DESTRUCTION's SCHMIER on official band documentary: “we had to face a lot of problems, and it's in there”
03-09-2025
Schmier — founder, bassist, and frontman of DESTRUCTION — and Denise Dörner, co-director of the acclaimed new documentary “The Art Of Destruction” about the iconic German thrash metal band, sat down for a discussion at the Beyond The Gates festival in Norway. They explored the film’s making, from exclusive behind-the-scenes tales to the intense legacy of German thrash history.
Regarding what his initial reaction was when the idea of a DESTRUCTION documentary was first proposed, Schmier said: “Nobody ever asked me to do a movie about my band, so I was, like, ‘It’s cool, but how is it gonna be?’ We didn’t know at that time. And I didn’t know we were gonna film for four and a half years. We thought it’s gonna be one tour, a little filming here, a little filming there, and then that’s it… That’s why the movie turned out so cool, because we had to face a lot of problems, and it’s in there.”
Asked if it felt strange for him and his DESTRUCTION bandmates to allow that degree of access to the group as well as to him personally, Schmier said: “I think it just happened, because we got closer (to the filmmakers) over time. In the beginning, you feel uncomfortable when somebody walks behind you with a camera all the time. But over time, we became closer to them as friends and humans, and then they got very close. And I also watched some documentaries at that time to get an idea, how is it gonna be? And I think the best documentaries that I watched was the Liebling documentary (‘Last Days Here’), the Bobby Liebling (PENTAGRAM frontman) one, or Lady Gaga (‘Gaga: Five Foot Two’) or the ANVIL one (Anvil! The Story Of Anvil’) — documentaries that are real, that show the real thing, not just praising the band, just catching the moment and catching the stuff behind the curtain. So when I had the first cut, I was, like, ‘How many scenes do we have to delete here?’ But they convinced me that it’s cool to leave stuff in that also maybe at the moment it feels weird for you as a musician, but it reveals something behind the curtain that’s cool.”
Founded in Weil am Rhein in 1982, the thrash metal band DESTRUCTION is one of the “Big Three” of German thrash metal alongside KREATOR and SODOM. With their uncompromising music and energetic live performances, they have won millions of fans worldwide and released numerous albums that are considered classics of the genre. The documentary “The Art Of Destruction” by Ili Jelusic and Denise Dörner offers a unique insight behind the scenes of this influential band. Schmier and guitarist Mike Sifringer, both in their mid-50s, are transitioning to a new phase in their lives and dream of touring the world together with SODOM and KREATOR. But unexpected events call their plans into question and threaten the existence of the band.
Over a period of five years, the filmmakers accompanied the band and collected exclusive material that stands out from traditional, interview-heavy documentaries. In reportage-like scenes, the viewer dives deep into the world of DESTRUCTION and experiences the highs and lows of life as a heavy metal musician, from gigs in small, sweaty clubs to huge open-air stages. Schmier always remains true to his convictions and leads the band through every challenge.
“The Art Of Destruction” uncompromisingly shows what it means to live a life for heavy metal, providing intimate insights into the passion and fighting spirit of one of thrash metal’s most influential bands.
DESTRUCTION released their 16th studio album, “Birth Of Malice”, on March 7, 2025 via Napalm Records. The official music video for the LP’s third single, “Scumbag Human Race”, can be seen below.
Schmier says: “Single number three, ‘Scumbag Human Race’, is a merciless steamhammer of a track! Its relentless groove and energy are pushing you straight forward into the moshpit! This will be an intense live track and that riff can melt faces! The lyrics are metaphorically speaking: how would this planet call us if it could talk? And what would it tell us? Right …wake the fuck up … SCUMBAG HUMAN RACE!!!!”
Watch the previously released “A.N.G.S.T.” and “Destruction” below.
The cover art for the LP was created by Gyula Havancsák and can be seen below.
