German Thrash Metal icons SODOM hailing from Gelsenkirchen, Germany were formed in 1982. Among their impressive discography are 17 albums, 9 EPs, and several live albums and videos. The new EP “1982” was produced, mixed, and mastered by Toni Merkel, recorded at Staudio Studios, Altenessen. It has a length of about 18 minutes, and it was released via German Heavy and Thrash Metal specialists Steamhammer.

SODOM can look back to more than 40 years of history and with “1982” they go back to the roots. From the current line-up, only founding member Tom Angelripper was part of the band in 1982 and the new EP reflects on the early beginnings by re-recording three of the five tracks from the first two demos “Witching Metal” and “Victims Of Death”. The reflections on the early period, however, starts with a remix of the single release from 2022 “1982”. The remix version of the track comes pretty close to the original and it reflects the modern Thrash Metal sound of SODOM in recent years. For most of their active time, SODOM has been a three-piece band and only since the return of former guitarist Frank Blackfire, they use two guitars. “1982” is a mid-tempo Thrash Metal track for most of the time and the track has almost some catchy features with the riffing and the chorus part. It also includes a cool lead guitar solo. The remix of “1982” has been released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below.

The early years of SODOM have been characterized by a very raw and aggressive sound during a period, where the term Thrash Metal was still unknown. So, they had a lot of Punk and early Black Metal inspiration coming over from England to the European continent. ”Witching Hour” was an early SODOM classic and I remember the original being one of the most direct, aggressive, and rawest tracks of the band, also during live performances. The version on the EP maintains all those attributes of the original, but at the same time, it is more playful with added parts for the guitars. “Victims Of Death” is the title track of the second demo and this track is a relentless hammering at blistering pace. The riffing is very simple and aggressive alongside with the distinct vocals of Tom Angelripper. Despite using the two guitars, most of the original vibes are still retained, and one can imagine how brutal the original track sounds. “Let’s Fight For The Darkness Of Hell” is from the “Victims Of Death” demo, here as “Let’s Fight”. Again, crazy pace and a kick-in-the-face sound, enriched by the second guitar. The final track “Equinox” has been released originally on the first full-length album “Obsessed By Cruelty” in 1986. Even though, it was still early days, you can already hear how the sound of SODOM evolved during those years and “Equinox” is perhaps one of those songs that defined the characteristic Thrash Metal sound of SODOM at the start of their most successful period.

“1982” is a time travel to the beginnings of one of the most successful Thrash Metal bands. I like the song selection as it shows the evolution of the band 40 years ago. The EP is well produced. The re-recordings of the early songs is a treat for all SODOM fans and “1982” shows that they are still on top of their game.