UMUR "Infernal Overkill" is the debut full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Destruction. The album was released through Steamhammer in May 1985. Destruction was formed as Knight of Demon in 1982, but soon changed their name to the current monicker. They released the "Bestial Invasion of Hell" demo in early 1984, and the "Sentence of Death" EP in November the same year. "Infernal Overkill" features the same trio lineup who recorded "Sentence of Death (1984)". Schmier (Vocals, Bass), Mike Sifringer (Guitars), Tommy Sandmann (Drums).

Stylistically there haven´t been many changes since the preceding EP release. We´re still treated to a relatively simple form of early thrash metal with speed/traditional metal leanings. The material aren´t the most memorable in the world, and the early releases by contemporaries like Sodom and Kreator were generally a bit more catchy, but Destruction take points when it comes to the savage and convincing delivery of their music, and compared to the quality of the compositions and the playing on "Sentence of Death (1984)", Destruction have taken giant steps.

"Infernal Overkill" also features a raw yet relatively well sounding and detailed production, so upon conclusion the band show positive development and for fans of early raw German thrash this is of course a mandatory listen. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

Kev Rowland Recorded on August 10th at the Party San Festival 2019, Flugplatz Obermehler, Schlotheim, Germany, this finds the band in front of some rabid fans. Bassict/vocalist Schmier and guitarist Mike have been there since the band’s formation back in 1983, and although Randy Black (drums) and Damir Eskić (guitars) are somewhat more recent additions they are fully aware of a proud Teutonic Thrash heritage. Alongside Kreator, Tankard and Sodom, Destruction have always seen to be part of the Teutonic Big 4, although it must be said that Kreator and Sodom are a long way ahead of the other two in my mind. In front of a home crowd it is hard for Destruction to put a foot wrong, with the crowd joining in to singalong on “Nailed To The Cross” and the band work through material as far back as 1987’s “Mad Butcher”.

The issue for me is that one cannot help but think here is a band massively influenced by Raven who have not moved on very from the NWOBHM days. This feels in many ways as if it is Thrash Lite, even when put up to high volumes. The bass is missing in action, the drums are quite basic, the guitars do not really do a great deal and the vocals are okay. I am sure this would be a great band to see in concert, and if I heard they were coming down here I would definitely make the effort, but to compare this performance against live albums from true giants of the scene is really not a good idea at all. Solis, enjoyable, but certainly not indispensable.

Kev Rowland As soon as I put on the latest album from Destruction I wondered what on earth had happened, as the band were totally different from what I had heard on ‘Under Attack’. The drums are much more in your face, the guitars are heavier and the band has far more venom and power. I was convinced there had to be a new drummer and producer on board, and was somewhat surprised on checking the press release to see that not only is there a new drummer in Randy Black (Duskmachine, Level 10, ex-Deception, ex-Annihilator, ex-Primal Fear, ex-Rebellion, ex-W.A.S.P. (live)) but an additional guitarist in Damir Eskić (ex-Gonoreas, Gomorra). Anyone who has survived playing with the Canadian madman Jeff Waters has to know his stuff, and he definitely proves this here as the man is a monster. Having a drummer who can really drive a band from the back is worth their weight in gold as he not only provides the platform required but also pushes the guitarists into delivering something even more special – anyone who has seen the video of Testament performing “Rise Up” knows just what a difference it makes having Gene Hoglan in the band.

While this is not in a massively essential thrash album, it is a big step change from the last one in just about every area, from songs through performance and into production, with far more depth and power to the overall sound. The band have operated as a trio since the beginning of the century, so this line-up change is a major one for them, and allows Mike Sifringer to trade licks and ideas with another person for the first time in nearly 20 years, and this has provided the guys with new emphasis and energy. They have been one of the top Teutonic thrash bands for many years, and released their debut ‘Infernal Overkill’ all the way back in 1985 (as a trio, with both Mike and bassist/singer Schmier), and here they show that there is still plenty of life in them yet. It will be interesting indeed to see what the next album is like once the quartet have been out on the road a while and really bedded down. As it is, it is a welcome return to form.

Kev Rowland This 2016 album saw Destruction back with the same line-up as the previous few albums, with Schmier (vocals, bass) and Mike Sifringer (guitars), both of whom had been there since the beginning in the early Eighties and drummer Wawrzyniec "Vaaver" Dramowicz. Yet again we have Kreator-style Teutonic thrash but for me there is something missing from this album. It seems way more one-dimensional than their previous release, ‘Spiritual Genocide’, and in many ways it feels almost as if they are standing still and waiting for the next piece of inspiration. The sound feels really light with not much in the bottom end, and I soon found it was washing right over me. These guys have been at the forefront of German thrash metal for many years, and I don’t think it’s possible for them to release a really poor album, but there again there is little in here which makes me want to keep playing it over and again. The ideas are the same, the sound is weak, and there is the impression they are playing at it as opposed to really meaning it.

It is hard for bands to keep producing album after album for more than 30 years and this shows. While never awful, it just doesn’t get to the level one expects from a band of this experience and it certainly isn’t one I would point to as a great example of either Destruction or the genre.

voila_la_scorie In Canada, we used to have a label called Banzai which was responsible for bringing in so many metal bands to my local record store shelf. They also stamped many an album with their “Speed Metal” logo, which looked like a black wheel of axes. Voivod I can clearly remember was marked with those rotating axe chops and so was Destruction’s “Infernal Overkill”.

Of course, I had to have the album, though I recall at the time not being duly impressed as I had with some other albums. The band played fast but was less heavy and more high-toned and speedy. And though they had some good riffs, there were none that stood out for me. When I sold off all my old metal cassettes around 1991, I did not miss this one.

More recently, I was checking out old school thrash albums and discovered this one showing up on a few lists of top old school thrash albums. I decided that it might just be worth it to bring this one home on CD.

I don’t know about the band’s history though I know that this was their first lp and that they had previously released an ep. The follow up album to this, “Eternal Devastation” (a theme here?), is also fairly well regarded. Judging from the sound of the band, I’d say they early on covered Venom tunes but decided to play even faster, likely inspired by the thrash metal movement. Vocalist Schmier doesn’t sound like Cronos but at times there are similarities which I can hear in “The Ritual” and when he sings “mayhem” in another song. Actually, there are two lines in “The Ritual” that I always felt were lifted from a Venom song, though since I only have one Venom album right now, I can’t confirm what song I think it is. There might be some Quorthon influences in the vocals as well.

Venom influences aside, this album is speedy and musically a good example of what thrash metal was trying to do at the time. However, the lyrics sound like they were written by young men who were simply trying to capture in lyric that kind of b-grade Satanic movie subject matter. If Venom could pull it off, then maybe these young German blokes could do the same. Lyrics like “Holy Satan”, and “Jesus Chris is gone” and songs that depict stereotypical images of Satan worship just sound like they were written for young teen-aged boys who think this sounds cool.

I give the band kudos for speed and dark lyrics, but the high-toned guitars and near lack of really heavy riffs makes this less memorable except for the cover art. Not a bad album but not a terrific one either. Good enough if you like early German thrash or speed metal.