By the end of 2024, DESTRUCTION shared the “Birth Of Malice” cover art on social media and included the following message: “NEW ALBUM – NEW SINGLE – NEW VIDEO!!! Today marks the kick-off to our WEEK OF DESTRUCTION! Yes, you saw it coming, our brand-new album ‘Birth Of Malice’ will finally drop in March 2025 via Napalm Records! The vicious cover-art was created by master-artist & friend Gyula Havancsák.
“Tomorrow we will have a sneak-peak trailer of our next single for you and Thursday the new video, that we have filmed in Sao Paulo/Brazil , will be released. Pre-order also starts this Thursday November 14th at 4 PM CET!!!
“‘Birth Of Malice’ sounds like next level DESTRUCTION, it marks a new era of heaviness, virtuosity and feels like an oldschool punch in the gut!
“Stay tuned and be a part of this wild ride!”
“Birth Of Malice” was recorded at Switzerland’s Little Creek Studio by V.O. Pulver. Guitarist Martin Furia mixed and mastered the masterpiece at The Black Mancave in Hannover, Germany.
“Birth Of Malice” track listing:
01. Birth Of Malice
02. Destruction
03. Cyber Warfare
04. No Kings – No Masters
05. Scumbag Human Race
06. God Of Gore
07. A.N.G.S.T.
08. Dealer Of Death
09. Evil Never Sleeps
10. Chains Of Sorrow
11. Greed
12. Fast As A Shark
This past July, DESTRUCTION released a cover version of ACCEPT‘s classic song “Fast As A Shark”, alongside a new visualizer video. The song was featured on the two-track 12-inch vinyl in the very limited fan edition “No Kings – No Masters”.
DESTRUCTION‘s massive career has seen many successes, with the band hitting stages at the world’s biggest festivals around the world like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting and México Metal Fest.
DESTRUCTION, known as one of the “Teutonic Four”, alongside KREATOR, SODOM and TANKARD, were reunited with the other three acts at the “Klash Of The Ruhrpott” concert on July 20 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
In a January 2023 interview with Felipe Canales of Chile’s iRock, DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist Schmier was asked if he and his DESTRUCTION bandmates have ever considered changing their sound in order to reach a wider audience. He responded: “In Germany, we say, ‘Don’t change your winning recipe. Stick to the guns. Stick to what you can do best.’ And for me, what I can do best is playing thrash metal. Every album we do sounds a little bit different, but it always will sound like DESTRUCTION.
“When you get older, it’s very easy to slow down,” Schmier explained. “A lot of musicians, when they get older, they wanna slow down; they wanna play blues; they wanna play more mellow music. For me, that’s never been the case. I think the older you get, the more you go crazy about it. You wanna still show the young kids how it’s done. When we go out there to the festivals, we compete… To all those young bands, I could be their father, so I have to be the role model. So that’s how I see it. Slowing down and changing something is not what we do.”
As for whether it’s harder for him to play physically challenging music as he gets older, Schmier said: “It’s like in football — the old, experienced player, he has the feel for it. The young player runs more and runs faster. The old player has the eye and the brain. And it’s the same in music. Of course I have to train harder to go on stage, but my experience of my age is great because I have better voice control. I know more what I want. I know what I don’t want and where the band belongs. So this experience of a certain 40 years in the music business is, of course, a great one.”
DESTRUCTION‘s latest studio album, “Diabolical”, came out in April 2022 via Napalm Records.
In August 2021, DESTRUCTION officially parted ways with founding guitarist Michael “Mike” Sifringer and replaced him with Martin Furia. The Argentinian-born, Belgian-based Furia is best known for his work as sound engineer and producer for such bands as NERVOSA and EVIL INVADERS.
Sifringer was the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band’s career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION‘s first three albums before exiting the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André‘s sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the “Cracked Brain” album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.
DESTRUCTION 2024 is:
Schmier – Bass, Vocals
Martin Furia – Guitars
Randy Black – Drums
Damir Eskić – Guitars
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