Live report DESTRUCTION, WHIPLASH, ENFORCER & CRISIX, Markthalle, Hamburg – October 19th, 2023

It was in 1983, in the south of Germany, when a band was formed that went out to promote a new and harder kind of music. We are talking about Destruction. Schmier and his band mates impressed the metal community with first albums like ‘Infernal Overkill’ and ‘Eternal Devastation’. Then, the band’s breakthrough came with ‘Mad Butcher’ and Destruction are now mentioned alongside bands like Kreator and Sodom. Destruction belong to the Big 4 of the German thrash metal scene.

Four decades later Destruction are on tour to celebrate such an impressive anniversary together with their fans. Joining them on the road are three other bands: Whiplash, Enforcer and Crisix.

The package of four bands stops today in Hamburg’s legendary Markthalle and it’s Crisix from Barcelona, Spain, who kick things off. The guys already have to start at 19:00 and are doing a great job. Unfortunately the Markthalle is still relatively empty, which doesn’t stop the guys from giving free rein to their temperament and when guitarist Marc Busqué fires off his riffs in the middle of the crowd during the final ‘Ultra Thrash’, the ice is broken. In addition, there is a lively exchange of instruments during the medley part, which includes, among others, ‘Walk’ by Pantera and also ‘Antisocial’ and so one can say that the guys gave the evening a positive turn right from the start.

Blonde and loud, that’s the order of the day as Enforcer enter the stages. Anchored more in traditional metal, the guys are a bit of a stylistic exception tonight, which doesn’t matter much to the audience. In fact, Enforcer go full steam right from the start and rock through their ten-songs set. With ‘Destroyer’ the guys immediately start off a meta firework and surf through their setlist with a lot of self-confidence. The main focus of the show are three songs from the ‘From Beyond’ album while the newest album is represented by the title track. Despite the relatively short playing time, a brief drum solo is obligatory, which doesn’t dampen the overall mood. Enforcer play with so much enthusiasm that the audience quickly joins in and celebrates. The party started.

Actually, now it would have been the turn of the Canadian thrashers Razor. Unfortunately, the guys had to cancel the tour due to health issues and were nevertheless present. How does that work? Quite simple. Thrash metal pioneers Whiplash fill in for Razor and simply hired Rider Johnson as their drummer for this tour. He learned the songs within a few days and after only one rehearsal they went straight in front of the audience. And the party continues as bassist Will Winton celebrates his birthday today, receiving best wishes from the crowd.

At the beginning of the Whiplash show the audience is still a bit reserved. A few kids have some fun in the middle of the hall, while the majority of the audience listens devoutly. If, at the beginning, it was the legendary character of the band that impressed everyone in the crowd, it is Whiplash’s hard thrash metal that leads to a few crowd surfers towards the end of the set. With ‘Spit on Your Grave’ and ‘Power Thrashing Death’ there are also two classics at the finishing line which shows that Whiplash and bandleader Tony Portaro are still a force to be reckoned with.

Oldschool, that’s how it continues after a short break. Destuction start directly with three classics in their set. ‘Curse the Gods’, ‘Deathtrap’ and ‘Nailed to the Cross’ offer a good first selection of Destruction’s impressive discography. Even though there is still quite some space in the back of Markthalle, it gets crowded right in front of the stage. Headbanging and circle pits are the focus of the day and of course you can’t resist the power of songs like ‘Mad Butcher’ and ‘Bestial Invasion’. Also when the sounds of the chainsaw announce ‘The Butcher Strikes back’ there is no holding back. What more? There is a short guitar solo by Damir Eskić in front of ‘Eternal Ban’ and so all ingredients for a successful metallic birthday party are in place.

With ‘Diabolical’ the title track of the latest studio album is on the list too and when the outro after ‘Thrash Till Death’ resounds all those present today are satisfied with the experience. Cheers to the upcoming enthusiastic Destruction years – Thrash Till Death.