlessly with songwriting that’s manufactured solely for entertainment.
How does a man maintain his vocal performance over more than forty years? I certainly don’t. But Schmier absolutely has done. I think it helps that his vocals are far from the most aggressive or demanding that thrash and extreme metal offer, but it still helps him protect his vocal cords especially as he now approaches the sixty-year milestone. Then again, projecting his vocals further would go against the aesthetic of this record which is otherwise committed to keeping everything in organised file. Schmier therefore doesn’t need to place additional timbre onto his vocals since brutality isn’t the key objective herein. In addition, his Germanic accent provides a naturally metal slant onto his intonations and, I’d argue, the cleaner, polished production this record champions gives his vocals an easier route at becoming one with the instrumentation. It’s a thoroughly well-rounded sounding album where no element of the band’s performance feels tacked on or segmented; it is difficult to separate one facet of the band from the next owing to how well pieced together it feels.
In conclusion, as Destruction finish their eighteenth album with a cover of Accepts “Fast As A Shark” one absolute fact rolls over me: Birth Of Malice really is Destruction’s finest record in years. More than forty years following their inception, Destruction are still setting heads aflame with headbanging rendered with bodily violence. This is without a doubt the first record from Destruction in a long time that feels weaponised, dangerous and raring to fight; Destruction are no strangers to grievous onslaught however there’s an organic and feral strength to Birth Of Malice that helps us get behind them without fail. It reminds me of a time when metal wasn’t necessarily out to solely produce the most ruthless performance but was equally occupied with creating music that was ferociously entertaining. That’s what Birth Of Malice evokes with me anyway. Listening to this record is as like receiving a nostalgic blast from checking out any early material by Death Angel, Toxik, Kreator, Demolition Hammer or any band active in that heyday, when thrash metal was equal parts rabid and awesome to behold. Whatever chemistry or ideas Destruction were playing with during this production they need to replicate, because the band are onto something here and prove there’s more than enough life in them yet after forty-two years. Don’t be surprised to see Birth Of Malice amongst, if not topping, 2025’s finest thrash releases.
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