A… Read Full Bio ↴Destructor is an American power/thrash band from Cleveland, Ohio.
Auburn president Bill Peters' first encounter with Destructor was seeing the band perform their very first 'live' show in 1984 at The Pop Shop, a club managed by Chris Andrews and located beneath the historic Cleveland Agora. Already working with bands such as Breaker and Shok Paris at the time, Peters fell in love with the band's untamed energy, great songwriting, wild spirit and charismatic stage presence. The Cleveland metal scene was dominated at the time with 'technically' great sounding bands. Many questioned why Peters would choose to work with a band such as Destructor and how he could possibly record and capture the band's energy in the studio. After all, Destructor were considered to be one of the area's most 'anti-technical' of bands at the time. Despite the rough edges and regardless of the criticisms, Peters had a vision that Destructor could develop into something special and saw something in them most of his industry peers did not. He took a chance and moved forward, signing Destructor to his Auburn label in 1984. The band entered Suma Recording Studios to begin recording their debut album with engineer Paul Hamann at the helm. Destructor's "Maximum Destruction" album, released the following year in 1985 on Auburn Records, is considered by many to be an underground metal classic and quickly silenced the critics. It became Auburn's biggest seller and catapulted the band to international success in the metal underground. The album was licensed to Roadrunner Records in Europe several months after the initial release and later reissued by Listenable Records in 1999. Destructor's crushing 'live' performances in the area, both headlining and opening for national acts such as Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth, became legendary. The band received rave reviews and full features in prestigious metal publications like Metal Forces, Kerrang!, Hit Parader and Metal Hammer. In 1987, Destructor entered Beachwood Studios with engineer Jim DeMain to begin recording their second album "Decibel Casualties". The album, along with Jag Panzer's "Chain Of Command", was going to help launch a joint venture between Auburn and major label Island Records. Unfortunately, both projects never saw the light of day. Several months into the Destructor recording sessions, bass player Dave Iannicca was innocently murdered on January 1, 1988. The incident devastated both the band and Auburn president Bill Peters, who had been a good friend of Dave's over the years. Coping with losing a 'family' member was very difficult for everyone to overcome. Destructor needed time to recover from the tragedy and were in no condition to begin playing music again. Peters struggled with his emotions and his dealings with Island Records, who took more of a business stance on the whole situation. Peters eventually decided to walk away from the entire 3-year label deal. It was a tough decision but the right one he felt to make at the time.
Over the next several years, Destructor struggled to keep things going. They went through several bass players trying to move forward but the chemistry continued to be missing. During these years of uncertainty, the band did manage to go into the studio and finish one song from the "Decibel Casualties" sessions, "Storm Of Steel", for Auburn's 1990 "Heavy Artillery" compilation. The compilation was dedicated to Dave Iannicca. Unfortunately, the revolving door of bass players continued to take its toll, forcing the band into hiatus in the early 90's. Destructor resurfaced in 1999 when Listenable Records reissued the "Maximum Destruction" album. Inspired by the rejuvenated interest from the reissue, Destructor entered the studio in 2000 to begin recording new material. After hearing the final mixes, Listenable expressed no interest in releasing the album and decided to drop the band from the label. Bass player frustrations continued to haunt the band and the album was never released. A song from those sessions, "The Triangle", appeared on the Heavy, oder was!? "Metal Crusade-Vol. IV" compilation.
Finally in 2002, Destructor connected with Boulder bass player Jamie Walters. Although several years younger than the band members, Jamie had been a long time Destructor fan and had seen the band on a number of occasions over the years. Both parties hit it off immediately and Destructor were back on track. Jamie was the missing piece to the puzzle the band had searched for so long and hard. Then in January of 2003, Destructor and Auburn officially reunited. The two parties had been talking for nearly a year and had been unofficially working together since the summer of 2002. Peters challenged the band to write new material and the band delivered with an amazing batch of originals that followed in the same tradition as the "Maximum Destruction" album.
Destructor entered 609 Recording with engineer Don Depew (Breaker) in the Spring of 2003 to record "Sonic Bullet". The EP, released in the Summer, includes 5 new recordings ("Sonic Bullet", "Heavy Artillery", "Silent Enemy", "Blackest Night", "Master Of The Universe"), two tracks from the previously unreleased 2000 sessions ("G-Force", "The Triangle") and two 'live' tracks recorded in 2002 at the Classic Metal Festival ("Pounding Evil") and at the band's opening set for Slayer in Cleveland ("Iron Curtain"). The Summer of 2003 has seen a lot of activity from Destructor on the concert front. They performed at two major festivals, the BW&BK "6-Pack Weekend" in Cleveland (headlined by Candlemass and Trouble) and the Bang Your Head in Balingen, Germany (headlined by Twisted Sister and Dio), and opened the Iron Maiden/Dio/Motörhead Cleveland tour date. The band are currently finishing up writing new material and plan to enter the studio next year to begin recording a new full-length.
