I have a special place in my heart for thrash, because that’s where it all started for me. The 90’s however were not kind to a fan of bands from the previous decade, as well as a few modern bands of day who the who nobody knew.
DESTRUCTION is one band I’ve kept on hearing about but never got a chance to hear, so I can’t really base my opinion by comparing the songs on this release to older material. Thirteen of the fifteen songs on “Thrash Anthems” are re-recorded songs from previous albums. All the songs are fresh and new to me, and I have to say that the songs sound pretty modern to my ears, which is probably a testament to ho well DESTRUCTION can hold it up as long as they have. Even vocalist Schmier sounds like he’s only 20 when in reality the guy is pushing 40!
What’s probably obvious to most thrash fans from back in the day is that DESTRUCTION has taken some of the traditional thrash formula and added a lot of their own signature to it. It’s not something I can easily point out, as it’s not like they’re splicing in something from another genre.
I’m actually surprised how this plays as an album instead of a collection of songs, because in reality, “Thrash Anthems” wasn’t written as an album, it really is just a collection of songs! I guess DESTRUCTION took some time when picking just the right songs and what order to arrange them in. The only real fault I can find is that some of the songs draw a bit long to five or six minutes, and there’s enough songs to fill up the entire album. It’s a bit of a daunting task to take “Thrash Anthems” in all at once, and sometimes the action tends to dwell on those longer songs.
Since I never had the opportunity to get my hands on some DESTRUCTION back when I was getting into metal, my opinion on “Thrash Anthems” probably differs from many vets of the scene. Just as I suggested to the young blood of today to take a look at OBITUARY, those fans of TRIVIUM, SANCTITY and MACHINE HEAD should probably check out DESTRUCTION, right along the two other bands cited as the “big three” of German thrash, KREATOR and SODOM. “Thrash Anthems” is a perfect place to start.
8/10
