SCHMIER Says DESTRUCTION Has Received Financial Assistance From German Government During COVID-19 Crisis

In a new interview with the "Scars And Guitars" podcast, DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier was asked how he and his bandmates have been dealing with the fact that they won't be able to tour for at least several more months as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. He responded (hear audio below): "We've been really scared to death when all of the shows got canceled, because we basically make our money with live shows. Nowadays, when physical sales are down and people are streaming, there's not enough money coming in from an album, so we have to play live. Luckily, the German government [has been offering] some help with small businesses. As DESTRUCTION is a company, we got emergency help. [The process has been] quick and less beauracratical than normal in Germany, because it's a very beauracratic country here — everything takes time, and a lot of applications that you have to fill out. But this was actually quite fast, like they promised everybody, and I think that really helps us at this moment now to survive."

He continued: "Now that everything's loosening up, it looks like there's gonna be concerts happening this year. We have canceled everything till November. So November-December hopefully is gonna happen. Before this, I don't know. So we don't know yet how we're gonna get through this, because nobody has big savings here; we're a rock and roll band — we spend our money, and we don't earn that much. But so far, I'm not looking into a total crash, but, of course, it's a little threatening at the moment. But I'm trying to stay positive. We're a band, and we have also, luckily, other incomes that come in here and there — merchandise and streaming [statements] are coming in every couple of months. So this whole thing will keep us alive until we can play again. It won't be easy, but I'm actually happy to say that my government helped us at this point, and therefore Germany has done a lot of good [for smaller businesses]. They're trying to help the people — as good as they can, of course. I mean, you're paying also a lot of taxes here, so finally it's time for the government to pay it back. It's how the system should work."

Last Friday (May 8),DESTRUCTION delivered a treat for fans stuck at home and unable to attend live shows: "Born To Thrash - Live In Germany", the band's first live album with the current lineup, is out now digitally on all streaming and download platforms.

DESTRUCTION's latest album, "Born To Perish", was released in August 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded in January and February 2019 with V.O. Pulver (PRO-PAIN, BURNING WITCHES, NERVOSA) at Little Creek Studios in Switzerland and is the first DESTRUCTION album to feature Randy Black on drums and second guitarist Damir Eskic.

Damir is a Swiss guitar player of Bosnian decent who works as a guitar teacher, himself being a former pupil of Tommy Vetterli (CORONER). He also plays in a heavy metal band called GOMORRA and previously contributed three solos to DESTRUCTION's 2016 album "Under Attack".