«Eternal Devastation» is the second album by Germany’s Destruction and it was released on 12 July 1986 through SPV and Steamhammer. It was recorded in April 1986 at Studio Hiltpoltstein, with Manfred Neuner producing. The line-up was Marcel «Schmier» Schirmer on vocals and bass, Mike Sifringer on guitar and Thomas «Tommy» Sandmann on drums.
Country: Germany
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Kreator, Sodom, Slayer
The album kept the fast, proto-black metal sound of the early work, such as the «Sentence of Death» EP and «Infernal Overkill», but it showed the band turning towards a more modern thrash metal.
It is the last record with drummer Tommy Sandmann, who left during 1986 and was replaced by Oliver «Olli» Kaiser. The album lasts just 36 minutes.
The tracks are fast and aggressive, with Schmier’s trademark vocals and sharp riffs, without the slower passages that later work would bring in.
The record arrived at a time when German thrash was rising hard, with Kreator, Sodom and Destruction leading the scene.
«Curse the Gods», «Life Without Sense» and «Confused Mind» stand out. «Upcoming Devastation» is an instrumental.
The cover was painted by Sebastian Krüger. The album is counted among the cornerstones of German thrash, next to the classics of Kreator and Sodom, and among the essential records of the genre.
Manfred Neuner’s production kept the sound raw and direct, the way the band’s style asked for. The record remains one of the key entries in Destruction’s catalogue.
It was reissued on 12 June 2017, holding its place among the important albums of its time and in the discography of German thrash.
See also: Destruction’s «Release from Agony» and The old school thrash albums that laid the foundations of the genre.
