Review: Sodom – The Arsonist
Teutonic Thrash Titans Bow Out
There are some bands that are just too iconic, too significant and too important to either ignore or stop being a fan of—especially when those types of bands manage to keep a consistent level of quality for any stretch of time beyond a decade after their heyday or more. Which brings me to Sodom. The German icons of Teutonic thrash are so definitive to that country’s early thrash metal scene that books and movies could be made about their influence in extreme metal then and now. While the band has achieved everything a band can, with this new record, simply titled The Arsonist, they’re seemingly saying bye for now as they enter their 4th decade of existence with an announcement of their touring and live gigs coming to an indefinite pause and scale down.
Anyone familiar with Sodom and German thrash knows exactly what to expect, and for the last 20 years since the end of the ’90s, Sodom have been one of the rare bands that successfully defined their own sound and have maintained a level of quality very few achieve. The Arsonist continues with that consistency; however that also causes those critic conundrums when checking legacy bands such as Sodom. This is indeed another solid Sodom record: classic, riff and solo-driven thrash metal with that distinct German edge myriad black metal bands can trace their sound back to, with Tom Angelripper’s growls and an enjoyable punk energy with gritty lyrics about war. One aspect that I’ve always appreciated about the band is how they keep their music varied; it isn’t just a riff and blast beat onslaught from beginning to end. @hether due to old age or hearkening to their roots, Sodom always pace their albums in a way you get a good balance of speedy thrashers, mid-tempo bangers and hybrid tracks that mix both speed and mid tempo for some very dynamic and punky songs.
But back to the conundrum: if you like Sodom, then you’ll like The Arsonist. Again, the band has a very consistent discography, but because the band has a lengthy back catalog with a defined and distinct sound, unless you’re a massive Sodom fan or a dedicated enjoyer of German thrash, this record won’t do much for you. One thing I’ll give the bands props for is how they handled the production of this record; it sounds very analogue and earthy without any artificial vintage feel that tends to plague throwback and worship bands. The drums in particular sound very powerful without being overbearing or overshadowing the rest of the instruments, which also sound great alongside the vocals. The mixing as a whole is very well balanced, and because it has a very organic sound, the overall performances can truly be appreciated.
While I wouldn’t go out of my way to say this is an amazing record, it is still a really good time; it’s raw and dirty thrash without any of the cheesiness of the oft-maligned “pizza thrash” pejorative, and while still sounding old-school and unpolished (and this is really what I will praise the most about Sodom) they don’t just coast by and rest on their laurels. Each record they’ve done since the start of the millennium is a building block in securing their legacy on their terms, no bullshit, no whistles, just Tom Angelripper, his chosen comrades playing thrash the way they like it, and that in itself is this particular record’s greatest strength; since the band are now gracefully bowing out for the time being, this record serves as a good bookend to the last 20 years of Sodom.
3.5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
The Arsonist is out now through Steamhammer.
