Sodom

(SPV)
by Tim Den

I was 15 when I first heard Sodom. Agent Orange was one of the fastest slabs of thrash to ever hit my ears, despite the fact that I had already been punishing my senses with early Napalm Death/Carcass/blitzkrieg grindcore for a number of years. Though I wasn’t converted into a fan, the impression that I kept with me of the outfit was one of explosive energy and intimidating aggression. 13 years later, the band seem to have survived as pristinely as Kreator, not a bit slower or out of breath like most of their American contemporaries. There’s just something about German thrash, isn’t there? Sodom, Kreator, Coroner: There’s never any fading out. It’s either die gloriously on the battlefields or continue to thrash as if it’s still the mid-’80s. This here self-titled album is every bit as urgent, obscurely melodic, and dirty-in-all-the-right-places as anything you’ve come to love from the genre, pulling no fancy Swedish riffs or emo breakdowns, just pure, unadulterated, German speed steel. It’s potent. It’s honest and packed with headbangin’ moments. It’s why we all fell in love with heavy metal in the first place. So put on that denim jacket and start swinging them elbows!
(www.spvusa.com)