DESTRUCTION's SCHMIER Says METALLICA 'Did A Lot Of Things Right' To Become Biggest Metal Band In The World

In a recent interview with former THE HOURGLASS guitarist Rudi Messiah, DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist Schmier spoke about METALLICA's evolution from thrash metal pioneers to one of the biggest rock bands in the world with their 1991 self-titled LP, commonly known as the Black Album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think they've always been the first ones doing something. I think when they created their style of thrash metal, they've been one of the first bands and they did it very good. They made the right decisions on producers and stuff. And also when they changed, when the big change came with the Black Album, they chose the right producer for it. And it was a very different album, but it has great songs. So, I think it's a lot of making the right decisions and having the right producer, having the right team around you. But also, you have to write good songs. And they've been writing a lot of great songs. In the last years, not so much, I think. The last years of METALLICA, the last albums, they don't really touch me so much. The last album [2023's '72 Seasons'] is not bad, I have to say… There's this one song that sounds like DIAMOND HEAD, the first single ['Lux Æterna']. It's actually a pretty cool song. But, yeah, I think they're there because they were one of the first bands doing something new. And when they changed, they changed to amazing songwriting and amazing production with Bob Rock at that time. So they did they did a lot of things right, of course, at the right time. And that's how the world works — the right timing is always most important."

Back in 2019, Schmier was asked by Finland's Rauta about why American thrash bands like METALLICA and SLAYER achieved greater success than German acts such as DESTRUCTION and KREATOR. He responded: "You have to understand the Americans are sellers — they know how to sell themselves when it comes to image, when it comes to catchy songs. I mean, look at METALLICA — they started to write catchy songs, and then they became famous… They still fill stadiums. And SLAYER, of course, they had their 'cult' status at one point, and then they were up on this [level] that is kind of untouchable, basically. I think the American bands, if you look at the age, they are all a little older than us. We were the little kids when the American bands were, like, two years older than us, three years older. So, they were all technically also the better players at that time, because we were just 17 and they were already 21. So, I think that is one of the reasons why the American metal was more famous. The big wave came from America; the big labels were from America. The productions were flawless at the time. The first METALLICA albums still sound great. Even the guy was a Danish guy who produced them. They did a lot of things right. And I think that made the American bands, of course, a little bit ahead of the time, ahead of the schedule. And that's why they're so legendary nowadays."

DESTRUCTION, known as one of the "Teutonic Four", alongside KREATOR, SODOM and TANKARD, was reunited with the other three acts at the "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" concert on July 20 at Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

In a January 2023 interview with Felipe Canales of Chile's iRock, Schmier was asked if he and his DESTRUCTION bandmates have ever considered changing their sound in order to reach a wider audience. He responded: "In Germany, we say, 'Don't change your winning recipe. Stick to the guns. Stick to what you can do best.' And for me, what I can do best is playing thrash metal. Every album we do sounds a little bit different, but it always will sound like DESTRUCTION.

"When you get older, it's very easy to slow down," Schmier explained. "A lot of musicians, when they [get] older, they wanna slow down; they wanna play blues; they wanna play more mellow music. For me, that's never been the case. I think the older you [get], the more you go crazy about it. You wanna still show the young kids how it's done. When we go out there to the festivals, we compete… To all those young bands, I could be [their] father, so I have to be the role model. So that's how I see it. Slowing down and changing something is not what we do."

As for whether it's harder for him to play physically challenging music as he gets older, Schmier said: "It's like in football — the old, experienced player, he has the feel for it. The young player runs more and runs faster. The old player has the eye and the brain. And it's the same in music. Of course I have to train harder to go on stage, but my experience of my age is great because I have better voice control. I know more what I want. I know what I don't want and where the band belongs. So this experience of a certain 40 years in the music business is, of course, a great one."

DESTRUCTION's latest studio album, "Diabolical", came out in April 2022 via Napalm Records.

In August 2021, DESTRUCTION officially parted ways with founding guitarist Michael "Mike" Sifringer and replaced him with Martin Furia. The Argentinian-born, Belgian-based Furia is best known for his work as sound engineer and producer for such bands as NERVOSA and EVIL INVADERS.

Sifringer was the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band's career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION's first three albums before exiting the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André's sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the "Cracked Brain" album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.

Photo credit: Jennifer Gruber