Destruction — Eternal Devastation

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

37 years ago today, we were “United By Hate”!

On this day (July 12) in 1986, Destruction released their second full-length studio album, “Eternal Devastation” via Steamhammer.

Background:

“Eternal Devastation” showed that the band, while still rooted in the Black Metal-influenced style of material evident on the “Sentence of Death” EP and “Infernal Overkill”, had started moving in the direction of a more contemporary Thrash Metal style. This is the last studio album to feature drummer Thomas "Tommy" Sandmann, who left the band later in 1986 and was replaced by Oliver "Olli" Kaiser.

Critical Reception:

In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia;

“Destruction's second full-length album, and last recorded by the original, "classic" threesome of vocalist/bassist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, guitarist Mike Sifringer, and drummer Tommy Sandmann, 1986's Eternal Devastation may also be the defining release of their career. With its croaked and/or screeched vocals, buzzsaw guitars, and insistently basic drumming, the album joined early efforts by Kreator and Sodom in shaping the harsher, Teutonic Thrash aesthetic adopted by most Euro-moshers in response to the genre's original American invasion. And ironically, though they were never quite as popular as the other two members of Germanic thrash's Big Three, Destruction's sound was arguably the most accessible and "American"-like of all...well, just barely.

Eternal Devastation bookends, "Curse the Gods" and "Confused Mind," both prefaced their furious thrashing with classical guitar intros; more elaborate creations, "Confound Games" and "Life Without Sense," boasted piles of stunning riffs; and scorching sprinters, "United by Hatred" and "Eternal Ban," showcased fiery lead guitar licks from the talented Sifringer, and even the instrumental "Upcoming Devastation" never succumbed to boredom. In retrospect, the above were evidently setting the stage for Destruction's transition into a two-guitar four-piece before the following year's “Mad Butcher” EP, which fast-tracked their musical maturation, even as it compromised some of their grassroots credibility. Such is the double-edged sword of heavy metal; but it was inconsistency, not selling out, that wound up sullying Destruction's overall legacy when all was said and done. And regardless of what came after, Eternal Devastation still holds up as an essential document of early European Thrash.”

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

▶ Listen to “Eternal Devastation” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/eternal-devastation/1238152406

▶ Listen to ““Eternal Devastation” via Spotify: Eternal Devastation https://open.spotify.com/album/54X08qkk9pbcK1wcHdO8fC

▶ Follow Destruction on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destruction

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Destruction — Eternal Devastation

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Critical Reception:

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

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