Legendary German thrash metal pioneers Destruction have released their sixteenth to date studio album titled “Birth Of Malice”. The thrashers have been active all the way from 1983 and have a long list of titles under their belts and a showstopper career, so the expectations for this record were high off the get-go. With a runtime of fifty minutes, “Birth Of Malice” has a lot to offer us, in matters of genre blending, lyric fluidity and headbanging riffs. We begin with the self-titled track, “Birth Of Malice” a short but very interesting instrumental, with beautiful work from the band. Intricate, yet catchy, as seen in a lot of Destruction ‘s work, it’s a definite eye catcher of a beginning and I find myself going back to it. We move on to “Destruction” and “Cyber Warfare” two longer pieces (both near the five-minute time frame) and the identity of the band is front and center, the sound and lyrics we know and love, with a modern twist of lyrics detailing events of current society (seen on “Cyber Warfare”). Social commentary has been a prevalent theme of the band along times and I must say that this song truly struck a chord to me with its meaning. As we progress, the mind-bending riffs and drums do so as well, you can’t help but headbang to their sound. Vocal lines menacing and spewed, they convey the meaning of the poetic lyrics. “Evil Never Sleeps” and “Greed” are two of my personal favourites from this record, given that they feel like they capture the true essence of Destruction. The last of 12 songs, a cover of Accept’s song ” Fast as a Shark” closes the record on a beautiful note, reminiscent of the past, yet fresh and strong. ” Birth Of Malice” is a great addition to Destruction ‘s ever growing evolution of records and extremely valuable for longtime fans to hear.
♦ 8/10
Christina X
