MARCEL "SCHMIER" SCHIRMER

DESTRUCTION

Schmier is a living legend of metal scene, one of the three Founding Fathers of the powerful German thrash empire which for many years have resisted various wimps pushed by great labels. The man who, so to speak, cut his teeth on this music. Asked about albums which changed his life he reeled them off in almost one go.

I.ELVIS PRESLEY- „Jailhouse Rock”
First I must take back and say a few words about a single which began it all. “Jailhouse Rock” was actually the first rock’n’roll thing I have heard in my life. I went mad about it right away. It was a different energy, the playing completely different from all that crap which you could hear on the radio. I started to look for performers or bands which also kept that track. That’s the way I came across….



II.STATUS QUO- „Live”
Another shock! It was then the heaviest thing I’d ever heard. I was only 12 then but my music interests developed at a breakneck speed. STATUS QUO was the next step towards the quest for completely new form of energy in music. I’m fond of this album as it started my fascination with heavy rock.





III. JUDAS PRIEST- „Unleashed In The East”
Just at the very beginning of the school I met a few people interested in heavy rock. But I knew shit about it yet so I listened to my older mates with bated breath when they were telling me about what was happening in England those days, so the first outburst of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. When I first heard JUDAS PRIEST on „Unleashed In The East”, my view on music totally changed. Others loved KISS or AC/DC those times but for me these were the guys from JUDAS PRIEST who were the gods. This live album was something absolutely amazing. It really influenced my life.

IV.AC/DC- „Back In Black”
As I mentioned AC/DC I can’t neglect “Back in Black” album which I loved as well and still adore. The day I got to know about the death of Bon Scott was the end of my life too actually. None of us believed then that anyone could take place of him. It seemed so unreal! But meanwhile, nobody known Brian Johnson joined the ranks of AC/DC, with whom the band recorded the best, in my opinion, album in its career. I went crazy about his voice in a moment!


V.JAGUAR- „Power Games”
”Power Games” is for me a symbolical beginning of the new generation in British heavy metal. Thanks to such bands as JAGUAR heavy sounds went more into progressive direction not losing its initial wilderness and rebellious kick. This is when all got fascinated with speed.





VI.ANGEL WITCH- „Angel Witch”
There’s similar situation with this album as with the previous one. Completely fresh attitude, the new form of heavy metal. I know that there are lots more important albums in the history of NWOBHM but ANGEL WITCH debut is special and outstanding for me.
I come back to this CD very often.




VII.ACCEPT- „Restless And Wild”
As we talk about more wild playing, there comes time to mention ACCEPT which released “Restless and Wild” around then. Intro opening the album and following it “Fast As A Shark” were for all of us a total craze. No one before knew such a fast music played so perfectly at the same time. ACCEPT destroyed other restrictions and brought loads of freshness in music. This is when we decided to set up our own band. In those times every band wanted to have one, maximum two fast tracks on album. But we promised ourselves that all our stuff will be fast, with no fucking exceptions! (laugh)

VIII.VENOM- „Welcome To Hell”
After ACCEPT there came time for VENOM in my life. Their first album set the next height of brutality, unattainable by many bands for next few years. In the same time I got fascinated in punk as well and VENOM, frankly speaking, had much in common with it. In that period G.B.H. or THE EXPLOITED razed everything to the ground! Thanks to them roughness became very desirable medium. And then appeared VENOM which improved technical media a bit, giving it extremely dark devilish breath indeed. A mixture of punk rock, MOTORHEAD and satanic lyrics, that was really cool!

IX. METALLICA- „Kill'em All”
A bit later there appeared METALLICA which I saw for the first time on a Metal Massacre medley. It was of course “Hit The Lights”. I wouldn’t consider buying their first album not even for a second. Man, these solos kicked asses!! I was then 100% sure what my band should sound like, in which direction we should go. We called it hardcore-speed metal at first, the name ‘thrash metal’ came many years later.



X.DESTRUCTION- „All Hell Breaks Loose”
I hope the Thrash’em All readers won’t be shirty with me that I let myself put my own CD in the circle of such excellent albums. It’s so important for me because I entered a new stage with its release. Previously the band split up and was in bad relations for many years. The come back with “All Hell Breaks Loose” was decisive in my further life. Nevertheless the stuff we released later, this album will always be the most meaningful for me.





CV:
Real Name: Marcel Schirmer
Stage Name: Schmier
Born: 22 Dec. 1966
Function: vocal, bass
Associated: DESTRUCTION, HEADHUNTER, NUCLEAR BLAST ALLSTARS, BASSINVADERS