SODOM

Epitome of Torture

SPV/Steamhammer
rating icon 8.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. My Final Bullet
02. S.O.D.O.M.
03. Epitome Of Torture
04. Stigmatized
05. Cannibal
06. Shoot Today ? Kill Tomorrow
07. Invocating The Demons
08. Katjuscha
09. Into The Skies Of War
10. Tracing The Victim


Of all the death metal and thrash giants who have faced more trials on a charred path filled with scrutiny and ill-fated personnel, it has to be SODOM. Inherently, death metal is a form of protest music depending on the latitude of intelligence its practitioners push into their work. "Agent Orange" put SODOM on the map for its ingenuity and courageous subgenre morphing. However, the more critical facet to that album is the deciding course of action Tom Angelripper and his SODOM horde would steer towards. The band has become less about the arcane from its "Obsessed by Cruelty" days and more of a cacophonous vehicle against war.

SODOM has spun within a ball of confusion at times sound-wise of the years, but at the core, the group has presented an appreciable dichotomy of churning ugliness and intrinsic hope. Having wrongly been accused of fascism, reason has now shed the light and on their latest album, "Epitome of Torture", SODOM remains honor-bound as ever to tee off against the horrors of war and political nihilism.

Fortunately for speed freaks, "Epitome of Torture" stays primarily in thrash mode with random variances in tempo. Having lost previous drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to reported in-house "personal and private problems," the band soldiers on with new slammer Markus "Makka" Freiwald and loses no ounce of momentum.

If anything, "Epitome of Torture" carries a settled, gusty feeling to it. The album rages, but it's so finessed and perfected from years of experience between Angelripper and guitarist Bernd "Bernemann" Kost, it's not so much a routine for these guys. "Epitome of Torture" is the sound of veterans who know when to punch in and make the short-termed but hours-intensive shifts count.

Though the album settles down at the end on the mid-tempo whumps of "Into the Skies of War" and "Tracing the Victim", the majority of "Epitome of Torture" is set upon a blitz as SODOM continues to reflect mankind's atrocities within their fractured mirror of accusation. The first four tracks are full of relentless velocity, which will delight purists. "Stigmatized" is especially nasty, calling up the dark and gritty "Persecution Mania" years as Tom Angelripper (who has an unabashed vocal resemblance to Tom Araya most times) dips his vocals back into the Stygian mists of the band's early days. Likewise, "Shoot Today Kill Tomorrow" keeps the old-school flavor rolling with rambling choruses to break up the whirling mayhem.

"CANNIBAL1" scales things back to a medium pace, as does "Invokating the Demons", but expect the blood-flinging to ensue on "Katjuschka", a song about a Russian rocket launcher that's been in production since World War II and is, according to Angelripper, "responsible for the death of more people than Stalin's organ."

Bernemann continues to shred with precision and his solos are as spectacular as expected. He makes listeners forget the goofy title of "S.O.D.O.M." with one of the most breathtaking solos he's ever laid down. It helps matters the cut is blazing fast to begin with. For all the parting and death Angelripper has had to stomach over the years in SODOM, Bernemann continues to be a blessing and he seldom gets the credit he's due.

Nonetheless, "Epitome of Torture" is just about by-the-numbers for SODOM's purposes. Best of all, it carries a thought-provoking state of conscience that adds to the true legacy of a band once notoriously remembered for Lucifer odes and sex-heavy cover art ("Mortal Way of Live") banned throughout the world.

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).