The lords of depravity are back! It's been five years since their previous studio release - 2001's good M-16 (Steamhammer/SPV Records) album - and the majority of Sodomaniacs worldwide were starting to feel rather sick due to their addiction. Thanks to Tom, last year's double DVD release Lords Of Depravity (Steamhammer/SPV Records) - maybe the most exceptional Metal DVD release in 2005 - acted like a 'calm down' pill (apart from its undisputed value, anyway) leading us to 2006 and the highly anticipated comeback from (maybe) the only band on which longtime thrashers can count on these days.
A single fact: as again concluded on the Lords Of Depravity DVD, Tom Angelripper's ideal for playing music is his own trademark. Even if there never was (as proved after more than 20 years of discography) a classic Sodom sound (check the similarities and differences between e.g. 1986's Obsessed By Cruelty - Steamhammer, 1991's Better Of Dead - Steamhammer - and 1995's Masquerade In Blood - Steamhammer and draw your remarks) it seems that Sodom have achieved the title of the non-changing band. And this is not a false statement, since Tom and Co. always provided accurate extreme Metal music, based on the same influences (bands/sounds) of Tom. And this may be the most crucial fact for a band in order to gain respect, recognition and artist esteem, whether you like the music or not.
The album's title and cover are the first signs of an effort truly made by pure consciousness. The classic Sodom logo raises the adrenaline - again - to high levels and a set of 11 tunes is ready for boarding. Nothing more is needed for a fan to know in advance.
The tunes: Blood On Your Lips starts off rather weird, with a nervous acoustic guitar playing, to unveil a furious up-tempo song with disastrous riffs. Wanted Dead unleashes the speed beast, in the usual Sodom formula, while Buried In The Justice Ground made my grim in its (current) Kreator's Endorama style. Classic Metal music though, in the background. City Of God, on the other hand, clicked my mind to Hypocrisy's sound while Bibles And Guns features traditional German Thrash Metal elements with double bass drumming and aggressive vocals dressed in a live-friendly choir refrain.
Axis Of Evil brought Kreator's Some Pain Will Last classic in mind - thus, an excellent slow (for Sodom) tempo tune - at the same time as Lords Of Depravity acted like a furious Thrash typhoon, with fast paced vocal harmonies and mad drumming; a kick-ass bridge, also! No Captures bursts loose in an angry mid tempo reverse drumming mood, while Lay Down The Law did 'tell' something the Swedish way, except from the awesome outburst in the end. Nothing to Regret stands for a less-than-three-minutes speed Sodom Metal storm while The Enemy Inside wraps up the album via impressive up-to-date mid tempo riffing.
Apart from the 'music' factor, it's of huge obviousness the fact that Sodom look a little bit now into updating their sound with some other 'ingredients'. Thus, the production (handled by ex-Sodom axeman Andy Brings) stares with one eye at the current European extreme Metal status quo. Fans of Swedish Thrash/Death Metal will love the album, to give you an idea. Don't worry, on the other hand, you old-school Sodomaniacs! Tom Angelirpper has not shown, so far, any signs of spiritual decadence. All the Sodom clichés are here to stay, too, while some guitar work and vocal harmonies tend at times to 'input' an other option.
Sodom is surely a Sodom album. Featuring the same lineup for ten years now, the Angelirpper/Bernemann/Schottkowski trio presents a fresh opinion of the band in the year 2006. If your record collection holds most of the band's post-Agent Orange (1989, Steamhammer) albums, then this one will easily also fit in. In addition, to have Sodom release albums after 25 years of existence is a vital motive for all the other Thrash-and-ahead Metal bands/followers to keep supporting our music. Thumbs (again) up for Onkel Tom!