Destroy by Design

haven’t done a CD review for the Smoke Shack in quite a while. There are a few reasons for this. I’m now helping to run the site as a whole, recruiting new writers, working on booking shows for NashvilleRock.net and just plain don’t have much time to write anymore. Once I received the new disc by Destroy by Design and popped it in, I realized that there was no way I was handing this one off to another writer to review and it’s been in my CD player ever since. Apologies go out to the band for the lateness of this review but, fellas; I haven’t been able to stop listening to it long enough to put together the review…..until now. For those that may not now, Destroy by Design has been around for a while. In the past they have been known as one of the best groups in town, featuring a strong mix of rap and metal. Times are changing and Destroy by Design has decided to take a bit of a detour and beef up their sound. In my opinion, this was a smart move. Now, on to the review!





The album starts off with the hammer-heavy riffing of ‘Narcissistic’; a song that absolutely makes no bones about the new-found heaviness of Destroy by Design. After a brief mono-sounding guitar riff, the whole band comes in like a cannon and Joshua Hicks’ vocals are harder than ever. The first impressions I got were “Damn, this is heavier than I’ve ever heard them”, “BJ Hudgin’s riffing has shot through the roof” and “This is some of the best production that I’ve heard on an independent release”. Kyle Mann should be in high demand as a producer after people hear this album. If you are a metal group in Nashville looking for a “knob-twister” that can deliver the goods, you’d be crazy to not consider Mann the man for the job. Everything about ‘Narcissistic’ is letter perfect; from the production to the vocals to the never-a-dull-moment shifts in tempo and sound. Midway through the song things go calmer with a spoken word section that is embedded with tribal-style patterns by drummer Jason Jacobs and subdued guitars by Hudgins. The easy sound adds a fresh dimension to the song since it gives the listener a chance to catch their breath before getting kicked in the teeth when the song cycles back to the hard up-tempo main riff at the ending.





The momentum set on track one continues on ‘Made’ a song that opens with a grit-your-teeth sort of slow grinding guitar part before kicking into a distorted melodic riff that is accompanied by a double bass drum part during the chorus. When the chorus kicks in I’m reminded of Trivium. Not sure why, but it just sounds to me like something they would record. ‘Made’ includes a number of very bold lyrics from Hicks such as “We hate what is beautiful. So burn it down and watch it turn to steel”. Toward the end of the song bassist, Jamie Danish goes solo with a fast bass riff that ignites a downward-spiral type shred part that will have you head banging in no time. The only problem is that it only lasts for a few seconds before the song quickly grinds to a halt. I was disappointed with the ending and wanted to keep head banging. Maybe they will extend that part out during their live set.






Track three brings on ‘Unseen’; a contemplative picture of desperation, frustration, and anguish and the final realization that it’s time to move on as evidenced by the pre-chorus lyric of “It’s time to realize that we don’t give a fuck about you anymore”. This song displays more of the style that I’m used to with Destroy by Design; a half and half mix of metal and rap-metal. Although the rap-metal genre seems to be breathing its final breath, this song still comes off as original due to its thought provoking lyrics and haunting guitar section during the verses. ‘Unseen’ even has a guitar solo. Yes, that’s right; guitar solos still happen from time to time and this one by Hudgins is executed well and rounds out the song nicely.





‘Wasted’ is a decent enough song that sports a clear verse riff, heavy chorus including more double bass drumming, and lyrics reflecting heartbreak such as “How can I sleep when I’m drowning in misery?” but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. It seems like it’s missing a riff that could tie it all together.





The title of track five, ‘Explicit’, certainly earns its name. This song was originally on the Nashville Rock Vol. 1 compilation CD and was debuted at The Monsters of Mosh show at The End. It’s a fun song that features a jazzy intro and verse section complete with walking bass line by Danish and snappy cymbal work from Jacobs before heading into a thumb-their-nose-at-society chorus replete with in-your-face lyrics such as “Fuck you. I do what I do. If your friends don’t like it you can fuck them too”. If I had to squeeze this song into a specific genre, I’d have to create a new one. Anyone else into big band, jazz, fusion, rap-metal?







