Sodom - Sodom

*=Staff's pick	Blood On Your Lips* Wanted Dead Buried In The Justice Ground City Of God* Bibles And Guns Axis Of Evil Lords Of Depravity* No Captures* Lay Down The Law Nothing To Regret The Enemy Inside

Genre	Thrash Metal	Tom Angelripper	Vocals
Tracks	11	Bernemann	Guitar
Runningtime	43 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	SPV	Tom Angelripper	Bass
Release	21 April 2006	Bobby Schottkowski	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Slayer, Exodus, Xentrix, Venom

For more than 25 tenebrous black years, these teutonic Lords of depravity have spread their sonic outbreak of evil and persecution mania. Founding member and blasphemer Thomas "Angelripper" Such has served as the critical crippler to all pretenders to the throne. The unholy trinity of Sodom has endured their own nuclear winter, which can be seen in graphic detail of their latest DVD. Having undergone several line-up changes over the years, all the while Sodom have continued their metallic conjuration and elixir of electrocution. This is their 11th studio release which honours the fourth consistent recording with the same band members: Bobby & Bernemann who once played in The Crows with the 90's era vocalist from Scanner.

On their self-titled new CD, these freaks of nature lay down the law assuring that seekers of sodomy & lust get what they deserve, with nothing to regret. The production performed by the Powergod, fellows in misery, duo of Andy Brings & Haan Hartman, along with mastering by Achim Kohler, serves to make this lethal lead injection penetrate like a bullet in the head. The limited edition slipcase version even comes with a poster of the actual CD cover by Connie Kitscher reminding me of the artwork on Voi Vod's debut. Lyrically, Tom continues with his politoximaniac paradigm of war & pain, prurient pleasures, raging violence, and forsworn, foul verbal conflagration.

The CD commences with an acoustic flamenco flourish for Blood on Your Lips, while Tom intonates his brooding & bellicose kamikaze terrorizer chant. There are serious Slayer riffs throughout this CD and the "DSM" manual is easily accessed on this masquerade in blood. Wanted Dead decimates and delights in slaying with it's own deathlike silence during the seasons of the abyss where Hell awaits. Buried in the Justice Ground is classic Sodom with the mid-paced Motorhead and Tank tributes similar to Tombstone from Code Red or Napalm in the Morning from M-16.

One very unique quality on this CD is the melodic death witching metal analogies. City of God could easily be an Arch Enemy song. I had to check the booklet to see if Michael Amott made a guest appearance as the guitar solo on this song is so similar. Tom does his fair share of Tom Araya associations all through out this CD, but on this track he sounds just like the sepulchral voice of Angela. This is why the frozen screams of Sodom appeal to both brain dead thrashers obsessed by cruelty and soldiers of death metal mayhem, seeking distraught souls skinned alive during hunting season, searching for their bloody body parts in the sign of evil.

Old school bay area thrash hooks perniciously pervade as Sodom opens the grave to see what Hell can create for Heathens, ensuring No Captures. The seeds of hate are sown 'til death do us part, as Sodom serrates and continues tapping the vein of Exodus; since the saw is the law! I'm also punctured by the shattered existence of Xentrix, those Ghostbusters whose black embrace maintains the balance of power. Tom tends to frequently narrate on this CD, which exemplifies his fascination for warlike conspiracy on tracks like Axis of Evil and the Enemy Inside.

Overall, listening to these experts of sodomy play on this CD is like being cast into perdition for 1000 days in Sodom. As the wanted dead beats whip and lash your back, you recall Christ's passion, on his procession to Golgatha, you feel like an animal enduring abuse in the exhibition bout, or like the little boy who was a vicious victim of incest, now dwelling in the city of God. With patriotic pride you revere the Marines who suffered from shellshock and Agent Orange, and who are buried in the justice ground, as you remember the fallen, of those gone to glory. Eventually, you will feel the blood on your lips as you raise the iron fist of fury, for listening to the sounds of Sodom all these years has become my atonement and my mettle resurrection.

See also review of: Decision Day , Epitome Of Torture , One Night In Bangkok

Production	Vocals	Compositions
8	8	8

Summary
8 chalices of 10 - Michael the MettleAngel