Review by Rexorcist for Deströyer 666 - Phoenix Rising (2000)

Having fully differentiated themselves from blackened thrash acts of the past while improving on the strengths of their own debut as well as the strengths of the albums that influenced them, Destroyer 666 continued to prove themselves with another album that took the metal world by an apocalyptic storm.  The improved blackened production adds yet another layer of depth to an already pretty deep band.  You can hardly find any black or thrash metal that sounds this harsh.  I Am the War God will tell you everything you need to know about how far their blackened production has gone.  The first half might really impress you, and the second half is even better.  The extra ferocity in the production and riffs goes hand in hand with the more creative solos.

But I do have this to say.  In their efforts to cement themselves as great artists, there were a couple things they forgot.  For example: The Last Revelation is only 2.5 minutes long when it could've had so much more potential on its own, what with how easy these guys make complex and weird guitar solos look.  Just look at the title track.  That one needs a few people to lasso it in.  I guess they really wanted to make sure the title track specifically stood out, and they did.  As well, the diversity factor was a little bit weakened to make room for the new sound.  Otherwise, this album is five kinds of insane.

90