A collective habit of 1980s Thrash bands was unleashing fantastic debuts and Destruction are no exception. 'Sentence Of Death' is 20 minutes of bullet-belt wearing, gauntlet baring, tight-panted, raw-yet-distinct thrashtastic bliss and is easily one of my most played EPs of all time. After a short instrumental intro, 'Total Disaster' beings its rapid rampage, firing on all three cylinders with frantic riffs care of Mike Sifringer, galloping drums courtesy of Tommy Sandmann and of course, bass and raw, tonal and somehow infectious vocals of Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer. The track goes from great to orgasm-inducing around halfway mark, really finding its feet thanks to a nigh-unbelievable solo (one of my personal favourites from the 80s) and highly memorable guitar milking that ensues. Mike Sifringer. God. 'Black Mass' follows, upholding the lyrical theme through both title and content, while doing the same for the quality level of music - featuring excellent musicianship, plenty of variety, inventiveness and a consistently changing pace which ensures the song is hard not to get caught up in. The synonymous fan favourite (and to-be-released on its own EP in 1987) track 'Mad Butcher' (which also spawned Destruction's longterm mascot) is next, and provides another dose of utterly memorably Thrash goodness. Hot riffs, great solos, entertaining lyrics, thoughtful song structure. What more could you want?

Well, one or two more fantastic tracks would be nice..and are delivered in the form of 'Satan's Vengeance' and 'Devil's Soldiers'. The former featuring more of the EP's most standoutish riffery about 2:45 in. Fairly simple but oh-so-effective. 'Devil's Soldiers' closes the EP on a heavier, grittier note, bringing to a close a momentous and propelling debut.

I'll admit to being a huge Destruction fan (an in fact owning 'Sentence of Death' on 12" vinyl and also on 12" picture disc), but fanboyism aside 'Sentence Of Death' is still a fucking fantastic little piece of history. For a 1984 debut, the production is great, the songwriting and executing is remarkable and I cannot recommend highly enough for Thrash fans.