Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know Destruction? Perhaps extraterrestrial forms of life. Destruction is one of the biggest thrash bands that ever walked on planet Earth, for whom every thrasher worldwide would choose to lose their sanity. “Stuck”, whether they like it or not, in the pantheon of the four greatest bands of Germany, Destruction have paved their own path in the music scene and have influenced others in their own way. (The German Big 4 that I mentioned earlier refers to, apart from Destruction, to Sodom, Kreator and Tankard. Obviously! The notion that these Big 4 dream team has influenced Black Metal and helped it form into what we know today, has been developed by many from time to time, as a matter of fact).
In this article, however, we’ll take a closer look at “All Hell Breaks Loose”. Just to be able to elaborate on the record the correct way, we should take a dive into the historical background behind it.
Destruction have been carving their way since 1982, when they were still called Knight of Demon. In 1984 they transformed into the group we all know, by changing their name into Destruction and by releasing “Bestial Invasion Of Hell” demo. Right from the very start, they managed to make some noise with their presence, releasing within just a few years “Infernal Overkill” (1985), “Eternal Devastation” (1986) and “Release From Agony” (1987). Until 1989, the vocals were Schmier’s duty, who then decided to leave the band due to musical differences with the rest of the band. Through the 90s and after some changes in vocals, Destruction released “Cracked Brain” (1990) and “The Last Successful Human Cannonball” (1998) with Andre Grieder and Thomas Rosenmerkel on vocal duties, respectively. The return of the prodigal son came in 1999, almost 10 years after his departure. That year Destruction signed with Nuclear Blast. This agreement seemed like an oasis in the desert, as for a whole decade Destruction had some hard times concerning labels. Schmier’s return signaled the release of the new Destruction album “All Hell Breaks Loose” with Schmier The Beast behind the wheel of vocals and bass, once again, restoring the triad form, Destruction once was.
“All Hell Breaks Loose” was released on April 25, 2000 via Nuclear Blast. The record not only marks Schmier’s return, but the decisive shift towards the so-called Neo-Destruction era as well, which is characterized by more modern sounds, a groove dose and the evolution in both synthesis and the production process. As a record, it consists of 11 tracks and a one-minute intro, and in some editions, a cover Metallica’s “Whiplash” is also featured.
Essentially, Destruction managed to escape this crisis of the ’90s that sent others in the swamps, moved others in the dusty archives of Metal Archives and urged others to keep releasing albums that are full of decay and degeneration, up until now. It seems like Destruction rebooted their system and started over with their career, under new conditions and redefined objectives.
In an overview, “All Hell Breaks Loose” is an excellent comeback for Destruction, bringing them to the spotlight once again. They are experimenting with new sounds and new forms of compositions, but the focal point continues to be the classic song structures that Destruction had followed in previous years. Everything is pompous, louder and faster. We are beheaded and thrown to the jackals. Here Destruction succeeds into combining the old – school atmosphere with the (theoretically) modern approach, maintaining the balance between those two. On one side we see a return to their primitive roots, but on the other side, they’re facing the future, by redirecting their music.
Despite Schmier’s almost-a-decade absence, his return to the great love of his life, was marked by success and satisfaction which reached all levels; both for him and of course for us. He sounds more “evil” and angrier than ever. While we were used to other kind of vocals, here Schmier tried (and succeeded) to modernize his vocal approach and to take things one step further, just to keep up with the changes in Destruction’s sound and compositions.
