| Destroy Destroy Destroy | |
| Origin: | Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 2003–present (on hiatus) |
| Label: | Black Market Activities |
| Current Members: | Jeremiah Scott Way Barrier Adam Phillips Brian Shorter Andrew Core Chris Bazor |
| Past Members: | Alex Gillette Eric W. Brown David Shaw Andrew Hall Jessica Lambert Keith Williams Courtney Edwards Bryan Kemp |
Destroy Destroy Destroy is an American melodic death metal band formed in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in February 2003. With a lineup of rhythm guitarist Jeremiah Scott, vocalist Bryan Kemp, and drummer Andrew Hall, they began writing songs; soon thereafter Destroy Destroy Destroy completed their outfit with lead guitarist Way Barrier, bassist Adam Phillips and keyboardist Brian Shorter. The group then started playing shows locally and recorded a self-financed EP entitled Kill or Be Killed.[1] They have released two studio albums, Devour the Power (2006) and Battle Sluts (2009), both through Black Market Activities. Destroy Destroy Destroy played their first show in a pizzeria as opening band for Mastodon.
Destroy Destroy Destroy's musical style was described by critics with a variety of music genres, such as melodic death metal, power metal, symphonic black metal, thrash metal, and viking metal. Chad Bowar of About.com defined Destroy Destroy Destroy as a "versatile band, which incorporates many genres into their sound"[2] and said that "their songs are sometimes orchestral and majestic with lots of keyboards, and other times harsh and intense with blast beats and breakdowns."[3] Bowar noted Destroy Destroy Destroy's musical traits, stating, "The Viking influence comes with spoken word interludes and lyrics talking about battles, mythical beasts and lost worlds. Destroy Destroy Destroy also has a lot of Bay Area thrash influences along with European melodic death stylings. Power metal is another genre their music encompasses with frenetic guitar shredding, epic arrangements and atmospheric keyboards."
AllMusic writer Alex Henderson stated that Devour the Power "would have been identified as a power metal-oriented disc with progressive metal influences, some thrash parts and some black metal-style blast beats."[4] Even defining Destroy Destroy Destroy as a symphonic black metal act, Henderson observed, "Battle Sluts, like other symphonic black metal discs, was not recorded with black metal purists in mind; Destroy Destroy Destroy aren't pretending to be Gorgoroth or Marduk, and melody is a high priority throughout this Viking-themed outing."[5]
Although the band is native of Tennessee, their music "employ[s] the techniques and styles of metal made popular in Europe",[6] specifically the Scandinavian countries like Norway, Sweden, and/or Finland—with a "Nordic-sound", blending "melody and aggression". Destroy Destroy Destroy has been compared to bands like Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, Manowar, Judas Priest, and Dream Theater, and has cited Metallica and Pantera as influences.[7] [8]
The band themselves stated that their sound contains "elements from the early thrash metal and glam metal bands of the 1980s and 1990s, to the current sounds of Scandinavian melodic death metal and viking metal bands of today."[9]