SODOM

I had a double-take at the start of Sodom's latest. Kicking off with a Machine Head/Melechesh tune really took me a while to get my head round. To further complicate matters, the last I heard of Sodom was back in 1990 when they released 'Better off Dead'. It had been a while. This isn't to say they've sold out and gone all 'nu' on us, or even kept up with the times too much; it's undeniably Sodom after all. But, for a band attributed with helping Black Metal's embryonic days (listen to 'Obsessed by Cruelty'), they have definitely morphed over the years. And a good thing too, as their early output was, to put it kindly, Venom-ish Kreator wannabes. Now, they are a juggernaut of Germanic thrash with a hefty dose of musical polish. Kreator still take the crown in terms of sheer song-writing and performance, but Sodom is no loser here. In the same way Megadeth will never be as rich or revered as Metallica, they are still a mighty prospect in their in right. So too it is with Sodom. Second best to the greatest German thrash band of all time is not bad going. The album? It's as you would expect of Sodom circa 2010, and very little more. Like a classic recipe brought up-to-date with a subtle dash of garnish, this is the Shepherd's Pie of metal. With flat-leaf parsley.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Steamhammer/SPV

Album

IN WAR AND PIECES

Review by Steve Cowan

RUNNING TIME:

47:04

RELEASE DATE:

22nd Nov 2010

TRACK LISTING

1) In War and Pieces
2) Hellfire
3) Through Toxic Veins
4) Nothing Counts More Than Blood
5) Storm Raging Up
6) Feigned Death Throes
7) Soul Contraband
8) God Bless You
9) The Art of Killing Poetry
10) Knarrenheinz
11) Styptic Parasite

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Germany

"It's as you would expect of Sodom circa 2010, and very little more. Like a classic recipe brought up-to-date with a subtle dash of garnish, this is the Shepherd's Pie of metal. With flat-leaf parsley."