Hearkening back to the days when Tom Araya sounded like a veritable madman on every recording paired with the more vicious Testament albums of the late ’90’s (Think The Gathering in particular), Destroyer 666 manage to create a modern thrash classic on Wildfire without rehashing or sounding dated.
Echoing that ear piercing scream that begins “Reign In Blood”, “Traitor” similarly sets the tone for Wildfire, Destroyer 666’s fifth full-length. “Live and Burn” will get listeners spun up even more with its mix of thrash and black metal but then you come across an instrumental opus like “Artiglio Del Diavolo” and not only is it unlike anything else on the album so far, but it’s also just as brutal even without KK’s bloodcurdling pipes.
“Hounds at ya Back” is haunting yet pummeling and segues beautifully (Yeah, I typed “beautifully” describing some thrash/black metal. Deal with it!) into “Hymn to Dionysus” which beats you over the head with even more evocative riffage. However, the title track is where those riffs really come out and play. From the opening solo and the start/stop attack of Vox Perra’s drums paired with the dichotomy of the clean vocals versus a monstrous growl, “Wildfire” is pure metal bliss.
Described in their press release as “musical violence incarnate”, if you finish Wildfire without the vaguest of homicidal thoughts sitting in your headspace then Destroyer 666 obviously hasn’t done their job right. Especially as the serene musings of “Die You Fucking Pig” and “Tamam Shud” close out the album (I kid! Mostly, because the latter has some surprisingly accessible moments).
Wildfire is out through Season of Mist on February 26th. Pre-orders are currently available here and here.