Sodom – Sodom

Worst art pressing ever: everything is out of focus. Sloppy work by Hellion Records or no quality check at all. They should be ashamed for releasing this or for not preventing it from reaching the market. SPV should revoke Hellion Records' license to release Sodom's material forever.

How does this version sound? Does it have the same issues as the mispress?

Somehow this sounds very flat and muffled. Not so great.

Primeval thrash that's not one-dimensional

Released in 2006, SODOM is the eleventh full-length studio album by ’s Sodom (and twelfth if you count their debut EP). The band originally formed in 1981 and released the aforementioned IN THE SIGN OF EVIL EP in early 1985. Although they started out with juvenile black metal lyrics (horror, occult & satanism) they quickly switched to war themes, as well as political/societal stuff.

I owning one of Sodom's early albums (on tape) back in the day, but it didn't leave much of an impact and so I didn't pursue the band further until twenty years later when someone suggested I check 'em out. So I listened to selections of CODE RED (1999), M-16 (2001) and SODOM (2006) on Youtube and my jaw dropped. Talk about improving! I had no idea they were such a top-of-the-line band and wouldn't hesitate to put them on par with fellow Germans Kreator, although Sodom are even more savage, sorta akin to Bathory, but with better production and real drumming rather than a friggin' drum machine.

For some reason, I had written them off as uncreative one-dimensional thrash, but that's simply not the case. Sure, they're thrash with the dynamic drumming thereof, but they're so much more. Many of their songs expertly throw-in great acoustic (clean channel) ages to keep things interesting, not to mention slower or mid-paced sections.

Bernd "Bernemann" Kost was the guitarist from 1996-2018 and was one of the core reasons for the greatness of the band’s output during this time, not to mention kick-axx drummers Bobby Schottkowski (1997–2010) and Markus "Makka" Freiwald (2010–2018). Of course bassist/vocalist Tom “Angelripper” Such is the formidable ringleader without whom the band wouldn’t exist.

My favorite songs on this disk are the opener "Blood On Your Lips," which starts out with a strumming Spanish acoustic before kickin’ in; the standout “City of God” with its hooky riffing; “Lay Down the Law” with its cool bass-driven stanzas and chorus with its notable riff; and closer “The Enemy Inside” with its superb opening.

Perhaps the album is self-titled because it’s a great introduction to the band for those not yet in the know.

The disc runs just under 43 minutes.

GRADE: A-

Kamikaze Terror (D3) missing on my copy, instead has Blood on Your Lips (A1), as stated in note fields... Fuck that. Anyone tried to Steamhammer about this and any eventual replacement or kind of refund ? Also, my copy sounds incredibly flat, as it was recorded from a tape or something... Not sexy at all, especially considering how awesome the reissue of Agent Orange was (by Steamhammer)... What the hell happened.