In terms of quality, few thrash bands have been as
consistent as Germany’s Sodom. Whenever they release a new record, you know you’ll
be getting something that is a serviceable thrash record or better. When it
comes to their sound, however, they’ve been a bit of a mixed bag. Though the
band started as a black/thrash outfit, they’ve refined their sound many times:
thrash, death/thrash, punky thrash, and finally back to a standard thrash
sound. For the last 10-15 years, the band has settled on a straightforward
thrash style, but they have still given us a modern classic in “M-16”. In 2013,
the band has returned with “Epitome of Torture”, which is another solid
addition to the band’s growing catalogue.
The album kicks off with “My Final Bullet”, and there could
not be a more perfect choice. The intro builds to a riff that is so evil and
brooding that something hellishly fast must follow. Though you might expect a great riff,
you are actually assaulted with Tom Angelripper’s trademark shouting. The chorus takes
the song in a bit of a different, more upbeat direction, but is still just as
heavy. A second standout would be “Stigmatized”. This song is for fans of the
1992 classic, “Tapping the Vein”. It is absolutely punishing, both in terms of
the rhythmic attack and in Angelripper’s return to truly harsh vocals. Even if you
feel that Sodom is no longer interesting or relevant, this song is sure to get
your head banging. There are other standouts, but rather than go over them, I’ll
address the one flaw with this record: it lacks enthusiasm. All of the elements
are there; the album has plenty of speed, riffs, and guitar solos, but I don’t
see myself returning to “Epitome of Torture” like I do to “In War and Pieces”. Just
from looking at the song titles, I can already hear the choruses from several
songs on “In War and Pieces” in my head, but I can say the same for only a few
tracks on the new record.
Despite my concerns, this is still a Sodom record. Unlike
Destruction, Sodom releases are infrequent enough that even if they release
less than stellar albums, it is still refreshing to hear. And it is unfair to
call “Epitome of Torture” a bad record, it’s just that Sodom has such a solid
track record that my expectations were higher. I’ll definitely keep spinning
this album, but am more likely to return to 5 or 6 other Sodom records before I
get back to this one.
Highlights
"My Final Bullet"
"Epitome of Torture"
"Stigmatized"
Final Rating
4.0/5 or 80%.