Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. It is often described as one of the "Big Four" of the German thrash metal scene, alongside Kreator, Sodom and Tankard. It has also been associated by some writers with the development of early black metal, and it emerged during the second wave of thrash metal in the mid-to-late 1980s alongside US bands such as Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel and Dark Angel. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic has described the band as having been influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as well as punk rock, before evolving into thrash metal. Frontman Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer has stated the opinion that metal music "should stay underground".
For most of the 1990s, the band was not signed to a record label and self-produced its releases before signing with Nuclear Blast in the early 2000s. Its early recordings have been described by some critics as influential within the thrash metal genre, and the band has frequently been listed by journalists among notable acts in thrash metal.
The band was formed in Weil am Rhein in 1982 under the name Knight of Demon and was initially influenced by Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Motörhead and Venom. The original line-up consisted of Ulf Kühne on vocals, Mike Sifringer on guitar, Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer on bass and Tommy Sandmann on drums. Kühne was later dismissed from the band following internal conflict, after which Schirmer assumed vocal duties and the group adopted the name Destruction. The band released a demo titled "Bestial Invasion of Hell" on 10 August 1984, before signing with Steamhammer Records and issuing the EP "Sentence of Death" on 10 November.
The debut studio album "Infernal Overkill" was released in 1985, followed by "Eternal Devastation" in 1986. The band later added second guitarist Harry Wilkens and replaced drummer Sandmann with Oliver Kaiser. This line-up recorded the EP "Mad Butcher" and the third studio album "Release from Agony", both released in 1987, as well as the live album "Live Without Sense" in 1989. During this period, the band toured extensively in Europe and North America and performed with acts including Venom, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Motörhead, King Diamond, Voivod, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, Death Angel, Possessed, Sacred Reich, The Cro-Mags, Tankard, Flotsam and Jetsam, Artillery, Rage, Coroner, Assassin, Candlemass, Prong, Accu§er, Iron Angel, Wolfsbane and Girlschool.
During the recording sessions for the fourth studio album "Cracked Brain", Schirmer was dismissed from the band and replaced by André Grieder of Poltergeist, making this the only album featuring him as vocalist. The album was released in 1990. Guitarist Mike Sifringer continued the project under the name Neo-Destruction with vocalist Thomas Rosenmerkel, guitarist Michael Piranio, bassist Christian Engler and drummer Oliver Kaiser. This period included the self-titled EP "Destruction" in 1994, the EP "Them Not Me" in 1995 and the fifth studio album "The Least Successful Human Cannonball" in 1998.
In 1999, the line-up was dissolved and Schirmer rejoined the band as it returned as a trio with drummer Sven Vormann. The band signed with Nuclear Blast and released "All Hell Breaks Loose" in 2000, "The Antichrist" in 2001 and "Metal Discharge" in 2003. Marc Reign replaced Vormann during this period. The live album "Alive Devastation" was released on 26 March 2003, followed by the DVD "Live Discharge: 20 Years of Total Destruction" on 4 March 2004. The band appeared at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2002. In May 2004, Reign was briefly detained following a performance in Brescia after stage equipment was confiscated.
The band subsequently signed with AFM Records and released "Inventor of Evil" on 22 August 2005. This was followed by the compilation album "Thrash Anthems" in 2007, which contained re-recorded versions of earlier material. The band also returned to Wacken in 2007. The studio album "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N." was released in 2008, followed by the live album "The Curse of the Antichrist: Live in Agony" in 2009 and the DVD "A Savage Symphony - The History of Annihilation" in 2010.
Drummer Marc Reign left the band in 2010 and was replaced by Wawrzyniec "Vaaver" Dramowicz. The album "Day of Reckoning" was released in 2011, followed by "Spiritual Genocide" in 2012 and "Under Attack" in 2016. In 2017, the band released "Thrash Anthems II", featuring additional re-recordings of earlier material, funded through a PledgeMusic campaign.
In 2018, Dramowicz left the band for family reasons and was temporarily replaced by Randy Black before later rejoining. In 2019, guitarist Damir Eskic joined the band. This line-up recorded "Born to Perish", released on 9 August 2019, which remained stylistically close to the band’s traditional thrash metal sound and received generally positive reviews. The live album "Born to Thrash" was released in 2020.
In July 2021, the band performed at the Area 53 Festival in Leoben without longtime guitarist Mike Sifringer. Schirmer stated that Sifringer had not been in contact and that the band would continue without him. Sifringer’s departure was confirmed in August 2021, and he was replaced by Martin Furia. The single "State of Apathy" was released featuring Furia. The live album "Live Attack" was released later that year. The album "Diabolical" was released in April 2022 to mark the band’s 40th anniversary.
The band toured in 2023 and was announced for the Klash of the Ruhrpott festival in 2024, where it performed alongside Kreator, Sodom and Tankard. In June 2024, the band released the single "No Kings - No Masters" ahead of its sixteenth studio album "Birth of Malice", released in March 2025. The band supported the album with a world tour, including European dates with Testament, Obituary and Nervosa, and a US tour with Testament and Overkill.
In 2026, the band performed at the Hell's Heroes festival in Houston and was scheduled to appear at Maryland Deathfest, where it was set to perform material from "Infernal Overkill".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_(band)
Studio albums
Infernal Overkill (1985)
Eternal Devastation (1986)
Release from Agony (1987)
Cracked Brain (1990)
The Least Successful Human Cannonball (1998)
All Hell Breaks Loose (2000)
The Antichrist (2001)
Metal Discharge (2003)
Inventor of Evil (2005)
D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. (2008)
Day of Reckoning (2011)
Spiritual Genocide (2012)
Under Attack (2016)
Born to Perish (2019)
Diabolical (2022)
Birth of Malice (2025)
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…shrink me down again