Under Attack Destruction 2016 Nuclear Blast Records Destruction are one of the big players of the German Thrash movement with the Teutonic sound being much more aggressive and intense than their American peers. German Thrash doesn’t give up, it ploughs through at breakneck speed and Destruction are one of the best examples of this movement. Under Attack is the Destruction’s 14th studio album and the long-awaited follow up to 2012’s Spiritual Genocide. Destruction have managed to keep the same line-up since 2010 with Schmier on the vocals and bass, Mike Sifringer playing the guitars with Vaaver on the drums. With this familiar and strong line-up in place, Under Attack continues in the same vein as Spiritual Genocide. Under Attack is sounds very good and has been produced by Destruction themselves. Destruction have done a great job of allowing all the instruments to be crisp and clear. There are no annoying snare drum sounds and Vaaver’s double bass pounds throughout. Schmier’s vocals can be heard clearly above the rest of the band and Under Attack sounds fresh without losing what makes Thrash so appealing in the first place. Under Attack is crafted well with Schmier’s vocals being strong and angry throughout. Schmier’s bass blasts along throughout which only serves to augment Vaaver’s double bass beats. Vaaver is a powerhouse throughout, he does what is needed and his fast double bass blasts drive Under Attack forward. Sifringer has been a stalwart of Destruction for the last 30 years and his guitar sound is as recognisable as Schmier’s vocals, both of which make up what gives Destruction their signature sound. The album begins with the title track, which starts a clean electric repeating pattern that builds up until the familiar distortion and the usual sound of Destruction explodes through. Under Attack starts off the three punch combo, followed by Generation Nevermore and Dethroned. Dethroned is a great record that takes a cynical look at how self-destructive the human race is and contains the line “this race devours its own”. Lyrically, Schmier and Sifringer are on fire with Under Attack being possibly the best sounding Destruction album that has been released in years. There are other highlights on Under Attack. Pathogenic is an onslaught against the culture and the obsessions of social media whilst Second to None also contains the genius lyrics “backseat drivers, pseudo MacGyvers”. Under Attack is closed by Stigmatized which is a throwback to the German bands past and sounds as if it wouldn’t be out of place on Eternal Devastation. Under Attack has been a long overdue album and certainly does not disappoint. However, after initially thinking Under Attack is a fantastic album, some of the tracks wear a little thin with multiple listens and begin to feel a little bit like filler, such as Stand Up for What You Deliver and Conductor of the Void. All this aside, Under Attack is decent album, it just falls below other Thrash albums released this year, but if you’re a fan of the genre, it is definitely worth picking up. 7/10 Adam Under Attack (Destruction)
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