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Rating:
This is an album that, as they say in technical terms, literally kicks ass.
It's 1992, and having set aside the melodic temptations of the nonetheless good "Better Off Dead," Tom Angelripper and company return determined and redeemed to put the pedal to the metal, realizing that in the end, hard rock is really not their thing (and especially not for their fans!).
So "Tapping the Vein," with its powerful and up-to-date production (though not perfect: the guitars sound excessively unfocused while the drums, on the contrary, are too dry and prominent), is undoubtedly one of the most tremendous blows the German band has managed to strike over the course of their long career.
Thus begins a new season for Sodom: that of uncompromising repetition.
As raw and unpretentious as they are, Our Heroes seemed to believe in it up until "Better Off Dead." From the incompetence of their beginnings, improving and refining album by album, they managed to forge a personal and unmistakable sound, fully represented by real eighties thrash classics like "Persecution Mania" and "Agent Orange": not just punches to the teeth, but well-crafted refrains, heavy grooves, raw irony, perversion, and a taste for excess. In other words: seminal works destined to influence the evolutionary course of extreme metal.
Having reached their peak, "Better Off Dead" represented a bold attempt, albeit not entirely convincing, to somehow progress and emancipate from the armor of their own well-tested sound corpus.
But evidently, melody was not their path, and so from "Tapping the Vein" onwards, Sodom decided to go back and retrace their steps, contenting themselves with being simply Sodom (which, mind you, is not a small thing!, and just listen to the excellent "Code Red," probably the best Sodom in recent years!), at most looking to the past, and in particular to the primordial roughness of the likes of Motorhead and Venom, always a source of inspiration for Our Heroes (and my mind inevitably flies to the amusing "Get What You Deserve," which, although a bit tame, sounds quite good on the stereo!).
Thus, they will abandon any sort of "evolutionary ambition," simply riding the myth: darlings of sonic intransigence, coherence, and absolute fidelity to the metal word, Sodom will become the typical band that, as often happens in metal, will be idolized not so much for the music but for the attitude, or for the conservative instinct, or simply for the idiocy of their members.
Speaking of members, it's worth noting a new (yet another) line-up change: Michael Hoffman leaves, Andy Brings steps in, probably the most useless guitarist ever to have played in the ranks of Sodom. Poor Brings!, not that he is technically inferior to his predecessors and successors (and that would be serious!), it's just that his riffing seems somewhat anonymous and lacking in bite.
But folks, let's not pontificate on trivial details: the game works, and damned well! After all, in a world where thrash metal is totally messed up, Sodom has the merit of having understood, more than others, that to make good thrash metal, one doesn't need a conservatory: it only takes two tempos. And just alternate them appropriately! And into this, the veteran Chris Witchhunter takes charge, firm at his post behind the drums, incisive as ever in his dry tempo changes, beastly more than usual in chasing really high speeds.
As for Tom Angelripper, really little to say, except that his "English" with its strong German accent (or maybe better his German with strong English accents!) is always proudly showcased to make the sound of his creature unique and inimitable: indeed, his spitting on the microphone sounds rougher and more guttural than ever, so much so that the opener "Body Parts" slaps us with the violence of a death metal lashing!
And it's certain that "Tapping the Vein," in terms of power and audacity, will not disappoint the band's fans, particularly those still cringing at the thought of "Better Off Dead": "Tapping the Vein" dumps eleven tracks on us that are an absolute pleasure, unstoppable, dizzying, denying any possible melodic digression. Perhaps somewhat anonymous overall, these tracks, which more than to be appreciated as individual anthems, are to be endured in their furious succession: a flow of violence, hammering rhythms, and high-intensity riffs that will delight any self-respecting headbanger.
Nonetheless, worthy of mention are at least two fundamental tracks: "One Step Over the Line" is a solid mid-tempo that shows how badass Our Heroes can be when they decide to stick it to punk and supersonic tempos, while the irresistible "Wachturm," destined to become an immortal classic of the band, is a thrilling punk'n'roll song sung strictly in German (complete with beeps to censor the indecencies spewed by that pig pervert Angelripper!).
Also worthy of mention is the powerful title track, featuring an atmospheric break and the inevitable ultra-mosh section, and the concluding "Reincarnation" which, at nearly eight minutes long, is undoubtedly the most complex and anomalous episode of the lot: it is, in fact, an imposing and funeral piece that, boasting Gothic keyboards and an arpeggiated bridge, finally sprinkles some melody on an album that contains very little of it!
The essential, at this point, seems to have been said: if you like Sodom, this album must be in your collection at all costs; if you don't like them, feel free to skip it; if you're simply curious, start with the classics of the eighties and then go through the rest of the discography!
Komm Wir F....N to everyone!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 One Step Over the Line (05:06)
At the back of beyond
Where time stands still
In a paradise of love and hate
Like pack of hounds
Invading the land
Girls sell their bodies
Like hot cakes
Unscrupulous deals
With human flesh
To live the life of Riley
Behaving like bulls
In a China chop
Pots of money but nothing to pay
One step over the line
Diseased by genital desire
One step over the line
Out of the frying pan
And into the fire
Perverse bents
Clever camouflage
Holidays of infanticide
Mistress of lust
Sold down the river
Exploited and eaten alive
One step over the line
Diseased by genital desire
One step over the line
Out of the frying pan
And into the fire
Once bitten twice shy
She takes you for a ride
The money she needs to survive
Death defying
Sexual act
Welcome to the club where you die
04 Deadline (03:51)
Euthanasia or amnesty
Takes you off the ground
Embrace your hopes
And pray to them
When your smile turns upside down
Silent noise in sleepless nights
Freeze your mind and blood
Think about your morbid life
Is there any god?