The album starts with the most ideal way. The (almost) one minute introduction may be small but works miracles and wonders. It is followed by “The Final Curtain” and its amazing and super-heavy guitars. In just a few seconds you get straight to the point: speed, heaviness, hatred. Right from the start we’re talking about a sonic massacre. During its first riff, our teeth fall. Actually, it’s kind of natural, since during the non – Schmier era there wasn’t something that awesome to make us pop. “The Final Curtain” is definitely one of the best tracks of this past decade. “Machinery of Lies” follows up next, which sounds like a logical continuation of “The Final Curtain”. Strong structure, that keeps its pace intact. In “Tears of Blood” we encounter the classical riff recipe of Destruction, with the expected developments. What it’s missing is this surprise element that will make you explode. It’s good, but something extra is needed. “Devastation of Your Soul” is characterized by exceptional guitars and drums that maintain the sequence perfectly. There are arousing riffs that you make your mood, but it is mysterious and dark at some points, as well. The ideas that are exploited are many, giving variety and holding our interest steady. It starts with a very strong sonic attack, then the speed is lowered and vice versa. I personally like very much these variations in the rhythm. During its outbursts, it flattens us like a bulldozer. “The Butcher Strikes Back” I suppose is the track that stigmatized the album for many reasons. Firstly, it refers to Schmier’s return (“The butcher strikes back”). Secondly, the lyrics essentially praise their fans (“Hail to those who obey and believe in Destruction”). At the same time, we see that Destruction redefine their goals, setting things straight as to why this (in a sense) reunion actually happened (“The importance of our new mission now is clear. We will break banging necks all over we appear). Generally, it is an extremely strong track that manages to be etched in your memory. On one hand ok, the lyrics are quite cheesy and kitsch, on the other hand though there is no way it won’t stick with you. In “World Domination of Pain” we deal with the classic Destruction way of thrashing, imbued by many changes in pace; from extreme speeds to mid-tempo galloping rhythms. Clearly it’s engraved in your mind as one of the highlights of the record. “X-treme Measures” belongs to the most “flat” pieces of the record, since it has nothing different to offer than the other tracks. It sounds like it’s a filler track or a track they wrote, thought that it was good, so they added it to the tracklist. I think it was an unnecessary addition. Within this pandemonium there’s a remake of “Total Desaster”, now titled as “Total Desaster 2000”, which was originally released in “Bestial Invasion of Hell” and then on “Sentence of Death”. Compared to the older version, it’s obviously altered, faster, more polished, more structured. Classic thrashers, as natural, won’t appreciate it and would prefer the old version. The more open-minded ones would appreciate it more since it follows the form of the new Destruction. It is not incongruous or inconsistent with the overall image of the record. It’s a nice addition and the fact that its production and somewhat its composition has been changed, obviously raise it even higher. “Visual Prostitution” seems to belong to the weak moments of the disc. It’s not that bad, but it’s not the song that will stand out or stay in your mind either.
Despite Destruction’s tradition of poor or mediocre productions, “All Hell Breaks Loose” indemnify us for all those times we were confused because we didn’t know what we were listening to, for all those times we replayed the track, not only because it would spit in the face of Holy Mary but because we didn’t realize what was being played. Here Destruction are finally turning in quality, with a decent production that highlights all aspects of the record. Indeed, Schmier once said that on this record they wanted to do a production equivalent to the one death metal bands did, so I guess that’s why “All Hell Breaks Loose” is so heavy.
Despite all that I truly believe that “All Hell Breaks Loose” could be composed of fewer tracks. There are points that you think that what you hear bores you or that some elements are repeated, making you think that quality is lost. Nevertheless, the result is overly satisfactory, especially when you decide to compare it to other bands’ comebacks. Okay, here Destruction defeat them all.
Many avoid “All Hell Breaks Loose” as the devil avoids incense, by saying stuff like “I only dig the first era / records”, “That’s not cult” and such loads of crap. On one hand, if Destruction remained at the same previous levels, everybody would thing they’re boring, uninspired, playing the usual stuff. On the other, now that they’ve change their sound and are consistent with the evolution of that era’s music, you will hear “that’s very modern”, “they used to be old-school, now they’re playing for the money”. For each and every one of you, who fall into either of these two categories, please drink some liters of Mac Donald’s used frying oil and get your head off your asses. “All Hell Breaks Loose” is extremely aggressive, heavy as cement and chaotic as six bottles of whiskey for brunch. It is different and with many new ideas. It falls off the trail of classic, simple, overly-used thrash ideas, paving the way for the Neo – Destruction era.
Highlights: The Final Curtain, The Butcher Strikes Back, World Domination of Pain, Total Desaster 2000