Musically speaking, Infernal Overkill expands upon the blackened thrash of Sentence of Death, while also incorporating elements of speed, punk, traditional metal throughout. Its unholy subject matter, harsh riffing, and even harsher vocals bridged the gap between Venom and later 80s acts like Sarcófago and Mayhem.Īfter years of honing their craft, it was now time for Destruction to unleash their debut full length assault, Infernal Overkill. Although it was largely a rerecorded collection of songs from the demo, Sentence of Death‘s widespread distribution via Steamhammer in Europe and Metal Blade in America made it a pivotal chapter in the development of black metal. Come 1983, the band changed their name to Destruction, and by 1984, they released their debut demo, Bestial Invasion of Hell.Ī few months later came the release of their debut EP, Sentence of Death, which quickly became an underground cornerstone. By now, both Welcome to Hell and Black Metal were out, so it was only a matter of time before bands of ambitious kids started following suit (Hellhammer anyone?). Crazy as this sounds for ’82, it’s entirely possible. Although no recordings exist of these earliest days, the band allegedly drew from Iron Maiden and other traditional NWOBHM acts, before shifting towards a Venom influenced sound “in a matter of weeks”. Join us as we go back in time and feel the power of the “Thrash Attack”.ĭestruction initially formed in 1982 under the name Knight of Demon. Coming off the heels of their 1984 debut EP, Sentence of Death, was their debut full length, and the subject of today’s essay, Infernal Overkill. And as for Destruction, they struck while the iron was hot. Who knows how history would’ve played out had they not? It wasn’t long after that they released their debut full length, Endless Pain, forging their path as Germany’s premiere thrashers. Meanwhile, Kreator were so young that their parents had to sign their contract with Noise Records. Matter of fact, they released two versions of the aforementioned EP, but more on that in a future essay. After releasing a pair of utterly demonic demos, Sodom released their debut EP, In the Sign of Evil. This week, we go back in time to 1985: A legendary year for Teutonic thrash metal. If you want to hear your first Destruction album, seek out Eternal Devastation, or Released From Agony, as these albums display a much more accomplished and matured band.Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. It does show a band with a lot of potential room for growth, yet it falls flat when compared to later releases from the band. While the band would certainly go on to prove themselves in the years to come, Infernal Overkill is far from perfect. This is a standard and typical thrash album. All of the songs are extremely fast paced and heavy, yet there is no variety with regards to genre and style. The album clocks in at a mere 39 minutes, so it is a relatively short listen. The only thing the vocals really achieve, is giving the album a slightly more aggressive sound. The vocalist utilizes rough shouts and occasional low growls throughout most of the recording, and his performance never really lives up to the instrumentals. The vocals on the other hand, are very typical of the genre, showing very little variation in pitch, and tone. The drumming is equally proficient, and keeps the tempo at a decidedly fast pace, adding slightly technical fills at certain points in the album. The riffs are very compelling and are almost never overused, and when he does solo, it is frantic and expertly executed. From a technical standpoint, the guitarist can shred. Production aside, Destruction's guitarist is perhaps the major bright spot on this album. While this isn't necessarily uncommon for the time in which the album was released, it is nonetheless extremely disappointing. The overall sound of the album is muffled and dirty, and the bass lines are buried beneath the other instrumentals. Still, this album has more than its fair share of rough spots.įirst and foremost, this albums suffers from poor production values. Everything you can typically expect from a classic thrash record is here: whether its the technical and heavy riffing, the frantic and angry sounding solos, or even the energetic and fast drumming. Infernal Overkill combines raw aggression and sheer bravado together and the outcome is a mixed bag of highs and lows. Released at a time when thrash was in its infancy, this album shows a young band with much to prove and lots of potential, much like the genre itself at the time. Veteran metal act Destruction, a band known for popularizing thrash in Germany and much of Europe, had an extremely humble beginning. Review Summary: A debut that shows a lot of potential, but falls short due to shoddy production and underwhelming vocals.
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