Richard HolmesAsschapel – Total Destruction 1996-2006 (Southern Lord)
Genre: Thrash/Hardcore
Dallas Thomas may now be associated with the widescreen post-metal of Pelican, but as a member of Asschapel, the guitarist spent a decade pumping out blazing, thrashed up riffs – all of which make an appearance in this compilation.
Thirty two slices of rancid, raw metal and hardcore is what you’ll find under the lid of Total Destruction (the band’s entire recorded output) – as such, this is a treat for fans of the Tennessee mob. And for newcomers, there are plenty of diamonds lurking in the rough, such as the feral punk of The Sledgehammer Assault and the crusty DM of After the Sacrifice. Count Down, meanwhile, is the bastard spawn of Discharge and Unsane – a punishing proposition if ever there was one – and Carcass Bloody Carcass is as much fun as is it sounds, akin to a barbed meathook gouging into your earhole.
The songwriting wanes here and there, as you might expect over 32 tracks, and the likes of Pure Hate edge too close to grind-dirge. However, there’s enough quality on Total Destruction to make it a worthwhile investment for all extreme metalheads, rather than just completists.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 7.5/10 Pile-driving