The Arts of Destruction

Between 2007 (when Desaster released their sixth studio album, Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate) and 2012 (when The Arts of Destruction saw the light of day) German blackened thrashers from Desaster celebrated their twentieth anniversary through the release of a compilation album and did plenty of touring, but otherwise, there was an awkward and lengthy period of silence in their camp. Then came February of 2012 and finally Desaster have put their long awaited new material on the market. To top Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate was a difficult, but not an impossible task. Have they succeeded? Let’s find out.

What constitutes a Desaster album? Is it a collection of almost identical fast songs between an intro and an outro, as Statler & Waldorf (two old guys from balcony on the Muppet Show) might say? Of course, the band’s fan base (including yours truly) would disagree, as one thing Desaster cannot be accused of is writing the same song over and over again. They’re not Toxic Holocaust, for Satan’s sake! And on their seventh LP they prove their ability to write not only great songs, but captivating albums, too. The album’s opener and the (almost) title song kicks off in a similar way to “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate”, with a very dynamic, tight riff. However, this time there are no signs of thrash – it’s pure black metal where brutal pounding meets chilling melodic guitar notes played over the main riff. We even get to hear Odin’s bass guitar, which is always a nice touch. Will this turn out to be an even more extreme album than SSS?

The answer is no, it won’t. There are some brutal tracks on this CD – take “At Hell’s Horizons” which comes from the Swedish school of blackened death metal (any Necrophobic fans here?) or “Troops of Heathens, Graves of Saints” – black metal up-tempo song with a thrash bridge for a change. Or “Beyond Your Grace”, which features guest vocal appearance from Marc Grewe (Morgoth) and is probably the most death metal song Desaster has ever done. With its medium pace and tight riffing only the melodic guitars remind us we are not listening to an Asphyx or Benediction record. Oh, and it does contain a typical Desaster “fuck the metronome” moment which I personally find amusing. (Not an Overkill fun here, I’m afraid.)

The rest of the songs on The Arts of Destruction are different, though. First, we’ve got a couple of thrashers – “Lacerate (With Rays of Doom)” and “The Splendour of the Idols”. Both sport multiple tempo changes which makes them more fun to listen to than i.e. the whole of Destruction’s discography. The former bears some semblance to Testament (the beginning and Alex Skolnick-like shredding by Infernal), while the latter is slightly more ferocious. Then there are two creepy crawlers – “Phantom Funeral” (a solemn, doomy tune with lots of clean melodic guitars and Sataniac’s vocals verging on melogrowl, also the only Desaster song to receive a proper music video) and “Possessed and Defiled”, which deserves more attention. With 8 and half minutes of playing time and lots of chord progression it may as well be Desaster’s most grandiose song ever. Before Sataniac enters (past the 3 minute mark) with his unmistakable pharyngealization there is a delusion a Primordial track somehow has found its way on this album by mistake. The song is structured around 2 main riffs, one more melodic and progressive and the other, aggressive and tighter one, which keep interchanging and then interlocking. Infernal’s guitar craftsmanship shines bright here and there is an overall Rotting Christ (from Triarchy of the Lost Lovers – Genesis era) feel permeating the tune. A true, great hymn. And finally, there are “Queens of Sodomy” – a fun hard rocker with sex-oriented lecherous lyrics (a reference to “Angelwhore”?) to balance things out.

Final verdict? A hit, and one very close to the bull’s eye, too. Desaster have managed not only to top Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate, but also to release their best album since 2002’s Divine Blasphemies. They sound very fresh on “The Arts of Destruction” – the brutality has been supplemented with innovation and the 5 long year interval between SSS and TaoD has been used by the band to perfect their compositions which do sound studied and polished. Finally, I must mention the production which is spot-on: brutal, yet crystal clear, bringing out the best of the beast that is Desaster.

Standout tracks: The Art of Destruction, Possessed and Defiled, At Hell’s Horizons, Phantom Funeral.

