The World Burns Once More: Sodom Is Back

In times when military aggression multiplies and chaos feels systematic, few albums strike with as much relevance as The Arsonist, the explosive new release from Sodom. A band that already carved its name into history with two massive sonic missiles: Persecutionmania and Agent Orange—foundational pillars of German thrash during an era ruled by giants like Kreator, Destruction, and Tankard.

Sixteen albums have passed since then. Yet on their seventeenth, Sodom sounds as wild and vital as ever. The Arsonist doesn’t reinvent the wheel—it destroys it, sets it ablaze, and from its ashes builds a new monument to the darkest, most brutal thrash. The influences are clear—Venom, Slayer—but the attack instinct remains entirely their own. At times brushing up against the death-thrash of bands like Sepultura or Exhorder, at others, inhaling the blackened breath of the black metal they helped bring to life.

The album opens with a declaration of war: Battle of Harvest, a crushing entry point. The production is sharp and dynamic, allowing each drum hit and every riff to explode without mercy. Nothing feels outdated, though everything is rooted in Sodom’s purest DNA.

Trigger Discipline delivers lethal precision. Forty years haven’t tamed Tom Angelripper’s rage—if anything, he roars here like he just crawled out of hell, flanked by diabolical solos and drums that never let off the gas. A track that could easily fit into Slayer’s most aggressive catalog.

The Spirits That I Called is another standout—reminiscent of Kreator at their finest: intense, memorable, and unsettling. Witchhunter, meanwhile, pays tribute to Venom’s legacy with a ferocity that reminds us why Sodom was essential to black metal’s early rise.

If there’s one track to frame, it’s Gun Without Groom—pure instinct, pure metal. A reminder that, even if some label Sodom as “traditional,” they’re delivering one of the genre’s finest works in recent years. And if anyone doubts that, Taphephobia breaks the mold with tempo shifts, unexpected atmospheres, and a refreshing energy. Just before Sane Insanity slams the door shut with merciless brutality.

Surprises? Few. Relevance? Undeniable.

The Arsonist isn’t a twist—it’s a reaffirmation. A controlled burn of everything unnecessary, to reignite what matters most: fear, fury, tension. In a world coming apart at the seams, Sodom is still playing the soundtrack of collapse. And thrash metal has rarely sounded this alive, this urgent, this goddamn incendiary.