Destroyer 666 – Defiance (Season of Mist, 2009)

It’s been about six years since we last heard from the Australian antichrists of Destroyer 666.  Arguably one of the forefathers of the modern black-thrash movement, D666 has been sorely missed during their extended leave of absence from the scene.  Luckily, Defiance is well worth the wait and then some, delivering nothing less than a 50 megaton payload of the band’s patented barbaric-yet-catchy blackened thrash to the undeserving masses.

Indeed D666 may have been gone awhile, but their sound is still every bit a weapon of conquest.  Armed with a knack for balancing ferocity with a strong flair for melody and memorability, the band has remained leagues ahead of the copycats that have followed in their bloody wake during the intervening years.  Having already released bonafide classic albums such as Phoenix Rising and Cold Steel For An Iron Age, many would argue that KK Warslut and his band of mercenaries didn’t have anything left to prove with Defiance, but you’d never know that from listening to the album.  The band sounds just as bloodthirsty and razor-sharp as it did years ago.

More than just a striking album title, Defiance is also the perfect word to sum up D666’s attitude and musical approach.  Raising a stiff middle-finger to any and all trends, the band has stuck to their guns and released an album rife with tales of violence and devastation.  Tracks such as “A Stand Defiant”, “Sermon to the Dead” and “Human All Too Human” stand proudly alongside the finest of the band’s back-catalogue, equal parts relentlessly assaulting and grimly epic. Granted, rarely does one associate thrash metal with the word “epic”, but this is part of what sets D666 apart, their ability to impart filthy, war-torn black-thrash with a sense of forlorn regality.

The dual nature of D666’s sound is a mirror image of the dual nature of conflict, seen by some as honorable and glorious, by others as dirty, horrific and bloody.  The music found on Defiance is all of these things.  While other bands may unconvincingly try to stake a claim to the “war metal” tag, Destroyer 666 IS war metal personified. With the exception of Bolt Thrower, no other band out there so ably distills the emotions and feelings of battle into such an effective musical attack. At a time when the entire planet feels like it could erupt into mass-scale bloodshed at a moment’s notice, D666 remind us that eternal glory comes with an extremely heavy price.

In a year that has already seen many great veteran metal bands return from the interminable void to release some of their finest works to date (ie YOB, Absu, Seance, etc) Destroyer 666 have returned to the lead the charge with one of 2009’s deadliest salvos of unmitigated savagery.  Fans of the band’s prior works will undoubtedly revel in the magnificent display of filth ‘n’ fury, while newcomers will find out why D666’s are considered to be among black-thrash’s finest.