Birth of Malice

The follow-up to Diabolical was made by the same four musicians: Schmier on bass and vocals, Martin Furia and Damir Eskić on guitars and Randy Black on drums. Its closing track, a version of Accept's "Fast As A Shark", appeared first, in July 2024, with a visualizer video, and was also pressed on the two-track 12-inch of a very limited fan edition called No Kings - No Masters. The album itself was announced on 12 November 2024, followed by a video for its second track, "Destruction", filmed in São Paulo, a city where the band first played in 1989 and to which, Schmier says, it has returned countless times since. According to Napalm Records' notes, the album was recorded by V.O. Pulver at Little Creek Studio in Switzerland and mixed and mastered by Furia. The booklet adds that the drums, additional percussion and production were done by Black and Furia at The Black Mancave in Hannover, and it lists Furia, Schmier and Pulver as producers; Jenny Gruber sings additional vocals on "Evil Never Sleeps". In the lyrics Schmier looks at human failings, from selfishness in "Greed" and "Evil Never Sleeps" to the unnoticed influence of technology and new kinds of war in "Cyber Warfare". "A.N.G.S.T.", track seven, is by Schmier's account the band's first song with a German title. Gyula Havancsák made the cover. The Japanese edition came out first, on 5 March 2025, from Marquee Incorporated's Avalon label as MICP-11941; Napalm Records' European release followed two days later, on 7 March. Both hold the same twelve tracks, so the Japanese CD has no bonus track. The album spent one week on the German albums chart at 10, the highest position any Destruction album has reached there in the official chart's records. Official videos were made for four of its songs, "Destruction", "No Kings - No Masters", "Scumbag Human Race" and "A.N.G.S.T.", all released by Napalm Records.