The ’20s have been shaping up to be a GREAT decade for Godzilla fans, if not the best in recent memory. On the cinematic side of the spectrum, we’ve been treated to the masterful Godzilla Minus One (2023), as well as the over the top Monsterverse showdowns of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). Said ‘Zillamania has extended far beyond the reaches of the silver screen, penetrating the surface of pop culture and even finding itself as lyrical fodder for one of the premiere death/thrash acts of the past decade, Oxygen Destroyer.
Named after the weapon used to initially kill Godzilla 60 years ago, Oxygen Destroyer has been laying equal waste to the necks and eardrums of maniacs around the glove for 10 years running. Their first two albums *deep breath* Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death (2018) and Sinister Monstrosities Spawned by the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind (2020) were non-stop displays of death/thrash brutality, each blistering riff and explosive drumbeat hitting the listener the way Godzilla himself would strike down a powerline. It also helped that the way in which the songs were arranged and performed were reminiscent of death/thrash circa ’89, so think Kreator, Sepultura, Num Skull, etc.
Oxygen Destroyer’s latest album, Guardian of the Universe, utilizes this short and anything but sweet approach a third time around, and ultimately succeeds in its goal of a threepeat. One would think this formula would be played out right now, however, Oxygen Destroyer manages to utilize it in a way that keeps the attention of headbangers without overstaying their welcome. Just like its two predecessors, Guardian sandwiches 9 songs into a little over 33 minutes, which is exactly how much time these Kaiju-crazed metallists need to unleash their sonic attack.
No-nonsense breakneck death-thrashers like “Guardian of the Universe (The Final Hope)”, “Thy Name is Legion”, and “Exterminating the Ravenous Horde of Perpetual Darkness and Annihilation” sound cherry picked out of Kreator’s golden era, while simultaneously sounding more thrilling than anything the aforementioned Germans have released since ’90. The speedometer is really pushed to overload on this release, with drummer Chris Craven working overtime, especially on cuts like “Drawing Power from the Empathetic Priestess” and “Shadow of Evil” that border on deathgrind. Nevertheless, as fast as they can get, Oxygen Destroyer are far more than one trick speed-freaks, filling out their hymns of mass devastation with mosh-friendly outbursts (“Awakening the Malevolent Destroyer of Heavens and Earth”) and an unforgiving aura of death (“Burning the Iris of the Sempiternal Tenebrosity”).
With full length #3 officially under their belt, Oxygen Destroyer have established themselves as the kings of the extreme metal monsters. Their impact can be felt in their native US of A, but also territories as far as Japan. Between the two bodies of land lies Germany, where Kreator can’t help but take note as well. Hopefully it serves as incentive to return to their bestial roots sometime in the next decade. Until then, we’ll gladly thrash around to the barbaric stylings of Oxygen Destroyer. You can’t stop the Kaiju!
8 out of 10
Label: Redefining Darkness Records
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Kreator, Oath of Cruelty, Desolus