Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. They are often credited as one of the "Big Four" of the German thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator, Sodom and Tankard. In addition to helping pioneer black metal by containing several elements of what was to become the genre, Destruction was part of the second wave of thrash metal in the mid-to-late 1980s, along with American bands like Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel and Dark Angel. For most of the 1990s, the band was not signed to a record label and was forced to self-produce their albums until they signed a contract with Nuclear Blast in the early 2000s. History The band was formed in Weil am Rhein as Knight of Demon in 1982, inspired by Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Motörhead and Venom. The line-up featured Ulf Kühne on vocals, Mike Sifringer on guitar, Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer on bass and Tommy Sandmann on drums. Kühne was kicked out of the band due to conflict with Sifringer over a girl. Schmier took over vocal duties. They were then known as Destruction and released a demo titled Bestial Invasion of Hell on 10 August 1984. After this, the group signed with Steamhammer Records and released an EP titled Sentence of Death on 10 November. The first full-length album Infernal Overkill was released in 1985, followed a year later by Eternal Devastation (1986). The trio was joined by a second guitarist, Harry Wilkens, and drummer Tommy Sandmann was replaced by Oliver Kaiser. Together they recorded the EP Mad Butcher, the third studio album Release from Agony, both released in 1987, and the first live album Live Without Sense (1989). During this time, Destruction had enjoyed considerable popularity worldwide, touring relentlessly in Europe and North America, and sharing the stage with Venom, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Motörhead, King Diamond, Voivod, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, Death Angel, Possessed, Sacred Reich, The Cro-Mags, Tankard, Flotsam and Jetsam, Artillery, Rage, Coroner, Assassin, Candlemass, Prong, Accu§er, Iron Angel, Wolfsbane and Girlschool. In 1989, during the initial recording sessions of the fourth studio album Cracked Brain, Schmier was fired from the band and was replaced by Poltergeist frontman André Grieder, the only album with him. The album was released in 1990. Guitarist Mike Sifringer remained and continued to release material under the moniker of "Neo-Destruction", featuring vocalist Thomas Rosenmerkel, second guitarist Michael Piranio, bassist Christian Engler and