Review DESTRUCTOR (US) ‘Blood, Bone and Fire’

Metal maniacs Destructor (US) from Ohio don’t belong to the group of rookie bands. The four-piece started in 1984 and released with ‘Maximum Destruction’ an album that created sum buzz in the metallic underground. Unfortunately, fate didn’t mean it that well with the band as their singer Dave Holocaust was murdered in New York on New Years Day 1988. This stroke of fate was a tough moment for a band that just signed a deal with Island Records. Additionally came the decline of metal in the 90s the band parted ways in 1990.

Just before the new century started, the band members found a common base again and revitalized the group. Since then, Destructor (US) release longplayers on a regular base with their newest effort ‘Blood, Bone and Fire’ hitting the shelves as we speak.

Fans of aggressive oldschool metal had to wait six before welcoming this sonic blast that is split in nine chapters/songs. The album blends thrash-, power- and traditional metal in great fashion.

It is the title track that paves the way for these nine blistering metal tracks. Speed, riffs and hooks is what the opener offers and I had to think about a time, when bands like Overkill, Agent Steel and Anthrax toured through Europe in 1986 as the ‘Metal Hammer Road Show’. The spirit and the vibe this package spread at the time is what is also reflected by ‘Blood, Bone and Fire’.

Hereby the link to Overkill is probably the most obvious one since frontman Dave Overkill’s way of singing and intonation shows some parallels with Bobby “Blitz” Elsworth.

Each of the songs on the album is a delight for fans that dig 80’s metal. Destructor (US) manage to get the spirit across and at the same time show their talent and passion for aggressive music. Regardless if it is the fast instrumental ‘The Calling’ or the raging ‘Hammering the Steel’, this album features songs that challenge the neck muscles of metalheads.

‘Blood, Bone and Fire’ is a massive metal blast. With 35 minutes the running time isn’t very long but what fans get offered is heavy metal with wrecking ball intensity.