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Sodom - Epitome Of Torture

Label: SPV
Format: CD download
Released: 2013
Reviewed By: Mark Gromen
Rating: 7.5/ 10


What’s the first sound heard on the new Sodom record? A lightly strummed, clean (nearly acoustic, albeit electrified) guitar! What? Fret not, after three decades Tom Angelripper hasn’t taken a U turn, but in some ways, the initial strains of ‘My Final Bullet’ presages the atypical moments within “Epitome Of Torture”.

 

The expanded version includes a dozen tracks, two more than the conventional CD: ‘Waterboarding’ and ‘Splitting The Atom’. Angelripper still barks out the lyrics, castigating humanity for its greed and war lust. There’s a greater breadth to the music (stellar production too), allowing guitarist Bernd "Bernemann" Kost a chance to showcase his skills. Check out the starting blaze of ‘S.O.D.O.M’ or the title cut. ‘Stigmatized’ is a short (2:55) blast from the past, recalling the initial “In The Sign Of Evil” Ep, rudimentary, staccato, almost hardcore riffs and simple, repetitive (titular) lyric. The shouted, sludge groove chorus of an otherwise frenetic ‘Cannibal’ is punctuated by the metallic ping of ride cymbal. Classic Sodom, buzzsaw (is the law) guitars cut across ‘Shoot Today Kill Tomorrow’ including a passage with hollow/echoing vocals. The ode to ‘Kajuschka’, the hand-held Russian rocket launcher, begins with a little Ural melody, then breaks into the usual mayhem. Apart from the guttural throat, one would be hard-pressed to peg ‘Into The Skies Of War’ as a Sodom song, musically. A nice surprise! The ‘Tracing The Victim’ finale sees the trio return to the slower, more metered, grinding tempo, then ending with a fade out.

 
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