SODOM: 40TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM OUT IN OCTOBER

40 years of Sodom, 40 years of ruthless thrash metal ‘Made in Germany’. What came into being in 1982 in Gelsenkirchen-Buer has lost nothing of its authenticity and rawness, not even four decades later. Tom Angelripper and his men still belong to the spearhead of a music style that draws its energy from pure determination, intransigence and relentlessness. What’s more, Sodom never fails to surprise their fans all over the world. They managed especially well with ‘40 Years At War – The Greatest Hell Of Sodom’, a more than worthy anniversary album that – in various formats – sums up the band`s history in an unusual and highly ambitious way. “Our goal was to re-record one song from each of our previous albums,” Tom explains. “Not necessarily the most obvious ones, we wanted to go for rarities or tracks we`ve never or very rarely played live.” ‘

The CD and vinyl double LP with their martial cover artwork penned by Eliran Kantor (Kreator, Testament, Gwar, among others) include 17 tracks, all newly recorded by the current Sodom line-up featuring also Frank Blackfire (guitars), Yorck Segatz (guitars) and Toni Merkel (drums). Tom: “We cover the songs unaltered, that’s to say: in exactly the same key and with the original lyrics. We’re better musicians now than we were back then, of course, so the new versions sound tighter and more up-to-date. But the arrangements of the songs were deliberately kept unchanged.” Obviously, the highlight of the new album is the richly equipped box set, plus an additional 4-track EP (artwork by Koloss-Skateboards-graphic artist Sebastian Feld aka. BesilWrathbone) that includes the brand-new song ‘1982’ (the first single/video, release date: August 12th, 2022), in which Tom reminisces about their beginnings: “At first, we just wanted to be a band, the music was almost an afterthought. We were against everything and everyone, wanted to shock the world and the more people hated us, the more motivated we got. Nobody would have expected that 40 years later, we’re still alive and playing. Those 40 years have gone by in a flash, but we continue to look forward.”

Aside from the CD and a differently coloured double LP with all their songs, the heart of the box set is a large-format hardcover book with a gripping introduction by Tom about their beginnings in 1982. In addition, each album to date is honoured on a double page spread, depicting its original artwork and all production information. One of the highlights of the book are the numerous fan statements, which Sodom had reached out to fans for last year, asking for anecdotes and memories. Tom: “We have always put special emphasis on our fan culture. That`s why there’s a number of photos where our fans have had their picture taken with us.” The icing on the cake – or in this case the box set – is an audio cassette (!) containing each and every song from the CD/LP plus an exclusive bonus track: the re-recorded version of ‘Equinox’, originally featured on the 1986 album ‘Obsessed By Cruelty’. Tom remembers: “When we started 40 years ago, we weren’t even sure about who should be playing which instrument. In the end, I was left with the bass. We rehearsed in the auditorium of a secondary school and later on in the basement of a family home that belonged to the parents of a buddy of mine. We were on fire, everywhere you went, you experienced new awakenings.”

The band`s 40th anniversary festivities will be carried over into their concerts in the coming fall. “We’ll not only play the Sodom classics, but also consider fan requests. We`re launching a poll about songs we`ve rarely or never played live on a tour to find out which ones the fans want to hear.” That’s exactly what Sodom is about: being close to their fans, full of ideas, burning for action while keeping their eyes on the goal ahead. Tom: “If you want to draw a summary of the past four decades, it can only be this: 40 years later, and we’re still here!”.

Tracklisting CD/LP/MC:

1. Sepulchral Voice     3:55

1. 1982 3:23

2. Witching Metal 3:27

3. Victims Of Death 5:14

4. Let’s Fight In The Darkness Of Hell 3:07

=> Exclusive coloured vinyl editions only at the Napalm shop