With cover art depicting an exaggerated mega-soldier being burnt alive, lyrics about depravity and some seriously unpleasant Thrash to be found within, the fifteenth album by SODOM will be a warm and comforting hug for long time head-bangers, and a nightmare-inducing opus of pain for newcomers. It's a familiar and un-surprising record but it's a tough one not to like. It's loud and confrontational and has all the hallmarks of the Teutonic Thrash scene they helped create, so if you enjoyed any of their previous releases there's a good chance you'll like this one too.
"In Retribution" for instance is classic SODOM. Diving headfirst into a riff that sounds like a malfunction at a machine shop, it's a vicious opener that only sets the stage for ten more equally aggressive numbers. With Angelripper's distinctive throat-squeezing snarl over the top, it's not all that far-removed from a steroid-injected Black Metal song and should be a welcome addition to their live shows.

"Rolling Thunder" and the title track keep the pit raging while offering little in the way of reinvention, but both are ravenous thrashers that'll satisfy fans of unpretentious Metal. "Caligula" meanwhile is a brutally straightforward ode to one of Ancient Rome's most tyrannical rulers with a horn raising chorus, while "Strange Lost World" is a more mid-paced number reminiscent of MOTORHEAD doing Thrash. The vocals are whiskey-worn and the attitude is tattooed across every squealing note. If there's one thing preventing "Decision Day" being a game-changer though it's that SODOM haven't landed a truly mind-blowing song. There's plenty of decent, meat and potatoes Thrash Metal but nothing that instantly carves a path into your cerebral cortex the way "In War and Pieces" did back in 2010. There's no bad tracks but while the full-throttle assault of "Belligerence" and the Punked-up "Blood Lions" will please the die-hards, there's nothing truly exceptional either. Credit where credit's due however, "Decision Day" is still a worthy addition to SODOM's ever expanding catalogue of evil. There might not be any genuine jaw-droppers, but it's still a solid and dependable Thrash workhorse. It doesn't raise the bar but it doesn't lower it either. See you all again in three years for the next one.