Thrash bands seemed to be coming out of every corner in 1987 but it seemed even more the case they were coming from what was then West Germany. Historical note: East and West Germany didn’t reunify until 1990. In any case, we had the likes of Helloween and my favourites, Kreator, and touring with the latter in that year was another German band called Destruction. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see them when they came to London, but I was treated to their 1987 EP, “Mad Butcher,” which offered some consolation.
Things begin with the title track which after a brief intro, goes full thrash. There are thrashing guitars and pounding bass and drums as Schmier sings or nearly screams, “The Butcher!” Then we have some guitar solos which sound like a trade off but according to Wikipedia, it is Harry Wilkens which does all the lead guitar work. It comes to an interesting end when the song appears cut off but then there is a little twist where the band plays the “Pink Panther” theme with a cool lead guitar accompanying it.
Next up is a cover of The Plasmatics classic, “The Damned.” While I am tempted here to do another “Original vs Cover” post with the song, I have to say that I still prefer the original over the cover. Saying that, Destruction don’t ruin the song, they pay Wendy and company fair homage with their version, especially with the solo from Wilkens and there is a nice little bass part before the song fades away.
Third is what has been called a thrash ballad with “Reject Emotions.” It starts with a ballad like acoustic intro but that doesn’t last long before it goes much heavier. Maybe another reason why it was dubbed a thrash ballad is that the song is slow enough for me to catch more of the lyrics, especially at the chorus. However, it also contains a rather long mosh part towards the middle of the song and opportunities for more lead guitar work. God, I am really beginning to appreciate Harry Wilkens as a lead guitarist. The song also makes up over one-third of the EP, clocking in at nearly seven minutes but those seven minutes do not drag.
Last up is the instrumental, “The Last Judgement” where Harry gets to showcase all of his guitar talents. I like how he combines acoustic elements with guitar solos and backs it up with a strong metal rhythm guitar. According to the blurb, Harry does all the guitar work here. However, it would be amiss of me not to point out the rhythm guitar work by Mike Sifringer on the other tracks. He does lay down a good rhythm which helps Harry do this thing.
Track Listing:
- Mad Butcher
- The Damned
- Reject Emotions
- The Last Judgement
Schmier- bass, vocals
Harry Wilkens- lead guitar
Mike Sifringer- rhythm guitar
Oliver ‘Olli’ Kaiser- drums
Some say that because of their composition, Destruction was the German Slayer. I won’t go that far and after listening to “Mad Butcher” again, while I regret not seeing them in 1987, I would have hoped that Kreator was the headliner with Destruction as support but that’s must my personal preference. “Mad Butcher” is still a cool EP.
Next post: Vow Wow- V
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
80smetalman's Blog 