Oxygen Destroyer's Death-Thrash Rises Again, "Slaughtering the Guardian Monsters" (Early Track Stream)
After nearly two years of seeming inactivity, Seattle’s Oxygen Destroyer have resurfaced like a kaiju from beneath the dark waters. Though 2020 was the first year since 2015 without at least a new song or split from the death/thrash maniacs, they’re back this year and are meaner than ever. The band has not been idle during the gap, unleashing a new single today titled “Slaughtering the Guardian Monsters” to coincide with the recent release of “Godzilla vs Kong.”
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Everything about it comes across as a band that’s figured out what was weaker about previous material and crushed it out of existence. The vocals are particularly caustic, the guitars are sharp and murderous, and the flow of the song bites deeper than anything they’ve done before. When I reviewed their debut, Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death, I mentioned a lack of clarity in the production that is long gone; with a snazzy production upgrade and a meaner attitude all around, the new track is mean, lean, cutting, and appropriately morbid.
Guitarist, vocalist, and band leader Jordan has the following to say on the track:
“Slaughtering the Guardian Monsters” depicts a giant sinister monster hellbent on annihilating the human race. He views them as a hopeless species that is only capable of destroying each other and the earth itself. Hundreds of holy guardian monsters have sworn to protect mankind and rise above to defeat him, but their combined efforts fail, and his invasion continues. The song was inspired by the 2001 film Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out-Attack. In this film, Godzilla is a malevolent creature possessed by the souls of people who died during WW2. They’re angry with modern Japan for denying past war crimes and seek to punish them. As he rampages across the country, three ancient guardian monsters, Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah, rise up and challenge the God of Destruction. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out-Attack is one of my favorite Kaiju movies ever and was directed by Shusuke Kaneko, who also directed the Heisei Gamera Trilogy.
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Keep an eye on the seas (plus Redefining Darkness Records and the band’s Bandcamp page): though there’s nothing confirmed yet, rest assured Oxygen Destroyer will return again soon to point out the folly of man and level a few more cities.
