After about a decade of silence by the band with Schmier not in the lineup, Destruction's main vocalist/bass guitarist is back! This was of course taking place in 2000. Destruction just wasn't the same without him. His unique vocals meshed so well with the Destruction of the old. Good to have him return, especially with this 2000 release declaring war when it comes to thrash metal, Destruction's divine genre.

The album opens with a clean guitar by Mike, then boom, the riffs that we once knew that he created are back in full force. Catchy, not boring, original, no copying anyone, and crunch tone that was more so effective as in the past. The whole album is like that. Crunch tone guitar and killer vocals by Schmier define Destruction as a whole. Mike still needs to brush up on his leads though. That was the only real bad thing to say about the album.

Energy stricken music with songs just dishing out pure unique thrash metal. I absolutely loved the mixing and production. Everything was all just right. The bass, vocals, guitar, and drums. A superb job in that department. Nothing left out at all. This is an album that you can listen to over and over without getting sick of it. The butcher definitely struck back with a vengeance!

Overall, this is one hell of a comeback album. If you're a fan of thrash metal and haven't heard this one yet, check out some songs on the YouTube. 'Machinery of Lies' is a good track. If you think I'm full of it, then just listen and you will hear pure original thrash metal that is totally awesome. Good cover of Metallica's 'Whiplash' as well (editor's note: on some editions only). Great to have this band back in full force.

Rating: 9½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
12/02/2011 13:47