The mighty Destruction, part of the big 4 of the German thrash wave of bands, made their debut performance in Perth, Australia last night after 36 years in the business and 2 previous stops on the east coast. To say that thrash fans in Perth were particular excited is probably an understatement but despite the small crowd at Amplifier Bar, the band raged on and showed why they have been around for such a long time.
Two local support acts led the charge for kicking things off for the night in the form of Remission and Cold Fate. Remission starting off early and showcasing a proggier side of thrash metal but aggressive tones and even more aggressive vocals to boot with a double attack on that side of things. Cold Fate, a well established Perth band and one of the top thrashers in their hometown proved once again after their recent performance supporting Overkill that they clearly have the chops and tightness to deliver a top class show that fills the premise of a solid supporting band.
Onto Destruction, without too much fanfare during their intro piece, the German 3 piece started off in fairly solid form with classic songs making their way early in the set before newer material including tracks off their latest effort “Under Attack” came crashing through. The set however was mostly filled with older material and that’s probably due to them performing in Perth for the first time but also the fact that the re-recordings found on “Thrash Anthems II” is still fresh after it’s release last year. Not that anyone was complaining as they blazed through such classics as “Butcher”, “Curse The Gods” and “Life Without Sense”.
That trademark German thrash sound coming through with a healthy mix of melody and all out monster riffs, frontman Schmier making sure that the punters all around were having a good time and getting involved in the show. Not a whole lot of movement was going on in the mosh but that didn’t mean they weren’t enjoying the show but it did show that Destruction were probably not on the radar of many metal fans in Perth in the same way as their thrash peers. It was disappointing coming from someone who is a long time diehard thrash fan to see, the teutonic 4 a staple of my thrash diet and Destruction being no less different in any way.
One particular highlight of the show was seeing the legendary Randy Black on drums, anyone clued in on thrash metal knows the man who has been part of such bands as Primal Fear and the severely underrated Annihilator. His performance tonight was brilliant and showed why so many bands have taken him onboard for the job of smashing the tin cans, for me personally while Annihilator may never make it to Australia let alone Perth, this was as close as it will get for now!
After a tight rendition of “Black Mass” and the chainsaw roar of “The Butcher Srrikes Back”, the veteran metal act popped out for a brief minute before returning for an encore which included a cover of Dead Kennedy’s “Holiday In Cambodia” and the show closer “Bestial Invasion”. Can we expect Destruction to make their way back to Perth in the future? One can hope but doubt creeps in mind given the show goers attendance but that didn’t stop the band from putting on a stellar show and one I personally won’t be forgetting any time soon.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by the Buffman
TOUR DATES
Friday 20th April – PERTH, Amplifier
Saturday 21st April – ADEALAIDE, Fowlers
Tuesday 24th April – MELBOURNE, Max Watts (ANZAC Day Eve)
Thursday 26th April – CANBERRA, The Basement
Friday 27th April – BRISBANE, Crowbar
Saturday 28th April – SYDNEY, Manning Bar
TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA HARDLINE MEDIA HERE
