One studio and one live side, this tape is better than most all this English band’s recordings. Side one has some great covers, such as “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “Wild Thing,” “Sonic Reducer,” and “Lexicon Devil,” all done with some amazing power and clarity. Cool.
Yechh! I’ve already been put off by the many recent releases of recycled DESTRUCTORS material. But I can’t abide this new line-up (minus old singer Neil), which has regressed to the point of playing thoroughly boring rock. If this is their bid for commercial success, they deserve to fall flat on their shortsighted faces. Garbage.
It looks like this really will be the last from these guys. I’ve always admired their simple, dreary, and repetitive style, as well as their double guitar sound. Although their cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” is uninspiring, and the intro to “Nerve Gas” sounds like a Lydon rip-off, the rest is fine. “Khmer Rouge Boogie” is a great song.
By now, everyone should be aware that the DESTRUCTORS generally combine thrash speed with some metallic twin guitar action. Their new album features live versions of many of their earlier hits and, unlike most live efforts, is actually more hard-hitting than some of their studio releases. It’s too bad they disbanded, but at least they’ve gone out with something of a bang instead of a whimper.
The A-side here includes slightly modified versions of two songs that appeared on their recent Forces of Law 7″ (reviewed in MRR #6); the flip has three fine new thrashed-out cuts that have that distinctive DESTRUCTORS mix, with its highly exaggerated snare drum and hi-hat. Add a Pus cover and better sound quality, and you end up with a damn good show.
“Neutron Bomb” and “Forces of Law” are both OK, the first being the stronger of the two. The mix is really weird—the vocals and snare drum are way up front, while the guitar is in the background. “Wild Thing” is… well, you’ve probably heard that song by now.
This LP’s got some punch. The music is faster and snappier than the UK norm, and some tracks really roar (“Born Too Late,” “Hillside Strangler,” etc.). Inexplicably, there are good anti-drug and anti-violence lyrics standing side-by-side with others having an unfortunate fixation on sex and violence. The guitars could be a little louder vis-Á -vis the snare drum, but on the whole the DESTRUCTORS album moves along at a brisk pace and keeps your attention, so give it a chance.
A fairly unremarkable follow-up to their pretty decent first LP. It would help a lot t have a lyric sheet, especially since a couple of songs (“Sewage Worker” and “Jailbait”) are not even clear enough to tell whether they’re serious or not. If they are serious—note the sexy/sexist cover—it would contradict their otherwise progressive views.
