Sodom
Sodom

The Sodom were (and still are) a living monument to "rot" in music and to social protest as a banner. Among the most influential bands in the Thrash/Death scene since the beginnings of these genres, together with Kreator, Possessed, and the like, they have reinvented, in their way, a genre like Thrash, which Tom Angelripper has always considered too "bourgeois," and so, what to do? Naturally, they brutalized it, violated it, and stripped it to the bone, both in sound and content, to ultimately create "explosive" songs—quite literally—that do not concede any kind of melody, except through gritted teeth.

However, those familiar with European Thrash know very well that Sodom has played a leading role, only that, unlike for example Kreator, they did not intend to "contaminate" their sound but let it "putrefy" well, without changing it, to then give it a facelift, but just because we're in 2006 and you can no longer dare to even think that a record company like SPV (which has top-tier bands under contract) could publish a remake of "Tapping the Vein." It is thus understandable why they do not have staggering bank accounts and are not worshipped by the masses, like some of their illustrious colleagues. But, still, apart from changing times and evolving events, Sodom remains 100% Sodom, offering us with this self-titled album a good punch of spit-out and "depraved" Thrash, in true German band style. This work lacks nothing to be appreciated by Sodom's fan base: "chainsaw" guitars (perhaps Entombed might know something about influences), supercharged bass but simple in its loops, powerful sound but veiled by a production that is good yet haphazardly put together (and I'd say, with calculated choice...), and Tom Angelripper's screamed and frenzied voice (this time, in a parallel question: does Tom Araya have anything to do with it?) which, as always, spits fiery anathemas in a fierce polemic against war and capitalist society.

Thus, under this light, songs are born like "Buried in a Justice Ground," "City of Gods," "Bible and Guns," "Axis of Evil," and, I've saved it for last, "Lords of Depravity," the track that most recaptures and represents well what Sodom in the new millennium are. Speed, minimal embellishments, chords reduced to the minimum but of sure impact, a shouted and utterly pissed-off voice screaming to the world how much it sucks and how unbearable it can be. Example: in "Buried in a Justice Ground," Tom sings in the chorus: "Invasion / of Freedom / Extinguished optimism / The anger / The hunger / Morphine to hold the fire." Get it? In short, perhaps in some ways this is a nostalgic album, nothing else comes to mind to say, but it's certainly appreciated for the honesty and coherence with which it was composed, without totally giving in (even if the attitude is there, and it's evident) to commercial record marketing. Certainly, those who have followed Sodom for a while already have this CD, and maybe, it will even bring back memories of when Heavy Metal was also studs, malice, and spitting in the face of reality.

P.S.: The cover, the one hidden by the first and of which there is also a poster in the CD, is really disgusting, as is Sodom's tradition.