The Antichrist marks Destruction's follow-up return to Thrash album, and there clearly has been no passion lost since the release of All Hell Breaks Loose. In fact, if anything, The Antichrist showcases a much stronger, refined, and energetic Destruction then before, holding a recording that is just foaming at the mouth with unbridled Thrash rage and intricacies. With this return to form for the band, it's no surprise this is one of the albums that fans remember the most about the band. This is also the second of three albums being reissued and remastered by Metal Mind Productions. However, does this album really live up to the hype, especially after the 24-bit treatment?
There is no denying that this album is just pure energy. Any fan of the band who has heard this release cannot deny how heavy and powerful the material here is, and just how much it gets the listeners blood pumping. Practically every track on here comes at a furious pace, and is easily the band's strongest release. The Antichrist starts off with a narration track that sets up the title of the album nicely, but in the end doesn't do much for the release, though it is nice to have on there regardless. However, it does slightly build up the next track, "Days of Confusion", but that is mostly because of what is being spoken of prior to the release, then the sudden slam into the actual song.
Each track on here is just fast paced intensity. Destruction rarely bring the speed of the album down here, but when they do it's only during certain moments of songs. "Bullets From Hell" is one of those tracks that feature some slower music. While this song is the fastest on here, and clearly has a heavy Punk/Crossover feel in the music with the guitars and two-step, the song has a section about half way through that slows down the pace to a traditional mid-tempo speed before going right back to the furious pace it started with like a gun shot. The music also slows down later in the song, about two thirds of the way, but it's mostly to accomodate the fantastic guitar solo and amp up the intensity behind it before the song reaches it's high speed climax. Another track that brings in some slower speed is "Creations of the Underworld", which is still a fast song in it's own right, but the song just features more intensity and the riffs are a little slower then the rest of the album, especially during certain bridges where it is pushed moreso by the drumming, as well as near the ending where the guitars seem to have a hint of melody through some hooks and simplistic chords. All of this comes together, however, to create a very heavy song that stays true to the rest of the album's material.
Out of all the tracks, however, the song "Godfather of Slander" really stands out against the rest, and it's mostly thanks to the heavy vocal distortion used that brings in almost a science fiction element to the song. While this doesn't really hinder the song in any way, it sounds a little out of place, even tacked on. This is really the only aspect of the album that holds it back. The rest of the material here pretty much stays the same, with the exception of the slower moments listed above. However, the songs are done so well and with enough intensity that each song winds up having it's own unique sound and really stands out compared to the rest. While "Thrash Til Death" is essentially a high speed metal anthem that will have you banging your head from start to finish, "Let Your Hand Rot" features some hard hitting guitars that really distinguish it from the rest, having a slight Groove to the music overall while still retaining the intimidation factor. Then of course there's "Bullets From Hell" which is just a Punk-fueled high speed Thrash song, and even "The Heretic", which is perhaps the only somewhat generic sounding song on here, but the song just hits with such fury that it becomes wholly unique and feels right at home on this recording.
| 2010 Reissue: |
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Much like the All Hell Breaks Loose reissue, the reissue of The Antichrist comes in a digipack with the original artwork being used, a paper with the history of the band accompanying the booklet, as well as is numbered to a limited pressing of two thousand copies. However, this recording has never sounded better, and in fact just sounds so much more intense thanks to the 24-bit remastered quality. Sadly, this reissue only features one bonus track, unless the rest which feature a good deal of extra songs. "Curse the Gods" is actually a re-recorded version from 2001 that originally appeared on limited edition versions of this release prior to this one. It would have been nice if this one featured the three other bonus tracks from the Japanese version, but at least the cover of The Exploited's "Fuck the U.S.A." appears on the reissue of Metal Discharge as a bonus track. Much lik the aforementioned limited edition with "Curse the Gods", this one follows the same pattern and has silence from tracks twelve to sixty five, which really just hinders the enjoyment by keeping such a fantastic song hidden from the rest of the album. |
In the end, The Antichrist is easily one of Destrucotion's best albums. If you haven't heard this masterpiece before, then now is the perfect time to jump on board. There isn't a single moment on this release that won't have your blood pumping or leave you bored and jumping for the skip track button on whatever player you happen to be using. This remastered version even amps the bite this release has with it's fantastic quality, making it a must have for Destruction fans, or even fans of Thrash in general, so be sure to put this reissue at the top of your list of next purchases.
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