Inventor of Evil

ome bands go through numerous lineup changes yet somehow manage to be consistent, but all too often, bands that are revolving doors are anything but consistent; you never know if they are going to come out with a great album, a mediocre album, or a weak album. That has certainly been the case with Destruction; the German outfit has had more than its share of lineup changes over the years -- and their albums have ranged from excellent to totally forgettable. Released in 2005 -- 23 years after the band's formation -- Inventor of Evil won't go down in history as one of Destruction's essential discs but is still a good, solid addition to their catalog. The material on this 50-minute CD is pure, unadulterated, '80s-style thrash metal -- fast, intense, heavy, and forceful, but not as harsh or unforgiving as a lot of the merciless death metal, grindcore, and metalcore that came out in the '90s and 2000s. Inventor of Evil recalls the sort of albums that, back in the mid-'80s, showed headbangers what could happen when a healthy appreciation of power metal was combined with a healthy appreciation of punk's velocity -- the type of high-velocity aggression that enabled headbangers to form mosh pits and demonstrate that slam dancing wasn't strictly for punk shows. And that punk element is why a thrash disc like Inventor of Evil -- although certainly not innovative or groundbreaking -- doesn't sound quite as dated (by mid-2000s standards) as, say, a power metal revival disc (the type of disc that doesn't have the punk element and tries to sound exactly like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden circa 1979). Inventor of Evil isn't recommended to those who have only a casual interest in Destruction's work, but longtime followers will find it to be an enjoyable demonstration of what they could bring to the mosh pit in 2005. ~ Alex Henderson|