Band:	Destruction
Album:	Birth Of Malice
Style:	Teutonic thrash metal
Release date:	March 07, 2025
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Birth Of Malice
02. Destruction
03. Cyber Warfare
04. No Kings - No Masters
05. Scumbag Human Race
06. God Of Gore
07. A.N.G.S.T.
08. Dealer Of Death
09. Evil Never Sleeps
10. Chains Of Sorrow
11. Greed
12. Fast As A Shark [Accept cover]

They have the Internet on computers now?

Defying age and the idea of diminishing returns, Teutonic thrashers Destruction have maintained a good level of consistency when Schmier is at the helm, and the band's 16th and latest effort, Birth Of Malice, is no different. While there are cracks in these Teutonic knights' armour, they retain the all-conquering power and energy that has cemented their legacy. Though it would be easy for the band to churn out another enjoyable but run-of-the-mill release, Birth Of Malice is imbued with a level of quality that elevates it beyond the typical ho-hum late-career release that some bands decline towards.

While Schmier is the last remaining member from the band's 80s heyday (which makes the decision to include the autobiographical track "Destruction" now an odd choice), Destruction have not merely hired flashy metal mercenaries to fill out the ranks; retaining the same line-up as Diabolical, the group have had additional time to gel with each other, which pays dividends on Birth Of Malice. While there are some facepalm moments in terms of the lyrical content, musically the band sound as vital as they did when they were tearing up West Germany all those moons ago.

With gems like "No Kings-No Masters" (which is several months old at this point, but it would be a waste of a quality track not to include it on a full album), "Scumbag Human Race" and "Chains Of Sorrow" filling out the playlist, there is plenty to enjoy and sink your ears into on Birth Of Malice. Eskić and Furia lead the attack with some top-notch guitar work, whether blitzing through high-speed riffs, or producing the kind of solo that you purposefully listen to the track again just to hear once more.

The production is dense and has a sledgehammer quality to it, thanks to Schmier and Black's rhythm section being pushed high in the mix, giving the album a higher floor than most metal albums. It does at times overwhelm the guitars (such as on "Greed"), but does give the album a character that is missing from many modern metal releases.

As alluded to earlier, as enjoyable as the music is, the lyrics at times do have you putting your face in your hand and wondering why no one thought to say anything.
"Cyber Warfare" has an "OK, boomer" energy to it, as if Schmier wanted to sound relevant on the topic, but his only knowledge of the topic comes from 90s action movies. It doesn't derail the listening experience too often, but there are times when you feel the band are treading water in terms of content.

That aside, producing albums of the quality of Birth Of Malice this late into a career should be something all bands aspire towards. Don't sleep on this thinking it's just another Destruction release: more fool you if you do.