Pat Rabid - guitar
Jamie Boulder - bass
Dave Overkill - guitar/vocals
Matt Flammable - drums
Take Command
Destructor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming alive with power
Take command and blast your way
They rob your mind
And steal your soul
Get the hell out!
It's time for us to take command
Chain in hand I want command
I'm sick of your rules!
Time for us to take command
Metal at hand
The power we have
To take command
Keep your freedom tonight
Take command and stand up high
Raise the metal flag! March forth!
Show those muthas you control
Get the hell out!
It's time for us to take command
Kicking down hard!
Chain in hand I want command
I'm sick of your rules!
Time for us to take command
Metal at hand
The power we have
To take command
Take Command!
Take Command!
Take Command!
Take Command!
Metal and leather
-driving our own cause
Pounding and loud
-sweating thrash all night
Making it known
-yeah we're alive tonight
Ripping it out - showing our time
Has come C'mon – Let's Rip
Rise up high
Time to ride
Stand up tall
Never fall
Bound in chain
Side by side
Make a stand
Take command!
Take Command!
Take Command!
Take Command!
Take Command!
Command!
The lyrics to Destructor's song "Take Command" express a rebellious and empowering sentiment. The opening lines "Ripping away from worthlessness, coming alive with power" suggest a desire to break free from a sense of inadequacy and reclaim one's strength. The call to action in the chorus, "Get the hell out! It's time for us to take command, kicking down hard! Chain in hand I want command, I'm sick of your rules! Time for us to take command," is a clear statement of defiance against authority and a declaration of the desire to take control.
The next verse encourages listeners to assert their independence and hold their ground, with lyrics like "Keep your freedom tonight, take command and stand up high," and "Raise the metal flag! March forth! Show those muthas you control." The repetition of "Take Command" throughout the song reinforces the theme of asserting one's power and seizing control.
The final verse reinforces the sense of community and solidarity among those who share this rebellious mindset, with lyrics like "Metal and leather - driving our own cause, pounding and loud - sweating thrash all night, making it known - yeah we're alive tonight." The song culminates in a call to action to "Rise up high, time to ride, stand up tall, never fall, bound in chain, side by side, make a stand, take command!"
Line by Line Meaning
Ripping away from worthlessness
Breaking free of feeling useless or powerless
Coming alive with power
Feeling energized and empowered
Take command and blast your way
Seizing control and charging ahead fearlessly
They rob your mind
Others try to manipulate and control your thoughts
And steal your soul
Others try to take away your individuality and autonomy
Get the hell out!
Urging others to leave or escape a negative situation
It's time for us to take command
Asserting the need for self-determination and control
Kicking down hard!
Acting with force and determination to take charge
Chain in hand I want command
Using a physical symbol of power to demand control
I'm sick of your rules!
Rebelling against authority and restrictions
Metal at hand
Embracing a powerful symbol of self-expression and resistance
The power we have
Recognizing the strength of community and camaraderie
To take command
Seize control of one's own life and destiny
Keep your freedom tonight
Holding onto personal liberty and autonomy
Raise the metal flag! March forth!
Symbolically claiming a place in society and moving forward unapologetically
Show those muthas you control
Asserting one's ability to govern themselves and their surroundings
Metal and leather - driving our own cause
Emphasizing a powerful form of self-expression and mobilizing towards self-determination
Pounding and loud - sweating thrash all night
Celebrating the intensity and passion of the metal genre
Making it known - yeah we're alive tonight
Affirming one's existence and vitality through music and self-expression
Ripping it out - showing our time has come
Taking action to assert oneself and claim a role in society
C'mon – Let's Rip
Encouraging others to embrace energy and passion in the moment
Rise up high
Lifting oneself and others up to claim a place in society
Time to ride
Heading out boldly to assert oneself and live life on one's own terms
Stand up tall
Asserting oneself confidently and unapologetically
Never fall
Refusing to be defeated or give up control
Bound in chain
Taking a symbol of restriction and turning it into a tool for power
Side by side
Standing with others who share a vision of self-determination and freedom
Make a stand
Taking action to assert control and break free from oppression
Take Command!
Claiming authority and control over one's life and environment
Contributed by Sebastian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MetalHammerUSA
This band kicks ass, even to this day. I can list to this tune a thousand times and never get sick of them. \m/ Thanks for uploading this. All hails Lat3xCult. \m/
Matt Schindelar
Thanks brother for the support, I know this is way overdue but just saw it now! LOL I'm so slow hahahahaha!
LatexCult
Exactly, bro! "Way ahead of their time" \m/
Alan Nova-Toloza
This record was part of my life in the early days. Fuckin'awesome.
MetalHammerUSA
This band does MY hometown of Cleveland proud.... THRASH TILL DEATH MOTHERFUCKERS. \m/ ALL HAILS TO DESTRUCTOR and Lat3xCult FOR THIS SONG AND IT'S UPLOAD. \m/