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DESTRUCTOR
Blood, Bone, And Fire

Shadow Kingdom (2023)
Rating: 8.5/10

I always thought it was a huge shame that Cleveland, Ohio-based thrashers Destructor, who formed in 1984, never went beyond the debut album stage first time round. Their cult 1985 gem Maximum Destruction never got the credit it deserved and was extremely overlooked at the time. It wouldn’t be until 2003 that the combo would return with their sophomore slab, Sonic Bullet, and although it was quite the riot it still never cemented their place as acclaimed thrashers.

I can’t knock Destructor for their persistence, and this is down to original members Dave Overkill (vocals and guitar) and Matt Flammable (drums) still keeping the fire burning. Blood, Bone, And Fire, the combo’s sixth full-length, roars like an old engine that’s been brought back to life, and the extra spring is also bolstered by newest addition Mark Hellhound (guitar), who joined last year, and Tim Hammer (bass), who has been in the band for almost a decade now.

The album offers up nine tracks, but with each one Destructor successfully marries together searing thrash with power and traditional metal. Dave Overkill’s vocals are crystal clear, commands that sit on the brink of classic power metal, while the music remains vintage in its design. Although the production is clear, the album doesn’t suffer from being too glossy and so the guitars really do fizz by with a crystal menace and ferocity, although melody is never sacrificed.

Tracks like ‘Iron Clad’, ‘Depths Of Insanity’ and ‘Hammering The Steel’ all show an underrated versatility as Destructor successfully bridges the gap between thrash and power metal, and that’s why this album is such an enjoyable experience. Closer ‘Dominate’ is a bulldozer of colossal steel that grinds with such potency and it epitomises the general feel of this robust outing. Put simply, if this was a new Overkill opus we’d be salivating over its merits, so maybe it’s time Destructor got their rewards.

Neil Arnold

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