The 16th album from the German thrashers and it’s one of their most ferocious. Not only does the album mark the recording debut of guitarist Yorck Segatz and drummer Toni Merkel but Genesis XIX marks the return of Frank Blackfire for the first time since the band’s seminal 1987 album Agent Orange. As such, this is the first time in the near 40-year history that Sodom has recorded as a four-piece. The results are impressive with an album that harks back to Agent Orange in its style, energy and production. Indeed, the production is one of the most noticeable features with the band having returned to an analogue method of recording which gives the album a really retro feel.
Sodom’s recent output has been solid with 2016’s Decision Day a tasty slab of thrash. On Genesis XIX, Sodom have made more than a little nod to the Agent Orange era, and it opens in fine style with the intro of Blind Superstition segueing into the blistering 100mph Sodom & Gomorrah (I can’t believe that the band haven’t used this title before now!). You know with Sodom that you are unlikely to get anything other than face melting thrash and that is certainly the case on this album. Vocalist Tom Angelripper‘s raging vocals are as gravel coated as ever, with the occasional Tom Araya style scream adding to the delivery.
The album also contains three lengthy tracks that allow the band to flex the muscles. The first of these is the title track, which opens slowly but then changes tempo several times, allowing all members of the band to demonstrate their chops with Merkel’s machine-gun drumming and Blackfire’s searing lead breaks particularly notable. The Harpooner is based on Melville’s Moby Dick, whilst Waldo & Pigpen were code names for American pilots in the Vietnam War.
At 54 minutes in length, this is a thrash album of some weight. Regardless, there are few songs that feel like fillers (Indoctrination is one). But it’s in tracks like Sodom & Gomorrah and the brutal closing track Friendly Fire that Sodom truly demonstrate their continued firepower. Genesis XIX is a raw feeling return to an older style and I see nothing wrong with that. Overall, this is an album that should please most fans of the band. And it contains a magnificent piece of artwork from the legendary Joe Petagno which makes a purchase in vinyl more attractive. 8/10
Soilwork: A Whisp Of The Atlantic (Nuclear Blast)
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Soilwork. I don’t know what it is, but they’ve never connected that deeply. I suppose melodic death metal is a genre that can be a little too similar with bands appearing to repeat the sound of other peers. I’ve reviewed a few of their catalogue, and now we have the 12th album, A Whisp Of The Atlantic, following last year’s Verkligheten. Despite multiple line-up changes over the years, founder and vocalist Björn Stride remains alongside guitarist David Andersson, Sven Karlsson on keyboards, Sylvain Coudret on guitar, drummer Bastian Thusgaard and their newest member, Rasmus Ehrnborn on bass.
A Whisp Of The Atlantic is a five-track record, some may call it almost an EP but at 36 minutes in length it more than justifies the full-length tag. You can argue the toss either way. It concludes the Feverish trilogy and includes the track Desperado released back in March. The centrepiece of the album/EP is the lengthy title track which opens the record. At over 16 minutes long, it’s a flowing epic piece of work, incorporating brass and piano alongside the band’s more robust style. Stride remains a superb vocalist and his performance is impressive, with his soaring style on Death Diviner stunning.
The final song, The Nothingness And The Devil presents a slightly different take on Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs with Andersson commenting “It’s all about realizing that we’re all stuck on this rock and that we need to find something more inclusive than religion to get through this together. The Nothingness And The Devil‘ is a song about how the old concept of a patriarchal God doesn’t work anymore, and how everyone with any logic reasoning must accept that we have to create our own deities, if we need them. Or if we don’t, we’ll have to accept the fact that our lives are essentially meaningless unless we are able to find our meaning and make ourselves feel fulfilled.”
Soilwork are a tight unit and A Whisp Of The Atlantic demonstrates their quality with some blistering guitar work, multiple blast beats and double kicking drumming, all underpinned with some delicious melodies and harmonies which work very well. Overall, an enjoyable release, which will be welcomed by the band’s dedicated following. 7/10
Exarsis: Sentenced To Life (MDD Records)
I gave New War Order, the fourth album by Exarsis a 4/10 rating in September 2017, mainly because the piercing shrieks of vocalist Nick Tragakis were so challenging. Well, album number five for the maniacal Greek thrash outfit doesn’t really change my view. Sentenced To Life sees the return of founding member Chris Tsitsis on guitar and new drummer Panos Meletis delivers an absolutely blistering performance. Sadly, it’s Tragakis’s vocals (which make Bobby Blitz sound like Johnny Cash) that overshadows what is some excellent and punishingly fast thrash metal. Whilst the Athenians do little that is original, the slicing guitar work and the pace of their tracks which reference the likes of Nuclear Assault and Overkill appeals. Guest appearances from Pyros Lafias (Chronosphere) and Lefteris Xatzhandreou (Bio-Cancer) on Against My Fears work better with the vocals a couple of octaves lower. Sentenced To Life also has a quality cover, designed, and delivered by Dan Goldsworthy (Accept, Xentrix, Gloryhammer). If you can get past the vocal delivery, and you like blisteringly fast thrash, you may enjoy it. Sadly, the singing killed it for me. 5/10
Oldblood: Arms To The Sky (Blood Blast Distribution)
One listen to the debut EP by Oldblood and you’ll have no difficulty in working out why the band have supported the likes of OHHMS, Boss Keloid and doom titans Conan. Described as a blackened post/doom outfit, there is something both harrowing and yet appealing about the North London four piece whose first release is intensely heavy.
The four songs which comprise Arms To The Sky are themed around the dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. With such a dark subject, the music must fit and Oldblood’s combination of doom, punk, post-metal, and black metal fits the mood with unnerving accuracy. The confidence in the musicianship is impressive, the band tight and cohesive. The riffs are crushing and relentless, with howling black metal vocals blended with a surprising amount of melody.
The EP opens with Kuebiko, a Japanese word that translates as “a state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence, which force you to revise your image of what can happen in this world". Incredibly heavy, the track is a behemoth, creating a description that one can’t help but find disturbing and uncomfortable. It’s followed by the blues-laden riff of Nuclear Blues, which threads its way through a doom filled swamp before exploding into a double time frenzy which is manic in both feel and delivery.
The two other songs are Los Alamos, described as ‘an atmospheric telling of the story of the creation of the atomic bomb’ combines an ethereal opening and some calming gentle segments, although it’s impossible to avoid the inevitable eruption into more devastating concrete heavy slabs of riffs. Final track Alone, ' tells the story of 'She', who stands alone in the devastation caused by the atomic blast, having lost everything; she wonders what to do with her life.
With subject matter so heavy, its no surprise that Oldblood are focused on delivering misery, both aurally and lyrically. They achieve that in style on an EP of which they can be rightly proud. The band comprises Joey Williams - guitar & vocals, Tom Pratt - guitar & vocals, Brendan Coles - bass & vocals and Lee Barter – Drums. Arms to the Sky is an EP well worth a listen. 8/10
With subject matter so heavy, its no surprise that Oldblood are focused on delivering misery, both aurally and lyrically. They achieve that in style on an EP of which they can be rightly proud. The band comprises Joey Williams - guitar & vocals, Tom Pratt - guitar & vocals, Brendan Coles - bass & vocals and Lee Barter – Drums. Arms to the Sky is an EP well worth a listen. 8/10
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