Destruction – Diabolical (Hateful Fred)

Kids, how time flies. It seems like only yesterday that I was so upset about Destruction’s last album Born to Perish and asked the band to refrain from such releases in the future. However, almost three years have passed since then. I am getting old.

Just as old as what these German Metal legends call Thrash Metal. Where do I start, where do I stop? Let’s get to my overall impression first: Not only that Diabolical calls a fabulously ugly cover its own, in addition there are unimaginative song titles and a sound that is both overdriven and too loud as well as it lets each instrument come into its own well … somehow this is really an achievement. The lyrics once again turn out to be particularly stupid. While some of them don’t say anything at all, others are elementary school level with pathetic rhymes of purpose. My favorite example: “Your mind is in war, you feel like a whore” from the song “State of Apathy”. I really can’t think of anything more to say about that. As far as the vocals are concerned, the whole album is a single imposition. It is really bad in numbers like “Last of a Dying Breed“. Otherwise, as usual, the special trick of German Thrash Metal is resorted to this space, namely to shout the title of the song as often as possible in the chorus, as can be heard in “Hope Dies Last“.

Every now and then good riffs are hiding in irrelevant titles, like “Repent Your Sins“, “Tormented Soul” and the title track, but they are not able to save the overall work either. And let’s be honest: Good riffs are obligatory even on the worst Thrash Metal albums, otherwise you shouldn’t feel like belonging to this genre in the first place. Otherwise there are songs like “Servant of the Beast” and “The Lonely Wolf“, which bear quite a good idea, but are ruined by the band’s own formula, consisting of an exhausting sound, lame songwriting, silly lyrics and out-of-place solos as well as unreasonable vocals. Then, on “Whorefication“, finally outdated Boomer criticism of the coming generations and their affinity for solutionism meets a strong riff and a lot of wasted potential. With the last track of the album I was then briefly surprised, because I actually liked “City Baby Attacked by Rats“. The song is too good to be by Destruction anno 2022, I thought to myself. A short Google search later I should find confirmation in my assumption: It is a cover by GBH. What else should I say about it?

Finally, I just want to continue what I already said about Born to Perish: Stop making new albums, Destruction. The flame has extinguished. There are so many younger bands that use Thrash Metal anticipatory, reviving it. But nobody asked for music like the one on this album here, nobody waited for it, it won’t change anything, leave anything behind. You have long, long passed your climax. Diabolical proves that in almost every single second.