Desaster are one of those ultra-reliable and consistent bands that never let down their fans. No matter which album you pick, chances are you will never be disappointed – provided, of course, you don’t happen to be one of those types who value innovation more than consistency. Desaster are indeed unlikely to ever meddle with the pillars of their identity, working tirelessly to better their craft whilst remaining firmly within the well-defined stylistic boundaries of their genre. Some of their albums may veer more toward the black metal side of things, others may accentuate the thrash metal aspect, but the end result is sure to be a solid slab of Teutonic black/thrash metal.

Regarding The Arts of Destruction – a very fitting title, by the way –, the album sounds even more demonic than its immediate predecessors Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate and Angelwhore. Tracks like “The Art of Destruction”, “Lacerate (With Rays of Doom)”, “The Splendour of the Idols” (featuring a slow, doom-like build-up), “At Hell’s Horizons” or “Troops of Heathens, Graves of Saints” waste no time in pummeling the listener with a barrage of rapid-fire snare hits, pounding double-bass drums and gale-force blast beats, not to mention a seamless succession of tremolo-picked guitars and fierce thrash riffs.

By and large, the songs on The Arts of Destruction are rather simply structured, aiming more at delivering a quick, decisive blow than a multitude of different ideas and stylistic shifts. On top of it all sits Sataniac’s mighty voice, a raucous blend of death-metal growling and black-metal shrieking that truly makes him sound like a man possessed, torturing his vocal cords to the point where you can almost imagine him bleeding out of his throat. The production quality on The Arts of Destruction, by the way, is close to being perfect. Even though blackened thrash must never sound too polished or refined, it can’t hurt to hear every instrument clearly. The Arts of Destruction checks both of these boxes, sounding both powerful as well as sufficiently primordial and raw. It bears noting, however, that the bass guitar could have been featured a little more prominently in the mix.

As for some of the other songs, “Possessed and Defiled” is a rather slow, plodding number that works reasonably well for a while, but at eight and a half minutes is a little too monotonous and static to remain captivating all the way through. “Phantom Funeral” is another slower, moodier track. It’s quite melodic for Desaster’s standards and, despite the fact it’s kind of static as well, does a nice job of building and conveying a desolate and rather hypnotic atmosphere. “Queens of Sodomy” shows off the band’s more rancid, punkish/rockish side, rumbling along with an infectious drive whilst throwing a healthy dose of sleaze and dirt into the mix. “Beyond Your Grace”, the last proper track before the outro, is more of a midpaced grinder, putting the focus on relentless double-bass drumming and some particularly menacing, Slayer-esque riffing.

In all, no matter which tune is currently playing, the urge to push the skip button is almost non-existent. “Possessed and Defiled” may drag on a little too long and the outro could have been trimmed a little as well, but in the end, the only serious flaw of this record is that not every song is as wildly successful as the stunningly brilliant title track. Add the excellent cover artwork into the equation and what you get is yet another one in an already pretty long line of great albums by one of the prominent and most reliable powerhouses of the black/thrash genre.

Choicest cuts: The Art of Destruction; Lacerate (With Rays of Doom); At Hell’s Horizons; Troops of Heathens, Graves of Saints

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 points

Desaster belong to the bands that keep black thrash metal alive. They are a reliable partner for all subgenre maniacs while releasing more or less only outstanding song material. I do not need to know a single note before I buy their albums - I just do it, assuming that they will not disappoint me. Thus, it comes as no surprise that "The Arts of Destruction" has become a regular guest in my CD player. The black thrash enthusiasts do exactly the same as they were used to do before. All of you who liked their previous releases will have a good time with this full-length.

A handful of soon-to-be classics ensure that the album enriches the band´s discography. These songs show the different strengths of the four-piece in the most emphatic manner. To start with the longest track: the epic and fairly melodic "Possessed and Defiled" revitalizes the special medieval sounding, less harsh side of the band. This stand-alone approach was a bit sidelined on their last outputs. With a view to the quality level of this tune, this was an unfortunate development. Be that as it may, the number starts with a fantastic guitar line and is perfectly constructed. Despite its length of more than eight minutes, there are no boring or redundant parts. This piece contrasts with the spontaneous and direct thrash torpedos of the album. The razor-sharp riffing of "Queens of Sodomy" forms the basis for the most straightforward track of the here presented tunes. It is fast and threatening while offering a short and gloomy solo part. "The Splendour of the Idols" and "Troops of Heathens, Graves of Saints" follow a similar compositional pattern. The excellent latter one particularly impresses with its intensive ending due to the restless staccato barking of Sataniac and the furious drumming of Tormentor. But the most imposing track is called "Phantom Funeral". This title perfectly matches the atmosphere of the song. It does not focus on speed, but it convinces with the precise riffs as well as with its dismal aura. Main componist Infernal demonstrates once again his talent for writing sinister melodies.

