SODOM

Genesis XIX

STEAMHAMMER/SPV

Ruhr Valley thrash veterans minimise the fuss – and the thrills

STARTING IN 2018, line-up instability cast a cloud over this decades-old German institution and its bassist/ vocalist/founder, Tom ‘Angelripper’ Such. The revolving door was, in part, because Angelripper wanted the band he founded in 1982 to be comprised of local Ruhr district dudes who could regularly get together to rehearse and write instead of succumbing to the ways of the digital world. Old habits die hard for the old school, and with an overhauled line-up that includes drummer Toni Merkel and guitarists Frank ‘Blackfire’ Gosdzik (ex-Kreator) and Yorck Segatz, the quartet repaired to a dingy, beer’n’sweat-scented room to piece together full-length number 16.

manifests this backstory. The songs possess elevated tempos and a stripped-down rawness with minimal layering. Overall, it’s speedy, no-frills thrash pushing toward the coarse and crude side of the spectrum.