In War and Pieces

Sodom – Epitome of Torture Review

Sodom – Epitome of Torture Review

“As a fan of Sodom since my early teens, I’ve developed a certain comfort level with their steadfast refusal to evolve or progress beyond the basic template of 80s Germanic thrash they helped establish along with Kreatorand Destruction. There were always plenty of other bands I could count on to surprise me or throw me for a loop musically, I certainly didn’t need Sodom changing their caveman ways. Of course, when a band releases album after album of essentially the same old school thrash mixed with punk, you can expect some degree of tedium and recycling and I’m never going to bang on these cats for a lack of originality. However, when one of their typically Sodom-esque albums is bad, it’s bad. Epitome of Torture is such an album…” Sodom just keeps rolling on in their skull tank of Germanic design, but even the greats stall out sometimes. Join Steel Druhm as he checks under the hood for problems.

Sodom – In War and Pieces Review

Sodom – In War and Pieces Review

Sodom, sweet Sodom, ever so reliable and happily predictable. They’re the thrash equivalent of your favorite concert t-shirt. It’s always there for you, it’s comfortable, beer soaked and you go way way back together. Since 1982 these German metal-meisters have given us thrash and more thrash with very little stylistic variation or experimentation and for most long time fans, that’s just how we want it. After all, Sodom always specialized in simple, brutal and dirty thrash metal with punk influences and they were proud to be a thrash band even when thrash wasn’t “cool” anymore. I never had to waste time worrying if they would start exploring jazz fusion, ambient soundscapes or become self important about the message in their music. No sir, Sodom was just Sodom. Thankfully, the comforting non-progression continues on In War and Pieces, their thirteenth platter and they continue to deliver their battle tested (and themed) thrash lunacy.