Live Attack

It seems like only a year and change ago I was reviewing another Destruction live album, and so I was: Born to Thrash. Perhaps it is a sign of these COVID times that bands and labels are helping fill the void by pushing out contractual fillers, live albums or compilations, and there isn't really a need for it beyond what limited profitability or collectible format they might manifest, or maybe the Germans just had a whole bunch of ideas for live albums they wanted to produce. Either way, the Live Attack hails from a live-streamed Swiss gig, it's available on audio or video formats, and frankly quite a lot of material is presented here, nearly two hours and 22 tracks worth that span a good deal of the band's catalogue, with a good emphasis placed on the classics but also no shying away from some of their more modern pieces.

The lineup on this was Schmier, Mike, Damir and Randy Black on the drums, and the production is packed with energy, although I found some of the mix levels a little sloppy. The drums are set at this perfect level, and the vocals are very loud and obvious, and they sound positively nasty. I do feel that the guitars suffer a bit, hanging just below where I'd like them, but you can still follow the contours and if you already know all the tunes it'll obviously help. The leads are a bit brighter and louder and cut right through where they need to. Where the drums fade out a little you can make out the rhythms better, but I just think they could have been cranked to give this thing even more power. I have absolutely no problem with the track selection, as its got a lot of the 80s stuff I adore, as well as giving me the two huge hits from my favorite Destruction album, The Antichrist. On size alone, this is also huge, so you'll get plenty of spin out of just trying to make it through the two discs just one time.

Of the half-dozen or so live albums Destruction has put out, though, where does this one rank? I was personally psyched to see a lot of the live streaming/performances these last couple years, there were some that really stood out for me, but I don't know that I needed them transformed into product, and while the Germans have done an elaborate job here, this one doesn't even stand out so much to me. Even the recent Born to Thrash sounded a little better for these ears, but to me the standard will always be Live Without Sense from back in 1989, one of my favorite thrash lives ever. It just sounded more virile and acidic back then, not that the band has lost its touch, but I think if I want to invest in a new live product from them, any average set just isn't going to cut it, I'd want an immaculate mix, a load of crowd energy and a performance for the ages. While elaborate, Live Attack just isn't that, at least not in the pure audio format I'm covering.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Better than live sounding Destruction with the last release featuring Mike Sifringer on main guitar. Mike left or was reported disconnected from Destruction this year. So I bought this release capturing him on the guitar department. It would've been nice had he stayed with the band since they'd become a 4-piece once again. But oh well. This release features a lot of the classics from early Destruction to 'Release From Agony' and 'Cracked Brain'. Most of the songs are from the 80's and early 90's there weren't many modern ones maybe 3-4. I guess since they may have felt that since touring has been a no-go since Covid-19 they'd play the classics.

I really enjoyed 'Live Without Sense' also, maybe even more than this live album. And I favor Harry over Damir though I have the utmost respect for both guitarists. These guys formed in '82 or '83 and remained together up until recently that two of the founding members they've had till Mike's departure. This album features some of the classic songs such as "Mad Butcher" and "Bestial Invasion" to name a couple. Like Schmier said they've covered a lot of history with this live show. To longtime fans they are of no surprise but yes, this album newer listeners get to hear the classics which they've only changed up a little bit on the guitars, but not much.

Schmier sounds pretty much the same as he always have though his voice is a little bit deeper than featuring past stuff. His work with Panzer (first two releases) has him sounding like this live release. And both new musicians Randy on drums and Damir on lead guitar perform solos showing their strength on each instrument. Olly (ex-Destruction) still favors the band and Harry (ex-Destruction) also is featured on many lead guitar appearances on their more current releases. Olly is in mainly a support but Harry was guest up until recently. Damir has filled that slot but I don't know who's taking Mike's place, I don't even think the band knows.

You can get this on the digital Spotify streaming release or buy the CD on 3 discs 2 Live Attack CD's and one Blue-ray all in one case. I bought the physical copy to support the band. And because I support bands that allow you to get their physical CD's. This one was too good to pass up. I think the production quality was good and the guitars/vocals were quality as well. This album is almost 2 hours total and as I mentioned a lot of history and a lot of classics. They really are strong on this. The energy is all there and Schmier leads the way on vocals giving a great live performance. I'm glad he re-joined the band back in 1999 and let's all say good-bye to Mike! Get this album!

