25 Years of Total DESTRUCTION!!!
Michael E. Mitchell | Minocqua, WI USA | 11/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This almost rates 5 stars; I'll get the points against it out of the way right off: curtailed songs and a few "clunker" songs. The ultimate Thrash classic (in my opinion)"Death Trap" ends just before the killer bridge, erupting into "Unconscious Ruins". There are a few other curtailed songs, as well...did Destruction pick this medley-mania up from Queen (as heard on their live albums)? Not really a TERRIBLE problem, and in fact can add an element of freshness to the set...but I'd much prefer to hear "Death Trap" in it's entirety! As for the "clunker" songs, there are 3 songs from the D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N album (as that is the tour this is culled from), but I feel 2 would've been better...and 2 from "Inventor of Evil"? Again, I'd rather have just 1 representative song...cool to hear the surprise guest vocalists during "The Alliance of Hellhoundz"...but that doesn't really make it a great song! But I will say that the songs from "D.E..." sound BETTER than on the album(especially "Urge...", with it's unusually-for-Destruction-chorded chorus), whereas the songs from "IOE" sound worse. OK, that's the slight negatives...but even those negatives are better than a lot of bands' positives! This is a LOUD and clear album, it has a very thick(yet clear)presence which is GREAT for cranking to simulate the live Destruction neck-endurance test, and does indeed sound LIVE...you'll hear a few mistakes, but you'll feel as if you are there with Schmier, Mike, and Marc. And a few special guests from throughout the Destruction dark past...most notably when there are THREE drum kits employed toward the end of disc 2; that may seem gimmicky, but it sounds massively powerful (and not a lot of dopey drum noodling, it keeps mostly to the actual song structures). Marc really adds a savagely great element to the old material, he is a fantastic drummer. One can hear the diffence in Mike's guitar playing over the years...while he doesn't match what he did many years ago, he does manage to play with taste and feeling; he's become technically proficient in a different way from the way he started, is all. And let me heap praise upon Schmier, won't you? Recent albums have shown him to have a more diverse range than in the past, but we haven't heard much of the uncanny scream he is known for. Be assured that the uncanny scream IS very present on this live collection, and doesn't sound forced or hackneyed (I didn't specifically mention Tom Araya, did I?!?!?)...it sounds like it's right off "Infernal Overkill"!
We get to hear "Thrash 'Til Death" twice. Decide for yourself.
No "Release From Agony", either...again, decide for yourself.
Another interesting facet of this album is hearing the amusing things Schmier says during the show; apparently he had trouble with too much sake' at one point!! I could argue about what SHOULD've been on the set list, but it is rippingly powerful as is. It is great to hear the unusual arrangement/playing of the Plasmatics cover "The Damned"(VERY different from the studio version on "Mad Butcher"ep!), as well as the ferocity of modern Destruction's takes on "Bestial Invasion" and "Total Desaster"; maybe my only complaint about an omission is no "Invincible Force", or maybe some more off "The Antichrist" or "MeTal Discharge"...gets difficult to choose after TWENTY-FIVE YEARS of excellent material! Here we have a band on showcase who genuinely LOVE what they're doing, that matches the energy and fire and excitement of Iron Maiden's current perch atop the MeTal performance heirarchy (and I may even go so far as to say that Destruction's energy, er, DESTROYS Maiden's...but I don't wanna start a fight!) If you've never seen Destruction, you absolutely must; I've seen every one of the classic Thrash bands throughout the years(most several times), and there is no doubt in my mind that Destruction tops them all live. And you can hear part of the reason why on this latest chock-full-of-greatness live collection. CHEERS to MARC, MIKE, AND SCHMIER!!!!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1