DESTRUCTION

Synthesis of 25 years

Much of events happened his year, especially in question of jubilees. As the golden ace in this ranking surely could be mentioned DESTRUCTION. The legend of German thrash metal, being a part of this scene consequently since her beginnings and standing together with KREATOR and SODOM in the first league of this art celebrates exactly the 25th anniversary of existence, confirming immediately her bestial strength and absolute lack of any compromises. Yes, it’s true dear children – DESTRUCTION released exactly the new album, very original titled as “D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N” (who’s curious what’s it mean, should necessary to buy this record) and the promotional campaign of this stuff is the best evidence of fact, that the trio from Baden-Württemberg absolutely doesn’t think about retiring or so worse – the old men house. Maybe you will not believe to me, but the assurances of the indestructible leader of DESTRUCTION turned the scale of all my doubts. Still without believe? Let to read the fragments of my conversation with Marcel Schirmer, known better to all of you as Schmier.

-Could you to tell us how passed this year by you, except of releasing the new “D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N” album of course?
Yeah, naturally we have started with promotion, beginning the world tour it’s first part and playing already three weeks in Latin America, now came the European part and for the next year comes Russia, USA and Canada, then the East block too. Maybe we will visit Australia next year too, there are a much of plans, because it’s exactly 25 years of DESTRUCTION, so we would like to play everywhere, where it will be only possible and we have already started to do it.

-Have you counted already how much days spends you at home and how much are you on the road? Are there rather the equal proportions or maybe your absence prevails everything?
Every time, when new album is releasing we are very often on the road, but for example in the fourth phase of last year I am almost still outside, maybe I am only a few days at home and again outside, probably at summer next year I will take meanwhile a two weeks of holiday, cause I know, that all these thing will make me to the next year very stressed, but I like to be on tour, cause sometimes is boring to be all time at home. I don’t like to sit on the sofa, I am not a type of couch potato, I really play very well the concerts.

-Which band from your German Unholy Thrash Trinity plays the most of concerts and makes the most of tours? KREATOR, SODOM or you maybe? Which looks like it in statistics?
We all are playing very, very much, I think that all of our mother bands have the individual styles, and that’s very important… And of course we are living by our life on the road or what’s happen on the stage. I suppose, that KREATOR however plays the most of concerts, we have too much to do, but SODOM for example plays probably now not so many tours like we, cause Tom has a family at home.

-I don’t want to ask you about the hundred of details, so how could you recommend and characterize very shortly the latest “D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N” album?
I think there’s a very fantastic mix of 25 years our band: the old elements, with the progressive elements, we have a some of solos in every case. That’s very varying, we have mixed this time the best elements from all of 25 years our band’s history, connecting a piece of progressive elements with “Release From Agony” style for example... I think, that’s really very interesting mix.

-I don’t know a musicians, who wouldn’t be satisfied after the releasing a new album, seeing it as the best work in discography, so I believe you. But which album of DESTRUCTION discography would you place as the best at once after “D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N”?
I think, that’s the latest album is of course the best thing we have made, cause that’s the fresh stuff, but “The Antichrist” was for example a highlight in the band’s new history, especially by the songs “Nailed to The Cross” or “Thrash Till’ Death”, which there are, but of course “Infernal Overkill” would be too one of my type from our old things, where are the most of hits. I like total the concert album “Life Without Sense” too…

-DESTRUCTION exists already 25 year, a quarter of age is a really very long piece of time, so could you mention only the happy days or were unfortunately the unsuccessful moments in your career too?
Not only happy moments, I remember of course our split-up, this parting could be compared as all my life would collapse itself, but the happy moments were for example our first label contract or our participate in a big festival… But we have visited and we are visiting the much of countries, so I think, that if you want to survive, you must to have a fun playing this music. This is important, believe me, but it’s really very important…

-Last time was released the DVD material of KREATOR named “At The Pulse Of Kapitulation” and including the fragments of show in Berlin after the fall of Berliner wall. As the citizen of more civilized part of Germany do you remember maybe the times of DDR (East Germany), not necessary from your own experience, but hearing for example something about?
We have been in Berlin playing there, we have still recorded our two albums there too. I remember as we played first time in West Berlin together with SLAYER and MÖTÖRHEAD of course we must to travel across the DDR, crossing the land by those speedways and making meanwhile the halts in the motels, where we could to drink the East German cola… It was a curious and very funny experience for us, first of all that’s why, that everything was very cheap, the people who watched us were of course very admired by us, but there were the extreme moments too like for example after the German unification in 1989, when we were exactly in studio again…

-Maybe you wouldn’t like to answer for this question, but one and only DESTRUCTION album recorded without you is “Cracked Brain”. How estimate you this stuff after many years, all the more because is sometimes a little bit difficult to say about the album of your band, where was no participation of you…
Hmmm, the worst is that in this moment we have splitted-up ourselves, and it was a some painful for me when I have helped to make this record and I composed partially this material, the title “Cracked Brain” comes for example directly from me. But in spite of this situation I have must to swallow this bitter pill as we have parted ourselves for a long time but now that’s no meaning for me anymore, after so many years we made even the one song for the compilation “Thrash Anthems” recorded in the last year and I think, that’s surely not easy DESTRUCTION album, that’s something other than that’s recorded with me.

-Much of journalists asks artists mostly about their favourite own albums, but I would like to ask you about your most favourite songs from whole DESTRUCTION discography, that you like to play during the gigs or have you got maybe a piece of sentiment…
Yeah, “Curse The Gods” is for example one of my favourite songs, which I like especially to play, like for me that’s the finest DESTRUCTION hymn, a something like thrash metal classic. Except of this I play very well “Nailed To The Cross”, “Thrash Till’ Death” sounds very good too… Now of course we have a new album, I like to play these things too. There’s much of highlights, it’s very difficult to choose something special… “Total Desaster” is for example a cult hit, that like to play in live version, “Mad Butcher” naturally too… We have played it already so much of times, but it makes me still a much of fun.

-I asked you about it not coincidentally, cause as you know much of bands performs very well your songs as the covers and the most popular and most often played track of DESTRUCTION stays probably still “Total Desaster”…
That’s true, “Total Desaster” there’s a good song for covering, because it’s a very simple riff, even a little bit a punk song, but much of bands plays it faster. “Bestial Invasion” song has for example the more difficult riffs to play, but our song that is most often playing by the other bands is of course “Total Desaster”.