German thrash metal veterans, Destruction, celebrate their 40th anniversary with their hard-hitting new full-length, Diabolical, out April 8 via Napalm Records.
Take a look at Destruction singer Schmier's personal record collection as he walks you through his favorite records and inspirations:
On their 15th studio record, Destruction brings out heavy artillery full of honest and uncompromising thrash metal, catapulting you straight into the seventh heaven of metallic bliss and causing a massacre of razor-sharp sound no fan of the genre should miss.
Schmier states about the recording: “This was the most fun we had working on a record in a very long time and you can hear that. Yes. it was theoretically a difficult album but we did not think this way while we recorded it. We just followed our emotions, jammed and rocked out with a strong gut feeling! This recording was like a therapy to me, we all know how difficult times are at the moment. So I’m super happy how everything turned out!"
Guitar shredder Damir adds: “It was a real honor for me to record this album. The studio work for Diabolical was very spontaneous and we had a lot of fun creating these dynamic, multifaceted and brutal but diverse songs. I loved every second of working on this record!”
After the charging start of opener "Under The Spell", Destruction shows no mercy on title track "Diabolical", with raging drums, bloodthirsty riffs and hellish vocals that sink deep down into your bones. "No Faith In Humanity" relentlessly rages on with non-stop headbanging action, while Destruction continues to smash eardrums on "Hope Dies Last" - providing unbeatable brutality with unstoppable speed, destructive verses and screeching voices. "Tormented Soul", on the other hand, is loaded with proper heavy metal and explosive drums. The grand finale of the 47-minute parade of devastation is provided by cover track "City Baby Attacked By Rats", originally by GBH, guaranteeing whiplash by combining rough hardcore punk with brute thrash metal.
Destruction riff killer Furia about the new record: “Diabolical is an album of extremes, everything is more brutal and more technical but at the same time more melodic and to the point. It's a pure and devastating Destruction album with no gimmicks, full of power and adrenaline. I'm excited for what the future is bringing and can't wait to play the new songs live!”
Diabolical will be available in various formats in different territories, including a digital album and CD (bundled with a t-shirt + an exclusive “Mad Butcher”-bust), 1LP gatefold editions in black, crystal clear and marbled yellow/red. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
"Under The Spell"
"Diabolical"
"No Faith In Humanity"
"Repent Your Sins"
"Hope Dies Last"
"The Last Of A Dying Breed"
"State Of Apathy"
"Tormented Soul"
"Servant Of The Beast"
"The Lonely Wolf"
"Ghost From The Past"
"Whorefication"
"City Baby Attacked By Rats"
"No Faith In Humanity" video:
"Diabolical" video:
Behind the scenes video:
Artwork "making of" video:
Studio session video:
Destruction recently announced that not only will they celebrate their 40th anniversary by dropping their mind-blowing grenade of a new album, Diabolical, they will also hit the road in North America on a 26-date headline tour this spring.
Featuring direct support from prime thrash metal force and label-mates Nervosa, the tour will also feature special guests Sunlord and VX36. The run will kick off on April 28 in Brooklyn, NY and hit a slew of cities before coming to a close with a Destruction-only performance at Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore, MD on May 29. Tickets are on sale now via individual venues.
Schmier says: “Yes - we are super thrilled: the first tour of the new record, Diabolical, will kick off in North America! We could not tour there on the last album because of the pandemic, so we made it a top priority to return as soon as the circumstances would allow us, to play for our American fans again! We are bringing our friends Nervosa along - they are a perfect match! We toured together before and the pits were smoking! They also haven't toured in the USA or Canada in a long while. This is a killer package and we are super excited! See you all for a serious beating!!!”
Nervosa guitarist Prika Amaral adds: "This will be a super fun tour with legends and friends - Nervosa with Destruction touring for the third time together, but this time in North America, and Nervosa with the new lineup. Be prepared for a thrash massacre! We can't wait!"
Tour dates:
April
28 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere
29 - Boston, MA - Middle East / Downstairs
30 - Montréal, QC - Les Foufounes Électriques
May
1 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
3 - Millersville, PA - Phantom Power
4 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
5 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
6 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
7 - St Paul, MN - Turf Club
8 - Iowa City, IA - Wildwood
9 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
10 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater
12 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
14 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
15 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
17 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
18 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
19 - Garden Grove, CA - Garden Amp
20 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
22 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
23 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse
24 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
25 - Houston, TX - White Oak
27 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage (The Vinyl)
28 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
29 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest (Destruction only)
Destruction are:
Schmier - Bass, Vocals
Martin Furia - Guitars
Randy Black - Drums
Damir Eskić - Guitars
(Photo - Gyula Havancsák)