The remaing tracks do not deliver outstanding moments. Call them passable or solid, these are songs that do not leave a long-term impact. Without being lackluster or flabby, they do their job - no more and no less. But they benefit from the powerful sound of the album. Admittedly, the professional and clean production does not show the solidarity with the underground. However, there is no doubt that these guys still embody the spirit of honest and authentic black thrash metal. In addition, the detailed cover, the booklet and the black vinyl design of the disc complete the picture in a more than satisfying manner. The attached DVD gives us an impression of their live concerts. A nice bonus, although it does not deliver something unique. (I would have hoped that they play more songs of "Angelwhore"...) But the main thing here is that Desaster are still able to create stirring tunes without exceeding the limits of the black thrash metier. Therefore, I eagerly await their next album.

I am speechless. Seriously I am. What we have here is eleven (nine if you don't count the intro and outro) anthems of brutal, fast and melodic black/thrash metal. Desaster have been building up their reputation with their previous releases, and they didn't fail us with this one.

Where can I start? First of all the sound. This is thrash metal with blackened influences. What you get by listening to this LP is energy. An electrical current passes through you over and over again. You start headbaning on the distorted sound. Fast, raw and dirty. I remember several years ago, I was reading an interview Max Cavalera had given to Metal Hammer/Heavy Metal magazine. He said that when they were recording their Schizophrenia (I think) album, they had "Ride the Lighning" and "Show no Mercy" with them in the studio, and they were trying to sound like them. Those two albums were the cornerstone for Sepultura's later development. Well, I got news for you. This album should be the cornerstone for all new groups out there who want to play raw blackened thrash metal. This is the blueprint.

Second, you get melody and riffage. Yes, riffage. This is the magic of this LP. You don't listen to a convoluted noise where you cannot distinguish between the instruments and vocals. You don't get complex riffs that bore you. You can actually listen clearly to the rhythms of the songs, you can headbang endlessly. This album has some serious melodies coupled with pounding guitars drums and bass. It has mesmerising riffs and epic melodies (just listen to "Possessed and Defiled" and you'll know what I mean by saying "epic"). Think of Bewitched's "Diabolical Desecration". Now add thrash metal to it, more speed and a clean (but not polished) production and you get the end result.

I really don't have anything else to say. Every metal fan should listen to this, even the die-hard thrashers who believe that Arise was the last great thrash metal album. Don't think of this album only as thrash or black metal. Just think of this as a superb metal LP. Because this is metal. Pounding, fast, melodic and intense. Congratulations to Desaster for giving to modern metal a rejuvenating kick.

Axes grind in bloodthirsty precision as scalps of angels fall into the hands of Lucifer as he dwells upon his massacre of the divine. His soundtrack during this savage disembowelment of the holy? Most likely "The Arts of Destruction." Desaster serves a bestial, scathing plate of black/thrash metal flying under the usual curses of this German band, not really showing any progression from their "Satan's Soldiers Syndicate" effort, but I don't give a damn. The band's seventh album is predictably diabolical and venomous, striking like the poisoned claws of a gorgon from Hell. Given that Desaster left the point of salvation decades ago, it only makes sense that they continue this burning feat after five years between releases. It's roughly the same mold as their last slew of material, but still flexing the riffs and attitude to respect the essence of evil metal.

Just glancing at the song titles, I knew this was going to be exactly how it sounds. Opening incision "The Art of Destruction" yields precisely what Desaster has become: a sleazy mess of tremolo riffs and quick thrash nods tied between Sataniac’s unique howls and constant pounding on the instrumental floor. Can't really complain though, because they deliver track after track of consistent, sodomizing metal that drips unrelenting aggression and dark energy. Does it all sound the same? A little, but the lack of variety isn't a big deal; Desaster has the goods to do the same show without tarnishing the themes of "The Arts of Destruction," if that makes sense. Anthems like "Phantom Funeral" or the awesome "Queens of Sodomy" are dark, sinister, brutal, and rotten to the core...not that Desaster flirts with opposite realms, mind you. Essentially, the record delivers blow after blow of remarkably scorching black/thrash metal, balancing both sounds on a stable yet devastatingly enjoyable level without any curve balls in sight.