With nearly 40 years under their belts, it can be safely stated that Destruction has solidified their status as elites of the thrash metal pantheon. The storms of disapproval from polite society and the changing fashions of subsequent decades has done little to dampen their fire-born spirit, so it is all but stipulated that the near 2 year long lockdowns in response to the Covid pandemic would not see this band of mad auditory butchers remaining silent. But even the most experienced of veterans in the live setting face a unique challenge in translating the riff-happy pandemonium and frenetic fervor of their studio craft into something equally formidable when the sounds of the audience are absent. Yet undaunted at the task of projecting their raw, unfettered metal sensibilities through the World Wide Web, Destruction would deliver a grand performance of classics both new and old at the very dawn of 2021.

The aforementioned live streaming event has now been made available for the entirety of the metal masses in the form of a double CD and Blu-ray release dubbed Live Attack, and true to its name, this 2 hour long undertaking constitutes a veritable bombardment of heavy artillery across multiple continents. With an eye to efficiency, front man and bassist Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer would take few occasions to speak directly to the virtual audience in between chunks of the set, but the degree of enthusiasm in his performance went well beyond the rehearsal-like feel that often typifies online streaming events. The twin guitar attack of co-founder and riff maestro Mike Sifringer and his shred happy counterpart and newcomer Damir Eskic (whom also handled the acoustic work adorning several of the longer offerings included) would prove an exercise in chaotic precision, while the thunderous battery of Randy Black’s kit work could have shaken every computer speaker tied to the performance despite a somewhat dry sounding mix.

Given the lack of extensive touring due to the restrictions that have dogged the performance medium since March of 2020, the selection of songs lent itself a bit to the show being an extended continuation of the previous tour of Born To Perish that would birth the previous 2020 live record Born To Thrash. Familiar offerings from the album in question would be prominent fixtures of the event, with the gripping opener and title song “Born To Perish” functioning as both a haunting overture and the first fast-paced kill session. Other selections from the latest LP such as the mid-paced crusher “Rotten” and the rapid fire with a slight rocking feel “Inspired By Death” would prove no less compelling, and the dissonant evil at light speed that was their rendition of “Betrayal” took several occasions to showcase the rhythmic chops of Randy Black and the blazing fret board gymnastics of Eskic. Similarly styled recent offerings such as the riveting title offering from 2016’s Under Attack and the driving aggression of “Armageddonizer” off 2011’s Day Of Reckoning would also make and leave an impression upon the online audience’s respective vertebrae.

Then again, for all of the newer fanfare to grace this event, a slight edge would ultimately be given to the older classics that account for this release’s extended length. The noted primordial anthem from Destruction’s mid-80s speed metal debut EP “Total Desaster” and similarly archaic thrashers from 1985’s Infernal Overkill such as “Invincible Force” and “Bestial Invasion” hearkened back to the days when the Teutonic sound was just beginning to emerge from the Bay Area influence of Slayer, while still being appropriately dressed in the more compressed and massive character of the band’s current sound. Darker fair off 1986’s Eternal Devastation such as the punchy cruiser “Curse The Gods” and the harrowing march of “Life Without Sense” would also be proficiently realized in this outfit’s current sonic context, while the show would ultimately be stolen by the more nuanced and multifaceted character of the Release From Agony inclusions, with the tech happy “Sign Of Fear” being the apex of a consistently unrelenting medley of metallic fervor.

The scope of the performance itself and the correspondingly extensive nature of the release format that it results in might prove more of a niche product reserved for only the most stalwart of Destruction’s core fan base, but the quality of the performance itself, especially given the lack of an audience to beef up the atmosphere, is something worthy of any old school thrasher’s consideration. Given the lack of availability of the old fashioned approach to delivering the goods to the concertgoer, this is an impressive feast of aggression to fill the void, and may well prove to have staying power even as venues begin to open and heads proceed to bang in real time. It might fall a tad short of an essential purchase for every single follower due to its close proximity to another prominent and well-put-together live album, but those with an endless appetite for thrash in its more chaotic form will find a filling banquet here, not to mention a final glimpse at Sifringer tearing it up given his recent exit from the band he co-founded.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)