DESTRUCTION Confirmed For Germany's WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival

Veteran German thrashers DESTRUCTION have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2007 in Wacken, Germany. The billing is now shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):

AMORPHIS
BELPHEGOR
BENEDICTUM
BLACK MAJESTY
BLIND GUARDIAN
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CANNIBAL CORPSE
COMMUNIC
DESTRUCTION
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DIMMU BORGIR
DISILLUSION
ENSLAVED
GRAVE DIGGER
HAGGARD
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
IMMORTAL
IN FLAMES
J.B.O.
KAMPFAR
LACUNA COIL
LETZTE INSTANZ
MOONSORROW
MOONSPELL
MUNICIPAL WASTE
NAPALM DEATH
NEAERA
NORTHER
RAGE & LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTER
SACRED REICH
SAMAEL
SAXON
SCHANDMAUL
SONIC SYNDICATE
STORMWARRIOR (feat. GAMMA RAY's Kai Hansen)
STRATOVARIUS
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
THE VISION BLEAK
THERION
TYR
VADER
VOLBEAT

DESTRUCTION recently posted several audio samples from its upcoming album, "Thrash Anthems", a collection of reworked/re-recorded versions of the band's classic tracks. Check them out at this location. Due in Europe on January 22, 2007 via AFM Records (January 23 in North America via Candlelight Records),the CD was recorded at House of Music Studio in Germany) and Little Creek Studio in Switzerland with almost the same team that worked on the group's "Inventor of Evil" CD: DESTRUCTION's live sound engineers Gerd Krenz, Franky Winkelmann and GURD/POLTERGEIST mastermind VO Pulver. The tracks were mixed by one of the best metal producers in Europe — Jacob Hansen, the Danish producer and INVOCATOR singer and guitarist.

"Thrash Anthems" track listing:

01. Deposition (Your Heads Will Roll) *
02. Invincible Force
03. Release from Agony
04. Mad Butcher
05. Sign of Fear
06. Death Trap
07. Life Without Sense
08. Total Desaster
09. Bestial Invasion
10. Reject Emotions
11. Tormentor
12. Unconscious Ruins
13. Curse the Gods
14. Cracked Brain
15. Profanity *
16. Eternal Ban (Bonus Track)

*brand new songs

DESTRUCTION is currently filming a video for "Total Desaster", to be made available for download in early 2007.

Commented DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer: "The intention of this album was to give the old classics — many of them still being a big part of our [setlist] — some fresh energy and the aggressive production of today, without losing the 'old-school' atmosphere. Some of the old recordings have a rather poor sound and we didn't wanna do another 'best of' album with those (old recordings) 'cause it has been done before and won't be exciting at all. But after more than 17 years it was time for another 'best of' album."

"This album will feature 13 classics of the pre-reunion era (1984-1990). Some of those songs we haven't played in ages, and the fans have been demanding them in our live set for a long time too. From the dark/punky/thrashy early days to the later technical periods featuring songs from the albums 'Release from Agony' and 'Cracked Brain' (a song that was never before released with Schmier's vocals!)."

As a special bonus there will be two brand new songs on this 70-minute-plus masterpiece — "Deposition (Your Heads Will Roll)" and "Profanity", which the band wrote after returning from their North American tour earlier in the year. The cover art (front, back) will feature the "Mad Butcher" among images of other classic DESTRUCTION covers. The CD will also feature a guest appearance by former DESTRUCTION guitar player Harry Wilkens and Jacob Hansen (INVOCATOR).