Destruction - Day of Reckoning
I saw Destruction perform once in the terrible Schmier-less days, at the Milwaukee Metalfest (may it rest in festering slime). It was a sad thing to behold. After their set was mercifully over, a friend asked me why I’d bothered. She laughed, “Did you think Schmier would show up?” Of course I didn’t think that (although he did rejoin the band a year or so later), but I had hoped that Neo-Destruction would be better. Well, main-man Schmier is thankfully still here, but I’d hoped that Day of Reckoning would be better, too. Don’t misunderstand: If this were from an unknown band, I’d be singing its praises. And I’m also overjoyed that whatever happened to Exodus and Onslaught has not befouled the Mad Butchers. But… for all the intensity and energy on display, there are a couple lame riffs here and there (like the one that starts just after the 2:00 mark in “The Price”), and unnecessary backing vocals (Power Metal-style in the “Armageddonizer” chorus) which don’t help. Some versions of this CD have a bonus cover of Dio’s “Stand Up and Shout,” which I appreciate in theory, but does not translate well at all to Destruction’s style. The real issue, though, is that it feels as if the band was somewhat rushed with this release, perhaps to have a new product out in time for a Spring tour and Summer festival dates. That said, even a less-than-perfectly-polished Destruction album is still easily at the top of the Thrash heap in 2011.
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