Vinyl

Over the course of its seventeen-year career, Deströyer 666 has managed to release a mere four full-length albums. However, the band has released EPs with somewhat more regularity. Unfortunately, the bulk of these recordings were issued only on vinyl and in limited quantities. As is often the case, these releases quickly became unavailable to anyone not willing to get ass-raped on eBay. In 2010, Deströyer 666 threw fans a bone and released a compilation of the following EPs: 1998’s Satanic Speed Metal, 2000’s King of Kings/Lord of the Wild, 2002’s Of Wolves Women and War and 2010’s See You in Hell, entitled To the Devil His Due… on limited edition vinyl. Thanks for nothing.

Ah, but despair not, gentle reader: As you have probably guessed, I am not reviewing a release from 2010. The Hell's Headbangers label will, in a few weeks from the time of this writing, release To the Devil His Due on glorious, hiss-free, car-stereo-compatible compact disc. Now let’s be honest: If you are a die-hard Deströyer 666 fan like me, one that has no taste for either vinyl or ass-rape, you probably downloaded most of these songs long ago. This release gives you the chance to throw K.K. and the boys a few bucks and enjoy these songs guilt-free and with better sound quality. If, by chance, you have not heard any of these songs before, To the Devil His Due will serve as a sort of long-lost Deströyer 666 album.

The nine songs that make up To the Devil his Due span a great swath of Deströyer 666’s career and as such reflect the changes to and development of the band’s sound during that time. “Satanic Speed Metal” is a simplistic, bare-knuckled anthem in much the same spirit as “Australian and Antichrist” from Unchain the Wolves. The level of sophistication gradually increases through the chronologically ordered disc, culminating with the two tracks that comprised See You in Hell. These final two songs feature the Deströyer 666’s signature melodic maelstrom combined with some uncharacteristically crunchy riffing, resulting in some the band’s finest work in recent years. The production follows a similar path, with the earlier tracks sounding somewhat raw, and the latest featuring a clear powerful sound that easily eclipses the sonic cluster-fuck that was Defiance.

To put it simply: For any Deströyer 666 fan who doesn’t already own this material, To the Devil His Due is a must. For those unfamiliar with the band, this compilation will definitely give you a good idea of what Deströyer 666 is all about.
(metalreview.com)