German thrashers DESTRUCTION have launched a PledgeMusic pre-order campaign in support of their upcoming album, "Thrash Anthems II". A leader in direct-to-fan platforms, PledgeMusic allows artists to get more personal with their fans, offering pledgers updates straight from the band and items not available anywhere else. The follow-up to 2007's "Thrash Anthems", the new album will re-animate another batch of classics, including "United By Hatred", "Confused Mind" and "The Ritual". For "Thrash Anthems II", DESTRUCTION is calling on their loyal fans through PledgeMusic to help them create the record and contribute to the band's epic history. Pledgers who pre-order the album will receive an AccessPass which will give them early access to a digital download of the full album before anyone else; plus exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and sneak peeks into the recording process available only through PledgeMusic. Fans will also be able to pledge on special merchandise and one-of-a-kind experiences. These include: a signed set list; handwritten lyric sheet; a signed pressing of the original vinyl; dinner with the band; the opportunity to attend a live rehearsal or stop by the studio for a day; an original stage backdrop; a signed Ibanez Destroyer Bass from 1985; and many more. Fans can pre-order the effort in digital and CD form now on DESTRUCTION's campaign page. Asked what the metal scene was like in Germany when DESTRUCTION's "Infernal Overkill" album was released in 1985, the band's frontman, Schmier, told Wall Of Sound in a 2016 interview: "It was the wakeup call in Germany in 1985. We had the first big metal magazine, Metal Hammer, established around this year and from here labels really started to promote metal bands and music. We were in Berlin recording this album and we were in the magazine as an award for best newcomers and instrumentalists and I remember this totally. It was some recognition of metal in Germany and this helped to establish the scene, in bringing the bands together. We are in the Black Forest area in Germany and we were the first metal band in that area and this was a type of change at this time, very special. I love thinking back on this time as an era in metal was born at this point in Europe." In a separate interview with Distorted Sound, Schmier was asked for his opinion of the current thrash scene. He said: "It was difficult for a while for thrash bands. You come back in '99, and there was few thrash bands left, and in the last few years, there have been younger thrash bands and it's great to see that. Of course, the old bands are the role models, [and] they have to deliver. It's important that DESTRUCTION, KREATOR, SLAYER are still producing good albums, and I think in the last years, especially [in 2016], there have been a lot of great thrash albums coming out. I think it's important, because thrash is never something that takes your fucking money — it's an underground kind of music — so it is kind of difficult to keep alive, but I'm really grateful that the genre of music is now stronger than ever. Of course, there will be young bands in the future, hopefully, taking our direction and spreading the word and spreading music, hopefully, to future generations. I think that they have a good chance, and I think it's important for the old bands like DESTRUCTION are at the end producing good albums again, so that the young bands can follow."
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