The Butcher Strikes Back! Devastating Thrash Attack!
After a painful 10-year hiatus, the first seed of Destruction’s comeback invasion—All Hell Breaks Loose—screamed at us with those exact words from Schmier: “The Butcher Strikes Back!” In fact, this album serves as the starting point for a topic that has long divided Destruction fans into two camps: Is the old Destruction better, or is the new incarnation superior? As for me, I definitely prefer the new Destruction.
This album contains 12 tracks (including an intro), with some editions featuring a bonus 13th track: a cover of Metallica’s Whiplash. Don’t be surprised if you come across that version. Clocking in at 45 minutes and 21 seconds, All Hell Breaks Loose was produced by none other than Peter Tägtgren and recorded at his very own Abyss Studio.
If you're familiar with Tägtgren’s production work, you’ll know he has a very distinct style. He doesn’t shy away from applying the same production techniques across vastly different genres—for example, the approach he used for Destruction (Thrash) is strikingly similar to what he used with Immortal (Black Metal). While this wasn't widely criticized when the album first came out in the early 2000s, critics eventually began calling it out.
Back to the point: the production style on this album isn’t exactly conventional for Thrash. Tägtgren’s signature sound involves brutally sharp guitar tones (chainsaw-like), deeply buried and foundational bass, and high-pitched drums. Take away the guitar tone, and the formula feels more like something you’d find in Power Metal—revealing a bit about Tägtgren’s musical roots.
But don’t let the mention of Power Metal throw you off—this album is pure Thrash. The riffs are razor-sharp, even abrasive at times, forming what became known as “the new Destruction sound,” which the band continued to develop in later releases.
From the intro onward, All Hell Breaks Loose signals its descent into madness, exploding into full-blown chaos with The Final Curtain. One of the album’s most compelling features is its sheer consistency in tempo and intensity—there’s barely a moment to catch your breath. On drums, we find a seemingly random German named Sven, but what he delivers here is absolutely jaw-dropping.
The album hits hard with the blistering energy of Machinery of Lies, the ruthlessness of Devastation of Your Soul, the untamed aggression of The Butcher Strikes Back, the beastly riffing in X-treme Measures, and Schmier’s nearly brutal death-level vocals in Visual Prostitution. These are just the most immediately striking elements.
Destruction sums up the lost decade with the line: “Curse the day ten painful years ago, since our legacy suffered in death row!” And indeed, their songwriting here is on another level. From the socially charged World Domination of Pain, which lashes out against terrorism, to the deeply personal fury of The Final Curtain, where a man loses everything to the world—this album is as lyrical as it is brutal. These lyrics deserve to be read and re-read.
The savage vocals from Schmier, Mike’s jaw-ripping riffs—it’s all here, pure Destruction to the core.
There is one notable feature: some tracks don’t have guitar solos. For example, The Butcher Strikes Back has no solo, and I’m absolutely certain that’s a deliberate choice. Including one would have disrupted the momentum and energy that the song builds. The same technique is found on Testament’s The Gathering album. Where solos do exist, they’re closely tied to the song’s character—not flashy Yngwie Malmsteen-style runs, but riffs rooted deeply in Thrash Metal tradition.
One final point: the only issue some might have with this album is the digital-sounding production—particularly noticeable in Kingdom of Damnation. However, this complaint tends to come exclusively from fans of Destruction’s early material. Personally, I don't see it as a problem worth dwelling on. Because as long as Destruction still channels this spirit, nothing else matters.
Destruction doesn’t play candy-coated, synth-laden music for 6 to 12-year-olds—they play THRASH METAL!