Interestingly, Desaster delivers an unexpected epic plodding on for more than eight minutes, calling itself "Possessed and Defiled." Rather than just bite and gnaw, this ritualistic piece surprisingly slithers in and around many atmospheric melodies and riffs; there's also a narrative section toward the end of the song as well, making it one of the more memorable numbers due to its oddities. The concluding instrumental is completely useless and accomplishes next to nothing in the grand scheme of things…no idea why they'd throw that in there instead of using the strong "Beyond Your Grace" as an ending theme. But in the land of meat and potatoes, the texture and taste lies within the first ten offerings, and one would be nuts to truly dwell on the meandering finale than the entire collection of sin itself.

As I said, "The Arts of Destruction" is stitched right on the musical ass of "Satan's Soldiers Syndicate." Not that that's something worth flipping out over, because Desaster once again performs in their gritty yet prime fashion of blazingly rich and fun black/thrash metal without a single lapse of enjoyment throughout the well-aged group's seventh full-length opus. In the end, "The Arts of Destruction" has the girth and fire to match Desaster's filling discography and fundamentally represents everything a metal band of this creed should. It's not for the weak or feeble though, so don't think about this if you can't handle a touch of darkness and a little sacrificial rites on the side.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

So German black/thrash titans Desaster finally return with the long awaited follow up to 2007’s “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate”, which was a glorious return to form after the uneven “Anglewhore”. I had extremely high aspirations for this release, as the previous was so blindingly brilliant I was hesitant they’d have lost that spark somewhere along the road. All apprehensions were soon put to the sword though as soon as the last track ended; winding my jaw up off the floor after being thoroughly drained of all thought due to the sheer overwhelming power that is “The Arts of Destruction”, they haven’t just followed “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate” up with an equal album, they’ve arguably created what is their most accomplished and awe inspiring release yet. “The Arts of Destruction” is a totem of the black/thrash genre, a glimpse at what so many other bands can only dream of achieving.

For a band who have been around for as long as these veterans to constantly keep releasing quality albums and hit such a high at this period in their career is nothing short of remarkable. Only a handful of bands contain that fire which puts them on another level altogether from the rest, Desaster along with the comparably awesome Destroyer 666 have both now effectively come close to perfecting this genre. “The Arts of Destruction” is wall to wall venom, with vocals which appear dredged from the abyss of hell itself and a guitar tone and drumming which will grind your bones to dust, and it’s hard to see how this can be bettered.

So anyway, enough with the gushing praise, straight from the eponymous title track right through to ‘Beyond Your Grace”, the album is a sweeping behemoth of riffing that will get every static head in the room banging. Infernal’s guitar tone is and always has been the back-bone to Desaster, the huge crushing riffs and ripping solo’s have been a mainstay since their inception and is none more evident than here. Choice cuts would either be the Destruction-esque main riff during “Phantom Funeral” and the unequivocally epic “Teutonic Steel”-esque lead work in “Possessed and Defiled”. Sataniac’s vocals are just as impressive, stronger than ever and that underlying Cavalera like sneer still present. The vocals slash and tear through the everything like a feral dog, ranging from an almost death like guttural to higher pitched black screams delivered in such a way it sounds as if he’s delivering a hate filled sermon rather than a mere black metal song. The drumming is similarly impressive, fast paced and earth shakingly intense yet always thoroughly varied hammering the riffs straight into your neck.

