Sodom - s/t (2006)

The German wrecking machine rolls on - I read a few bad revoews about this album but had to laugh - Sodom are pure, or should that read impure, wicked thrash - simple as that. As mentioned in my review of Destruction's 'Day Of Reckoning' this is pretty much where it's at now with thrash, bands from all corners of the earth reuninting the past and taking extreme metal to a new level of aggression. Sodom have bene part of the moment since many had written it off back in the '80s - how the sceptics mocked the band, and others such as Celtic Frost but the reality is, the majority of European bands destroyed their American rivals, especiailly when it came to originality. Sure, the Bay Area had the crunch, but look at Voivod, Celtic Frost, Coroner, Kreator, Destruction, Sodom - these guys were taking the darker, more rusted elements of Venom and speeding it up to produce down n' dirty hyper thrash but often with a sinister twist. Sodom continued with that theme into the millennium, this self titled album boasting great quality, particularly in songs such as 'Blood On Your Lips' with its gurgled, and whispered vocal intro and the chuggernaut that is 'Bibles & Guns' which beats Slayer at their own game. Hard to fault something to intense. 8/10