Destruction (band)

Destruction
Destruction
	Destruction in 2023
Background information
Also known as	Knight of Demon (1982–1984)
Origin	Weil am Rhein, Germany
Genres	Thrash metal; speed metal; black metal (early);
Discography	Destruction discography
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Profile; Steamhammer; Nuclear Blast; AFM; Napalm;
Members	Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer; Randy Black; Damir Eskic; Martin Furia;
Past members	Mike Sifringer; Ulf Kühne; Tommy Sandmann; Harry Wilkens; André Grieder; Oliver Kaiser; Thomas Rosenmerkel; Christian Engler; Michael Piranio; Sven Vormann; Marc Reign; Wawrzyniec Dramowicz;
Website	destruction.de

Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. They have been 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, Destruction was part of the second wave of thrash metal in the mid-to-late 1980s, along with US bands Testament, Sacred Reich, Death Angel and Dark Angel. For most of the 1990s, the band was not signed to a record label and self-produced their albums until they signed a contract with Nuclear Blast in the early 2000s.

The band's early releases are considered by some to be classics within the thrash metal genre.