Elimination - Destroyed by Creation

June 9, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Release Date: April 19, 2010
Label: Rising Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Straight To Hell
2.  The Rage Within
3.  Slaves To A Tyrants Reign
4.  Wargames
5.  Nightmare Asylum
6.  Nostromo
7.  The End Of Days
8.  The Eliminator
9.  Rising From The Grave
10.  Release The Anger
11.  Hell's Battlefield
12.  Destroyed By Creation

Total playing time:  62:00

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*Comments:

You can’t merely listen to thrash metal music; you really need to be either from the era of thrash’s rise and understand its vitality or have been educated accordingly by someone in the fold. It’s an ongoing education, as is most heavy metal music. When you invest both a lifetime and lifestyle ingesting these chaotic chords and hellish harmonies you come to recognize rather easily what constitutes good metal and what makes for bad metal music. Of course it’s all subjective, especially with so many sub-genres abound, but the connoisseur of real heavy metal music knows his or her passion.

Great Britain’s Elimination combines the best elements of Anthrax, Testament and Destruction and creates an overly sensible thrash album called Destroyed by Chaos. While managing to take the 80’s thrash movement and make it both relevant and entertaining today, Elimination is the educated metalhead’s thrash band for the modern era. Coming off the well-received Welcome to Death Row EP the band has some serious talent in need of exploration.     

“Wargames” is the quintessential thrash metal song, reminiscent of the aforementioned Anthrax ala the Neil Turbin era (yep, there was a singer before Belladonna and Bush). As with any form of thrash the reinvention of the wheel is not happening, but a band can certainly take an existing formula and create some new magic with old tools and Elimination manages nicely. Some great guitar riffs that barrel through the speakers like a possessed truck from Maximum Overdrive make for some seriously fun songs that rely heavily on structure, not blinding speed to get a point across. The track “Nightmare Asylum” is a prime example of this, a heavy, yet somewhat quick creation that showcases the fine guitar work of axemen Daz Abbott and Dave Spicer. Vocalist Neil Stevens really manages a style all his own, even if not particularly innovative or new. There’s also some very fine drumming from Will Rowsell, as well as some solid (and discernable) bass from Justin. All cylinders are firing on this one. 

As for the enjoyment factor, Destroyed by Creation is certainly a positive find in a very large pile of unworthy modern peers. As I’ve said a hundred times, if thrash bands back in the day had the incredible tools of the modern day with which to record and perfect the production what would we have been hearing? It also shows a dedication and pride in the songs when the production is cared for, as is the case here. Standouts include the above mentioned tracks as well as “Straight to Hell” and “The End of Days”. There’s little recycling of the same riffs here, which is always a plus for these overly-trained and ever-cautious ears.

Destroyed by Creation is Elimination’s entry into the thrash metal gene pool and they’ve made one hell of an entrance so far. Certainly grant these guys a chance if thrashing out in a small, yet crowded room is your particular release.