No postponement
Death by the law
At zero hour
Stops your beating heart
Your days are numbered
Your fate is sealed
When the bell rings twelve o'clock
Waiting for the message
No governor's reprieve
These guys just doing their job
No postponement
Death by the law
At zero hour
Stops your beating heart
You have to live on charity
Not die a natural death
That brings your life so close
Of your own wrongful act
Come on man
It's time to go
Deliverance not so far
TV covered
Millions wait
Tonight you are the star
05 Bullet in the Head (03:01)
Exploitation of young
Consumer groups
Inspired to say yes
Debasement by
Your mad persuasion
Destroyed while you progress
Bullet in the head
Kick the bucket
Are you prepared?
There is a bullet in your head
To stop the way
You earn your bread
Cold blooded and mendacious
Selling of illusions
Ferocious without remorse
You give them a trip
Like there is no tomorrow
Don't care what H. will cause
Bullet in the head
Kick the bucket
Are you prepared?
There is a bullet in your head
To stop the way
You earn your bread
Suffer the children
Coming to me
Enjoy the habit
The first is free
The best you can get
Between heaven and earth
Nothing ventured
Nothing gained
Bullet in the head
Kick the bucket
Are you prepared?
There is a bullet in your head
To stop the way
You earn your bread
07 Wachturm (03:47)
Morgens um acht
Mitten in der Nacht
Es klingelt an der T⌦㔲㬴r
Noch halb im Koma
Das glaubt mir keiner
Da will jemand was von mir
Ich mach mal offen
Was seh ich denn da
'Ne junge Braut nee sogar zwei
Sie wolln die frohe Botschaft verk⌦㔲㬴nden
Mit einer Mark bin ich dabei
Der Wachturm ist die Offenbarung
F⌦㔲㬴r all die Gotteskinder
Packt ihn weg es hat keinen Zweck
Meine Pornos sind mir lieber
Ich lass sie in die Wohnung
Wollt ihr was trinken
'N Kaffee oder Bier
Nein danke wir wollen dich nu bekehren
Nur deshalb sind wir hier
Wir haben geh�?rt
Du bist ein gottloser Mensch
Jehova wird dir verzeihn
Es ist sein Wille und sein Wille geschehe
Wir waschen deine Seele rein
Was f⌦㔲㬴r Quatsch
Leck mich am Arsch
Der Wachturm ist die Offenbarung
F⌦㔲㬴r all die Gotteskinder
Packt ihn weg es hat keinen Zweck
Meine Pornos sind mir lieber
Feuer
Und Schwefel
Armageddon
Ist nah
Sie sagen: "Du bist dem Satan verfallen
Und balt kommt das Ende der Welt
Wir k�?nnen dir helfen
Komm mit uns und opfere dein Geld"
H�?rt mal M„dels
Ich schlag euch was for
Denn der Quatsch geht mich auf die Eier
Wir trink'n erstmal einen
Ihr zieht euch aus
Und wir machen 'nen flotten Drei
Komm wir fucken
Komm fir fucken
Der Wachturm
10 Hunting Season (04:27)
I was granted no quarter
Because you forgot the rules
The words I said are
Sure to come true
Your empty promises
Treacherous and blind
Your deceitful lies call
The war back to my mind
I learnt a way to survive
The enemy to neutralise
They got no reason
Hunting season
I want to set the world on fire
Like a savage beast - A final desire
I burn my boats surrounded by danger
A soldier in hiding kicked out like a stranger
I learnt a way to survive
The enemy to neutralise
They got no reason
Hunting season
I avail every chance
It's a pleasure for me
To slay one by one
To fight for liberty
Once a lieutenant in higher service
Now I'm nothing
A man without mercy
I learnt a way to survive
The enemy to neutralise
They got no reason
Hunting season
I want to set the world on fire
Like a savage beast - A final desire
I burn my boats surrounded by danger
A soldier in hiding kicked out like a stranger
I learnt a way to survive
The enemy to neutralise
They got no reason
Hunting season
11 Reincarnation (07:49)
Life on earth for you to know
In peace you live in peace you will go
Behind the scenes of salvation
Nobody knows lust and temptation
The mass begins the spirit appears
The man in black nothing he fears
A fatal disguise is what you call holy
Where is god? I want you to show me.
In the name of the father the son
The holy spirit the show has begun
Thy kingdom come thy will be done
Hallowed be thy name
Reincarnation
False celebration
Reincarnation
Mental subordination
Go down on your knees
And pray for peace
Join the club of total devotion
Religious faith and social failure
Once you've been trapped
Death is your saviour
In the name of the father the son
The holy spirit the show has begun
Thy kingdom come thy will be done
Hallowed be thy name
Reincarnation
False celebration
Reincarnation
Mental subordination
In the name of the father the son
The holy spirit the show has begun
Thy kingdom come thy will be done
Hallowed be thy name
Reincarnation
False celebration
Reincarnation
Mental subordination
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