As Hollywood has discovered, an effective sequel is difficult to come by and Part 1 is still the standard by which all DVDs are judged. In the intervening years, a few home videos have come close (most notably, the recent Saxon Heavy Metal Thunder, with its version of the bumps & warts/ex-members initially aired by Sodom). Luckily, Tom Angelripper doesn't have to create a script, as the beyond belief history of his German thrash legend forms the template for this second worthy installment, 3 1/2 hours "encapsulating" the years '95 to '09.

Like part I, the DVD traces the history through in-depth interviews (English subtitles) with various (departed) members, live clips (pro and bootleg), through the grunge era. In setting the mood from that time, the narration takes swipes at Kreator, Slayer and (rightfully) Metallica. The first half hour revolves around the initial Angelripper solo album.

The band dispels rumors of their political right-wing leanings. An hour in and they're still talking about the formation of the current trio, festivals and tours in '97! Their ordeal surrounding the '98 Milwaukee Metalfest is not unique to European musicians (no visas, cheap equipment/accommodations provided, then only getting to play for 21 minutes because disorganization made allotted time run out). Such tactics long hampered bands from venturing to North America, even for a single show, let alone a tour. Thankfully, that's since been remedied.

The experiences in and around Vietnam and Thailand (journalist junket I had to turn down, damn), are pretty amazing. Things continue with other "strange" locations: Peru, Bangkok, Russia, Bulgaria, Columbia (travel to less than desirable locales, but still no North American dates, until '06). The rip-offs, riots and potential near death experiences in South America are unbelievable. On a personal level, interesting to see the now bald Goetz (from Rock Hard) lip syncing to a music video, with half a head of curly hair and Hakon Grav (photographer/ manager of Immortal, Emperor, many Norwegian black metal greats) offering insights on Sodom. There is a nice posthumous segment on original drummer Chris Witchhunter, which includes commentary from his friends and family, most were filmed in Oberhausen, at the memorial show (which I attended) and assume will one-day make it onto DVD as well, if not part of the planned third installment of Depravity.

The first of two accompanying booklets lists all the full-length audio/visual releases from said era, complete tracklistings, cover art and short commentary from Angelripper. The second booklet contains photos lifted from the other disc, the '07 ninety minute long 25th Anniversary concert at Wacken, which featured most of the older members returning onstage. There's also about 25 minutes of interview outtakes. Not flubs, just info not utilized.

While not as interesting as the formative years and classic line-up, no fan can go away disappointed from the quantity and quality of this project.