Attention all Sodom-Fans, there’s a number of exciting news from Tom Angelripper & Co! On the one hand, the band are currently at the studio to record new material, on the other their next shows are scheduled for early September, and the end of November will see the start of their extensive “MTV Headbangers Ball Tour 2018” alongside Exodus, Death Angel and Suicidal Angels. And as if that wasn’t enough great news, the best bit of intelligence comes directly from the thrash metal act’s inner circle: “We’re a real family again,” enthuses frontman Angelripper following the band’s line-up change in spring 2018. “We all really enjoy the new line-up consisting of Frank Blackfire (guitar, ex-Sodom, ex-Kreator, Assassin), Yorck Segatz (guitar, Beyondition), Husky (drums, Asphyx, Desaster) and myself. There’s a real team spirit again, we’re having a great time together, every one of us is interested in everything and – really important! – everybody is there for everybody else. Obviously that kind of atmosphere is bound to have a positive effect on the songwriting.” Sodom have been thrashing since their formation in 1981 and has 15 studio albums under their belt. Sodom’s current lineup could be the best and heaviest lineup the band has ever had. How will Sodom sound with the new lineup? They are ready to give you a teaser with their new EP ‘Partisan’ which will be out on 23 November 2018, featuring three tracks including a live recording from this year’s Rock Hard Festival. The digital version of the album also includes the bonus track “One Step Over The Line” which the band has released an official video for as well. The new line-up could hardly present itself in a more impressive manner! This EP should hold fans over until they complete the new full length they are currently working on.
Sodom is one of the pioneers in German thrash metal and their sound and style is exactly what old school fans crave. The title track is the opening song on the album and it wastes no time in brutalizing your ears. The first thing that catches your attention is the relentless beating the drums are enduring by Husky. Then Tom Angelripper’s gritty vocals take over the song. He has that perfect tone where it’s heavy and harsh but he enunciates the lyrics perfectly so you still get all his intended meaning. The song also incorporates a pretty kick ass guitar solo that continues the lightning pace of the track. Only during the chorus does the pace decrease in this song, but in doing so it allows the band to integrate some groove into the track. “Conflagration” continues carrying the flag for speed and brutality as the song even picks up the pace in comparison to the opening track. There are moments during the track where Angelripper’s vocals echo in the background and it adds another layer of dimension to the track that just raises the bar yet again. “Conflagration” is what you would call a experienced headbanger of a song with its speed and constant beats it will keep you banging your head. The song switches things up and guitarists Blackfire and Sagatz have an alternating riff that keeps you enthralled in the track. We then move on to the live track on the album “Tired & Red”. The song was recorded in May of 2018 at the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany where the band played alongside Saxon, Tiamat, Overkill and Cirith Ungol. I’ll admit that I am not normally a fan of live albums or live recordings, but I must admit this song is recorded with amazing quality. There is very little crowd noise and all the instrumentation sounds amazing. Tom Angelripper has been singing in the band since 1984 and his voice still sounds just as amazing as it did over 30 years ago. I think in instances like this where the band still sounds amazing live and can pull it off it’s a welcome addition to have a live track on an album. As the track begins it has this haunting riff that leads things off and continues as Angelripper’s voice takes over the song. As the songs plays out it almost morphs into a jam session as the vocals take a back seat momentarily and the guitars, bass and drums all take their moment in the spotlight. It’s an incredible live track that has studio quality sound.
Sodom are icons that never fail when it comes to their take on German thrash metal. Though this EP is just a few tracks its meant to be a teaser for whats to come as the band is already in the studio working on a full length. I think this release is a testament to the band listening to their fans and releasing some tid bits to hold us over until we can sink our teeth into their next full length album. This is an EP worth picking up, all three tracks are iconic classic thrash at its best and prove that Sodom is once again at the top of the food chain in the thrash world.
MTV Headbangers Ball Tour 2018 (with Exodus, Death Angel, Suicidal Angels)
30.11. DE-Leipzig – Hellraiser
01.12. CZ-Zlin – Hala Euronics
02.12. HU-Budapest – Barba Negra
03.12. PL-Wroclaw – A2
04.12. DE-Hamburg – Markthalle
05.12. NL-Tilburg – 013
06.12. GB-London – The Electric Ballroom
07.12. DE-Oberhausen – Ruhrpott Metal Meeting
08.12. DE-Geiselwind – Christmas Bash
09.12. AT-Vienna – Arena
10.12. DE-Ravensburg – Oberschwabenhalle
11.12. DE-Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
12.12. DE-Saarbrücken – Garage
13.12. DE-Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
14.12. IT-Novara – Phenomenon
15.12. CH-Lausanne – Les Docks
16.12. DE-Munich – Backstage
