When you first hear this album, or in fact anything by Greek thrash-metal band EXARSIS, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was recorded in a home studio in the 1980s. "Under Destruction" sounds very much like the original thrash bands in many ways, not just because of the musical style, but also with the quality of recording. It takes a while to get used to because of this, but once you get accustomed to this specific sound, you can really start to appreciate certain aspects.

The musicianship presented here, is pretty good, with typical thrash styled drumming and bass at constant high speeds and intensity. The guitars are frustrating at times, as you can hear the skill of Antonis L, and Kostis F, especially when they rip in to their epic solos which are pretty consistent. However because of the rustic recording/production quality, the fast paced rhythm guitar playing that makes up the majority of each song can often sound rather muffled and distant. The vocals of Nick J, aren't exactly pretty, as he belts out his lines with intensity which actually really does suit the style of music. Thrash vocals are rarely pretty so this is really no surprise, and in no way a bad thing for the band to have.

There are a few stand out songs here such as "Killing Command", which starts off with spoken words before lasting in to an intense thrash anthem. This is one of the best examples of guitar playing on the album in that it has a fairly catchy riff that manages to sound clearer than most of the other songs. The solo is short and messy in a great way that really helps with the dirty feel of the song. The closing track of the original album release is "Annihilation". It's a fully instrumental piece which sends what would have been the end of the album out with a blast. It's the absolute best performance of the entire band here, aside from Nick J as he doesn't appear, and really shows off the skill and song-writing.

The bonus tracks are nothing special, consisting of three old vault demo tracks, and one live track. The best of these four bonus tracks is the live rendition of "Dying Earth", as it gives us a chance to see that they do in fact sound just as intense as they do in the studio however with the recording quality being somehow a little better.

"Under Destruction (Reissue)" could have been a great album if it was recorded in a different way, and if there weren't as many filler type tracks. When EXARSIS are good, they're great, however it's just a shame that we don't get  to see more of this here. If you're a big fan of old-school thrash, give this a go, but you'll probably soon find yourself skipping to the specific tracks that you enjoy as the rest just aren't that great.

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