The production present here is magnificent, a flawless mix and clarity which does its best to complement every single riff and every single vocal line without ever sounding ‘modern’. A special shout must go to the duo of “At Hell’s Horizon” and “Possessed and Defiled”, the former being a four minute hellstorm of blasphemy with a central section violent enough to turn even the most reserved metal head into a fist clenching swagger, the latter an eight minute epic along the lines of “Teutonic Steel” and “Conqueror Supremacy” with the pace take down a notch or two and a grandeur of evil like that from early Bathory. It’s songs like the aforementioned and “Metalized Blood” etc that are why Desaster are held in such high regard, their ability to write such enthralling Black/Thrash is matched at the minute only by that of Destroyer 666.

All the usual influences are present, from early Sepultura to Bathory to the Teutonic German scene of the 80’s, and even a bit of hard-core punk the form of “Queens of Sodomy”, so in the chance that you haven’t heard Desaster before and your music taste is somewhat along those lines then “The Arts of Destruction” will be right up your alley and is as good a place to start as any with them. If there was ever any doubt as to their position, then this album has completely blown them off the map, because “The Arts of Destruction” is one of the finest militant blackened thrash releases yet. Every so often an album will come along and completely floor me and reaffirm just why exactly I listen to metal in the first place, why I persevere through all the shit and one which keeps blowing me away every single time I listen to it, and for an album to do that to me is rare. A rare full marks from me.

German black/thrash masters have released their latest full-lenght, ''The Art Of Destruction'', and I have to admit that I was really pumped before I got to listen to the album. I wasn't dissapointed at all, as Desaster delivered a solid album with a slightly different sound. There is something different about Desasters fast-paced and dynamic brand of black/thrash though I can't quite put my finger on it. The riffs are like tornadoes raging uncontrolled through a battlefield wielding a nice, clean production that helps it attain the dynamics that it requires. The music is now much more intense than any other Desaster record and there is so much thrash that at times it seems like the black metal influence is leaning towards the edge.

The strikingly swift riffage controls the whole album from above like a genious commanding his army. The vocals have a more death-ish edge to them with barfing, pukey screams scattered in dispersed formations all around the album. While all of this is cased in crystal clear production, the riffs may all of a sudden transcend into black metal tremolo assaults and murky chord-driven barrages aided with the intense vocals. So all in all Desaster concentrates more on the solid, straightforward face of black/thrash rather than most stereotypical chaotic black metal stylings which have been quite widespread in their previous albums. Black metal fans are without doubt going to take this an excuse to dislike the album, while the gets even more recognition and grows more golden in the eyes of a thrasher. The neutral side, which is the group of metalheads are going to like this anyway. The pukey, stubborn and pissed of attitude of the vocals already gives the album a nice amount of points from the start. And the level of dynamics keep the album steadfast in general but still allows to crush the speed limit every once in a while.

Of course Desaster have quite obviously not broken the boundaries of originality on this record especially considering that tens and hundreds of retro black/thrash acts have committed themselves to the same style repeatedly. Among Desasters lenghtly discography, this album ranks as some of the more generic releases, which is of an unfortunate problem. Though pushing that aside, someone who has just recently started his/her journey into German thrash metal or black/thrash can quite enjoy this with its catchy choruses, simple song structures and that fun black metal influence spread as mere fragments across the sea of devastating thrash assaults. Tracks like ''Queens of Sodomy'' or ''The Splendour of The Idols'' can really conjure that old school black metal sound with a ton is energy and fresh barrage of absolutely fierce riffs. Also, I wouldn't want people to think that the album almost no black metal in it. That is definetely incorrect. The albm may deal around thrash often, but the song ''Possessed and Defiled'' is proof that Desaster is still true to its old, black laden thrash metal sound.

Overall the album would still be a good example of black/thrash of the typical type even if certain songs were to be excluded. There are some good tecnical moments in the album too, mostly supporting the heroic sound of black metal. The atmosphere on this album is nearly dead so if you were expecting an epic black/thrash masterpice from this album, then you've come to the wrong place. But if everthing I mentined was to be pointed out frankly; Desaster unleashed an album worth buying if you like fast, intense thrash metal with nasty gutturals though the real thing that suprised me was the cathiness and amount of energy that Desaster has mustered, since black metal usually doesen't get too catchy or even too memorable. This album is fresh and ranks and Desasters better releases.

Highlights:
The Art Of Destruction
Queens Of Sodomy
The Splendour Of The Idols
Troops Of Heathens, Graves Of Saints

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