Destruction is one of the most important thrash metal band worldwide. They are considered one of the "three kings" of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator and Sodom. All three of these bands are often credited with helping pioneer death metal, by containing several elements of what was to become the genre.
Destruction was formed as "Knight of Demon" in 1982. The original line-up featured vocalist and bassist Marcel 'Schmier' Schirmer, drummer Tommy Sandmann, and guitarist Mike Sifinger. They soon changed their name to "Destruction" and released a demo titled Bestial Invasion of Hell in 1984. After this the group signed with Steamhammer Records and released an EP titled Sentence Of Death later that year. Destruction released their first full-length album titled Infernal Overkill in 1985, followed by Eternal Devastation in 1986. The trio then added a second guitarist, Harry Wilkens, and released the EP Mad Butcher in 1987, followed by the full length album Release from Agony in 1988, then a live recording Live Without Sense in 1989, and Cracked Brain in 1990. In 1989, Schmier was asked to leave the band due to creative differences, and the group underwent a period of commercial deterioration. During the grunge explosion of the early to mid 1990s, the band lost their record label support and had to self-produce and self-release their own albums. In 1999, Schmier rejoined, and things began to look up for the band as they signed a record deal with Nuclear Blast. They then released three more very good albums.