German thrash metal titans SODOM today drop the molten metal fruit of their Genesis XIX full-length via Entertainment One (“eOne”) in North America and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe.
Champions Decibel Magazine of the release, “Team Angelripper are firing on all cylinders as if it’s 1988 again. From the brutalizing leadff track ‘Sodom & Gomorrah’ through the blast/groove of ‘Nicht Mehr Mein Land’ and the Repulsion-esque/thrash treatment of closer ‘Friendly Fire,’ Genesis XIX never relents…” Adds Blabbermouth, “With Genesis XIX, SODOM has upped the ante, producing one of its most well-rounded albums, referencing and synthesizing the act’s early exploration of evil black metal, its mid-career’s jet-fueled thrash metal attack, and the more recent focus upon dynamic and developed songwriting.”
Stream Genesis XIX in full at THIS LOCATION.
View SODOM’s previously released videos for “Friendly Fire” at HERE, “Sodom & Gomorrah” HERE, and “Indoctrination” HERE.
From unadulterated thrash metal tracks “Euthanasia,” “Dehumanized,” and “Friendly Fire” to off-the-grid numbers such as “Occult Perpetrator,” SODOM delivers a wide range of facets of their signature sound. This inventiveness also applies to the lyrics on Genesis XIX, with vocalist/bassist Tom Angelripper presenting, as usual, his very own range of subjects:
“The Harpooneer” is based on Melville’s Moby Dick novel featuring the obsessive Captain Ahab, “Glock N’ Roll” is the story of a serial killer, “Waldo & Pigpen” is an homage to the same-named US fighter pilots, whose radio traffic during their mission in Vietnam has survived, and “Nicht Mehr Mein Land” describes the condition of western society. Genesis XIX – recorded by Siggi Bemm and mastered by Patrick W. Engel – comes shrouded in the cover art of Joe Petagno of Motörhead fame.
The record is out now on CD digipak, exclusive 2xLP (on translucent orange with opaque silver swirls – an eOne store exclusive), and digitally.
Order your copy today at THIS LOCATION.
Following the first relaxation of the lockdown rules stemming from the 2020 pandemic, SODOM immediately returned to working creatively, which is one of the reasons why Genesis XIX has turned into precisely what the musicians had in mind. “This is definitely one of the toughest and most diverse studio recordings that SODOM have ever released,” notes Angelripper. “Our riff suppliers, Yorck [Segatz] and Frank [Blackfire], are totally different types of musicians.
Yorck is a died-in-the-wool metalhead who grew up with thrash music. Frank, on the other hand, also integrates blues and rock elements into his style, including the occasional Frank Marino or Rory Gallagher quotation, and writes songs that could have featured in the same or a similar way on Agent Orange. These are the diverse influences that make Genesis XIX what it is.”
In addition, there’s a third level that nobody expected after the – as Angelripper expressly emphasizes – amicable split with drummer Husky. “In Toni [Merkel] we’ve gained an awesome drummer. I’d even go so far as to say he’s the best drummer that nobody had on the radar before now.” Especially since Merkel also has, along with his furioso style, a number of other important qualities, namely his stints with death metal act Sabiendas and a number of other black/death metal bands, where he played drums and doubled as a producer. Thus, he’s been a dab hand at studio technology and recording.
“We were largely autonomous during the production of Genesis XIX and were free not only to concentrate on working on new songs but also to come up with the right sounds.
That was important because we used neither digital amps nor plug-ins but played all the guitar parts using proper Marshall tube amps.” Following the preproduction, SODOM completed the work at the renowned Woodhouse Studio in Hagen, where sound engineer Siggi Bemm recorded Angelripper’s vocals and mixed the album on an analog studio console. “Team Angelripper are firing on all cylinders as if it’s 1988 again.
SODOM:
Tom Angelripper – bass, vocals Frank Blackfire – guitars Yorck Segatz – guitars Toni Merkel – drums
