Destruction (band)

Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. They have been credited as one of the "Big Four" of the German thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator, Sodom and Tankard.

In addition to helping pioneer black metal, Destruction was part of the second wave of thrash metal in the mid-to-late-1980s, along with US bands Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel and Dark Angel. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic stated that the band "fell under the spell of the emergent New Wave of British Heavy Metal as classic metal met the D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock, then evolved into thrash metal." Frontman Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer has expressed the personal opinion that metal music "should stay underground".

For most of the 1990s, the band was not signed to a record label and self-produced their albums until they signed a contract with Nuclear Blast in the early 2000s.

The band's early releases are considered by some to be classics within the thrash metal genre. They are also considered by some journalists to be among the greatest thrash metal bands of all time.

The band was formed in Weil am Rhein as Knight of Demon in 1982, inspired by Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Motörhead and Venom. The line-up featured Ulf Kühne on vocals, Mike Sifringer on guitar, Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer on bass and Tommy Sandmann on drums. Kühne was kicked out of the band due to conflict with Sifringer over a girl, and Schmier took over vocal duties. They were then known as Destruction and released a demo titled Bestial Invasion of Hell on 10 August 1984. After this, the group signed with Steamhammer Records and released an EP titled Sentence of Death on 10 November.

Destruction's first studio album Infernal Overkill was released in 1985, followed a year later by Eternal Devastation. The band was joined by a second guitarist, Harry Wilkens, and Sandmann was replaced by Oliver Kaiser. Together they recorded the EP Mad Butcher and their third studio album Release from Agony (both released in 1987), as well as the band's first live album Live Without Sense (1989). During this time, Destruction had enjoyed considerable popularity worldwide, touring relentlessly in Europe and North America, and sharing the stage with 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 initial recording sessions of their fourth studio album Cracked Brain, Schmier was fired from the band and was replaced by Poltergeist vocalist André Grieder, the only album with him. The album was released in 1990. Guitarist Mike Sifringer remained and continued to release material under the moniker of "Neo-Destruction", featuring vocalist Thomas Rosenmerkel, second guitarist Michael Piranio, bassist Christian Engler and continuing drummer Oliver Kaiser. The first recording was the self-titled Destruction EP in 1994, followed a year later by the Them Not Me EP, and the band's fifth studio album The Least Successful Human Cannonball in 1998.

In 1999, the line-up was disassembled and Schmier rejoined with the addition of new drummer Sven Vormann, returning Destruction as a trio. They signed a record deal with Nuclear Blast and released three new albums; All Hell Breaks Loose in 2000, The Antichrist in 2001, and Metal Discharge in 2003, with Marc Reign replacing Vormann. The second live album Alive Devastation was released on 26 March 2003, followed by the release of a live DVD titled Live Discharge: 20 Years of Total Destruction on 4 March 2004. They appeared at the Wacken Open Air music festival in August of 2002. Reign was temporarily arrested on 24 May 2004 following the band's performance in Brescia, due to the stage accessories, which was confiscated as a result. Destruction would then sign with AFM Records and release Inventor of Evil on 22 August 2005. It was followed by a compilation album titled Thrash Anthems on 19 January 2007, featuring re-recorded material. They returned to Wacken in 2007. The next studio album D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. was released on 29 August 2008. The third live album The Curse of the Antichrist: Live in Agony was released 25 September 2009, followed by the second DVD release A Savage Symphony - The History of Annihilation on 29 January 2010.