The third and final day of Hellfest has arrived and the festival has taken on a distinct power metal flavour. Manowar, the self-proclaimed Kings Of Metal, are due to headline later tonight and they have the likes of Dragonforce, Epica, Stratovarious and Holyhell propping up the bill. In the midst of all the fire breathing monsters and Viking Longboats though lurks a darker prospect.
Veteran German thrashers Destruction have snuck onto the bill in the late afternoon, deftly avoiding axe swings to unleash a volley of nasty, extreme metal into the mix. Heavier than an oil tanker filled to the brim with anvils and packing more than a few guitar riffs to their name, it’s like watching Green Berets machine gunning Elves and they are a welcome addition to the colourful Sunday bill.
The Mad Butcher Runs Riot
No strangers to the European festival circuit, Destruction have largely avoided the mainstream appeal of their contemporaries over the years and instead, carved out a career as a solidly reliable band. By now the chances of them becoming Germany’s answer to Metallica are about as likely as them appearing on the X-Factor tour, but then that was never the point in the first place.
Instead Destruction are all about pure thrash metal and their rigid adherence to the genre has certainly won them a few fans in France at least. For forty furious minutes, the riff reigns supreme and long hair flies in all directions as Curse The Gods and Mad Butcher send the crowd into a frenzy.
Destruction: German Thrash Metal Live!
Having been together since the 80s, the trio are a perfectly tight and well oiled machine. They’re surprisingly cheerful too given that their lyrics are largely concerned with insanity and serial killers, lead man Schmier especially lapping up the adoration as the mosh pit grows ever larger.
The songs themselves are remarkably straightforward thrash attacks, but it’s striking just how many underrated tracks they have to their name. Devolution, the title track from their most recent album is a popular favourite with the fans today and Total Desaster gets plenty of the older crowd throwing the horns. The finale proves to be the best though as the Germans pile drive their way through a neck snapping Nailed To The Cross, Schmier screaming the chorus as though he had just gargled broken glass.
Destruction are never going to be a huge band and the time when they could have overshadowed their fellow countrymen Kreator, never mind the likes of Slayer, have long passed. However their live shows have proven to be consistently rewarding and even the pickiest thrash fan would find little to fault. Chances are in ten years time they’ll still be there, in exactly the same spot on the running list, thrashing like it never went out of fashion.
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