Destructor rose leather-clad from the mean streets of 1980s Cleveland to preach the thrash gospel. Taking on noms-de-metal like Dave Overkill and Paul Warhead they brought forth riffs and angst and apparently a hatred of Michael Jackson. Cleveland was made for metal not Michael Jackson! they shout from the stage prior to the song “Iron Curtain”. Cleveland Was MADE For Metal!!! is a six-song live album, so we’re treated to similar diatribes between each track. But that was metal in the 80s, baby. A lot to be angry about.
This show was recorded live at The Pop Shop in Cleveland on October 20, 1984, and per the red flyer that serves as the cover image the venue burned down the next day. This seemed apocryphal, but Google was up to the task and the Hüsker Dü website references the Pop Shop as being in the basement of The Agora, a building that indeed was damaged by a fire in October 1984, though it notes that The Pop Shop itself in fact closed in September so… who knows. And who cares. Because this recording is surprisingly good for a mid-1980s metal club show. The mix borders on excellent and the vocals are clear, the guitars shred, and the low end has some depth to it. It is, of course, raw because it’s small-club thrash. The thing that sticks out most is the guitar work, particularly the solos. Destructor has some legit solid songs – I think all are originals and there isn’t a clunker in the bunch. It’s good enough that I’m going to need to dig a little further into their catalog.
There are a few different versions of Cleveland Was MADE For Metal!!! The first, which I have, came out in 2012 in a limited edition of 100. A second pressing was released the following year in an edition of 200 with a different cover in either red or blue vinyl. You’ll have to track it down on the secondary market, though, as the label doesn’t appear to have a website nor is it available via the band’s Bandcamp page HERE (and yes, Destructor looks to be still active!).