Sodom- Genesis XIX (Album Review)

Musicians: Sodom
Album Title: Genesis XIX
Genre/ Subgenre: Thrash Metal
Label: Entertainment One (eOne)- USA, Steamhammer/ SPV- Europe
Release Date: November 27, 2020

German thrash metal legends Sodom are back with a brand new album Genesis XIX. And, it is a complete and utter ripper! Musicianship is top notch, of course, with soaring leads and killer riffs from the double guitar team of Frank Blackfire and Yorck Segatz. While, the pounding and fast drumming of Toni Merkel is an excellent example of pure thrash metal joy. 

The result is that from the very beginning to the end, every single song on here is fucking killer no filler. As a matter of fact, its not even that every song is simply or good or even very good, as every fucking track is great and beyond! To put it simply, this fucker kicks ass and teeth in!

This record opens with a banger of an instrumental in "Blind Superstition" and never fucking lets up from there on! The thundering and driving "Sodom and Gomorrha" is the type of classic sounding trash metal that I live for! The catchy chorus sounds like a Motorhead track taken to the nth degree. It is the first sign that all these years signer/ bass player Tom Angelripper still sounds as awesome as ever. His voice is aggressive and just extreme enough come close to but never fully enter death metal territory. "Nicht Mehr Mein Land" actually starts with a death metalesque intro that leads right a pounding and groove-laden soundscape. Angelripper sounds fucking killer, yet again(!), with some pained and angry sounding screaming. That the song is German makes it that much more hostile and vicious! The last song I am gonna mention is "Occult Perpetrator" (though to be honest, I could gush about all the songs on here for hours on end!), which has this wonderfully atmospheric intro. This leads to an angry mix of driving crunch and speed, which makes for killer music to bang your head to. 

Sodom's Genesis XIX is their finest work since Agent Orange, in fact it feels like this is the direct follow up to that masterpiece. The album is the absolute best thrash metal release of the year. A fast, heavy, and unrelenting banger that, when concerts come back and these song get played live, will have mosh pits ranging. My fellow thrash metal lovers heed my word, this is a must have!

5 out of 5

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Toxic Holocaust- Primal Future: 2019 (Album Review)

Musician: Toxic Holocaust
Album Title: Primal Holocaust: 2019
Genre/ Subgenre: Thrash metal/ Crossover Thrash
Label: Entertainment One (eOne)
Release Date: October 4, 2019

After a six year hiatus, with the last release being 2013's Chemistry of Conscious, Joel Grind's one-man crossover thrash machine of Toxic Holocaust is back with Primal Future: 2019. And, with it, he has crafted his best work yet! The fact that he sang, played all the instruments, mixed, and mastered it, makes this all the more impressive.

The crossover sound is at full blast in this kick your fucking teeth in release. Fast and furious, as the album title and cool as fuck album artwork, by Steve Crisp, hint at, the thematic element here is a dystopian technological conquest. And, like an attack from Skynet, this fucker will blow away!

The second track, "Black Out the Code", has a badass riff that truly drives this fucking killer banger, Lightning fast and shredding to the ninth degree, it recalls early Megadeth and Venom in its unrelenting fury. The mysterious and haunting intro to the title track feels like it would be right at home in a dystopian science fiction thriller like The Road Warrior or The Terminator. Then, the chugging music comes and you will not be able to resist to bang your head right along to it. The menacing and apocalyptic lyrics add a dark and terrifying feel in keeping with the technological terror theme. The full blown speed and metal fury of "Iron Cage" recalls a very technically sound version of Discharge. It's punk like heart will really please those lovers of crossover. The rollicking groove and vinegar and piss of "Controlled by Fear" makes for what is probably my favorite track on this one. It's sure to get that motherfucking pit going!

It has been way too long since we have had a Toxic Holocaust release, but with Primal Holocaust: 2019, they have surpassed all my expectations. Not only is the best album ever put out by TH, but one of the very best thrash releases of 2019. And, considering the releases we have had in this style of metal this year, this is no small feet. Recalling early Metallica and Megadeth, Venom, Nuclear Assault, Discharge, and others in various parts and tracks, this one is sure to please those who miss the glory days of metal's greatest subgenre. So throw on your denim battle jacket. get ready to jump in the pit, and listen to the fuck out of this absolute scorcher of a release!

4.5 out of 5

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Creeping Death- Wretched Illusions (Album Review)

Musician- Creeping Death
Album Title- Wretched Illusions
Genre/ Subgenre- Death Metal
Label- Entertainment One (eOne)
Release Date- September 27, 2019

Texas death metal band Creeping Death make their much anticipated and truly spectacular full length debut with the unrelenting Wretched Illusions. They have been the talk of the underground in the weeks leading up to this release, and let me say that they are worth all the hype they have been getting and more!

The band's sound has a definitely old school death metal sound with some thrash metal riffs, perfectly fitting their moniker. Just about every song on here is filled with energy and adrenalinized ass kicking.

The flesh shredding "Captivity" has chugging and soaring guitars coupled with the barking, aggressive, and pissed off vocals of Reese. A slower, more doomy part of the song adds an extra kick in the fucking ass. The thrash influence can be heard very clearly in the early part of "Bloodlust Contamination". It reminds me of Possessed with with a galloping groove thrown if for good measure and one hell of a mosh fueling breakdown. Speaking of doom, "Corroded from Within" really slows things down with a dark and menacing feel that will crush you face first on to the concrete. Then, it ratchets up the speed, all while still keeping the slower groove. It's Sepultura meets Obituary in the fucking awesome and unstoppable "World Decay", a thunder-storm like masterpiece that is my favorite track on the album.

I also love the production by Daniel (Power Trip, End Times) Schmuck and mix and mastering by Arthur (Cavalera Conspiracy, Outer Heaven) Rizk. The album has a thick and heavy sound, punctuated by thundering bass and vocals that bark at you with seething rage and menace.

If I could pick one, new band that old school death metal fans should divert all their attention to, then that would be Creeping Death. On what is their debut album, Wretched Illusions, they have given what maybe the best death metal of the year, so far. That dear readers, is one hell of an achievement! Thrashy and fast, yet groove laden and driven, fans of bands like early Sepultura, Obituary, and Bolt Thrower definitely need to buy this album! And, don't be surprised if this massive monster of an album becomes a classic of the genre.

4.5 out of 5

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