The back catalogue of Destruction is a bit like a rollercoaster. They’ve had some real high points and a few dips…although in their defence they have never released a truly bad album. Albums like ‘Eternal Devastation’ and ‘Antichrist’ show them at their very best, while the likes of ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’ and ‘Metal Discharge’ don’t spend a great deal of time on my decks at all. Their last album D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. was their best album in a good few years, however I think recording the ‘Thrash Anthems’ compilation where they re-recorded new versions of their very early material helped in bringing some of that old school spirit back into their playing.
Now to the ‘Day Of Reckoning.’ It is perfectly adequate as a thrash album, however lacks that extra spark that really makes me connect with an album. Coming in with the trademark Schmier shriek, ‘The Price’ gets straight down to business with some blazing solos, punishing riffs and a ton of aggression. ‘Hate Is My Fuel’ has that racing fury that brings to mind Butcher Strikes Back and reminds you what an excellent guitarist they have in Mike Sifringer who has a really distinct style, while ‘Devil’s Advocate’ has a real catchy chorus and I love it’s serpentine lick that comes over lively albeit clicky drumming. There’s definitely a blasphemous tone to the album and one gets the feeling there’s some hatred spat in the church’s direction especially when you hear ‘Church of Disgust’ which delivers you straight to evil and ‘Demon is God’ – there seems to be a theme running loosely through these 11 tracks.
A handful of tracks are really quite memorable - ‘Sorcerer Of Black Magic’ is one which I really can’t make my mind up over as on one hand its chorus shout is really memorable but at times it seems to plod along rather aimlessly. ‘Demon Is God’ comes in with what I’d consider to be quite a playful little riff with pinch harmonics that really give it a unique touch. Can you really complain at this album? It has all of the core elements that make a Destruction album – killer riffs unleashed at dangerous speeds, underlying mean bassline and lively drumming. Schmier snarls away like someone just stole his cookies and it’s got that heaviness behind the music to drive it forward. It’s just that at times things do seem to fall a little flat – where a track may have a killer chorus it doesn’t always follow all that smoothly into the verse and the momentum kind of gets momentarily swallowed up, particularly on tracks like ‘Church Of Disgust,’ and ‘Destroyer or Creator’ feels a bit on the pedestrian side. On the whole a solid album but not Destruction at their best.
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