‘Authority’ is a song that really reflects the new direction of Destroy by Design. This track has more metal-oriented vocals from Hicks, some crisp palm-muted chords throughout the chorus and modern riffing through the bridge that has a nice touch of melody. The muddy guitar tone on the verses left a bit to be desired and I would have liked to have heard a solo but the rest of the song more than makes up for it.





Track seven ‘No Good’ is a song that I’ve been familiar with for quite a while. It’s one of the older Destroy by Design tracks. While it definitely benefits from the improved production of Kyle Mann, it still sounds a bit jumbled and rushed on the album. ‘No Good’ is definitely a crowd pleaser live but overall I’m more impressed by the newer material brought forth on this disc.





This brings us to ‘State of Addiction’; a song that includes good tone and sound on all the instruments, a nice pre-chorus buildup during the second verse, and a nod to the old school from Hudgins with the guitar riffs and solo breaks throughout the song. While not a standout track, ‘State of Addiction’ fits in well with the rest of the songs on the album.




While ‘Just’ has some good points such as the forceful chorus of “What I do, I do just to fuck you”, it left me bored overall with the dirge-like guitar sound and plodding riffs. It does pick up steam at the end but didn’t do much for me overall.





Destroy by Design close the album with ‘Lights’; a song that has an atmospheric vibe. I really enjoyed the big, punchy chords on the chorus. Near the end of the song, the band go full throttle in a unified sound that comes off very well. The double bass drumming underneath the sweeping guitar chords provides a depth that you don’t typically hear out of most metal groups. The vocals are bit strained but that actually seems to help the presentation of the song. A good tune to end the record.



While no CD is ever perfect (in my opinion), Destroy by Design have managed to put out an extremely solid disc with many memorable songs. I wouldn’t be surprised if this album launched them into a stratosphere beyond the Nashville scene. Stay tuned for an upcoming show review featuring Destroy by Design.



If you haven’t picked up this CD yet, I’d highly recommend it.



For more information on Destroy by Design visit:

www.destroybydesign.com

www.myspace.com/destroybydesign



4 out of 5 bananas!



That’ll do it for this time.



Until Next Time, I’m out like Ryan Seacrest.



Chris “Uncle Daddy” Czynszak - Nashvillerock.net

Well... This CD I can tell you is a lot different than others. Simply because, I have been covering this band for so long. Destroy by Design were one of the first bands ever covered here on XNRock.com. I have been covering them for a little over two years now, I this CD has been long awaited. Within the last two years I can honestly say that the music and complexity of the band has changed a great amount. They style and music sounds so much more "complete" now. They brought a little heavier feel than in the past in my opinion. Nothing wrong about that though. The catchy lyrics, heavy guitar riffs, will have you singing the tunes long after you stop listening. Good production on this CD also adds a plus. It really brings out the true talent the band really has. Almost Flawless. I enjoy this CD, and I'm sure you would too.

VOCALS: B
MUSIC: A
PRODUCTION: A
CREATIVITY: B
OVERALL: A-
*Songs of Interest: Explicit, State of Addiction, Lights - www.xnrock.com

Up next was Destroy by Design a hard rock group from near Nashville who tied with Sky Hi at the semifinals. These guys work harder than anyone else in the market and their crowd does too. Once again DBD pulled a great crowd and put on an awesomely energetic show. They covered the Deftones and Rage Against the Machine effortlessly which were well suited to their style.

The highlight of the night was when the crowd, who did not even know that there were cops perusing the Bluesboro, requested DBD’s “Police State.” This songs main line is F*ck The Police and the band or the crowd did not hesitate in singing straight to the boys in blue. - http://www.rockstarbandbattle.com/40460_107206.asp