The Teutonic Thrash Thread

Sodom - "Expurse Of Sodomy" E.P. (1987)

I've gotta be honest. Sodom's celebrated early works have never done anything for me whatsoever. It wasn't until guitarist Frank Blackfire joined the seminal German thrashers in 1987 that I'd find something I could dig my teeth into & this little E.P. was his first release with the band. It's only a three-song, 15 minute affair but there's easily enough quality to do some serious damage. Particularly on the A side with the highlight track "Sodomy & Lust" being an absolute pearl of the German thrash movement. This was the beginning of Sodom's golden era & they'd only get better from here.

4/5

Necronomicon - "Apocalyptic Nightmare" (1987)

I quite enjoyed the self-titled debut album from this German thrash metal outfit but the 1987 follow-up release "Apocalyptic Nightmare" doesn't seem to have the same edge. It sees Necronomicon taking a similar approach with very loose performances & a nice raw production however this time the overall energy the band creates fails to balance out the complete lack of structure or technique with the guitars proving to be particularly incompetent. I do love the Schmier style vocals which have that nasty snarl that seems to be so common in the Teutonic thrash scene but some added technicality in the arrangements fails dismally in the execution. The Destruction influence is even more obvious than it was previously with a fair whack of speed metal being evident in the composition of the riffs but while most tracks have enjoyable parts when the band stops mucking around & simply thrashes out, only a couple of the seven lengthy tracks manage to overcome Necronomicon's technical & theoretical failings. It's not awful but there were much better examples of Teutonic thrash around at the time.

3/5

Exumer - "Rising From The Sea" (1987)

Am I the only one who finds German thrashers Exumer's least celebrated sophomore effort to be better than their highly regarded debut "Possessed By Fire" from the previous year? From my brief googling it would seem to be that way. Everyone seems to say that it was a bit of a misfire with flat riffs & very little energy but I can't for the life of me see where that opinion's coming from. Sure it's not as raw, is slightly more accomplished musically & is a complete & utter rip-off of "Hell Awaits" & "Reign In Blood" era Slayer but metal doesn't get any better than classic Slayer & the band do a pretty good job at interpreting it so who fucking cares. The new vocalist is pretty bad ass too & he contributes a more than decent Tom Araya impression. Despite a stupid two minute S.O.D. style comedy number I find this to be a massively underrated record.

4/5

Accu§er - "The Conviction" (1987)

A decent enough thrash/speed metal debut from this German outfit. The A side is in the German speed metal style while the B side is in a US thrash style. Think early Iron Angel/Holy Moses/Living Death & the more aggressive Accept material meets Exodus.

3.5/5

Darkness - "Death Squad" (1987)

The debut album from this relatively unknown German thrash outfit who sound almost exactly like the first three Kreator records. It's fast, raw & violent & I don't mind it from a purely nostalgic point of view. For fans of Kreator, Destruction & Necronomicon.

3.5/5

Violent Force - "Malevolent Assault Of Tomorrow" (1987)

The sole album from this unheralded German thrash metal outfit. It's a very solid release too & will definitely appeal to fans of Sodom, Slayer & Assassin.

4/5

Paradox - "Product Of Imagination" (1987)

The debut album from this German four-piece whose sound is a blend of thrash, speed & heavy metal with thrash being the major component. They sound much more American than they do German & fans of Testament, mid-80's Megadeth & early Angel Dust should find plenty to enjoy here.

3.5/5

I've just added a new list to the Metal Academy Lists section. You can now find "Daniel's Top Ten Early Teutonic Thrash Releases (1984-1986)" here:

https://metal.academy/lists/single/68

I have no doubt that this one will prove to be controversial... as much for its omissions as for its inclusions. Please feel free to post your own versions of the list here for discussion.

Living Death - "Protected From Reality" (1987)

Some vicious German thrash metal with over-the-top screechy Udo Dirkschneider-style vocals. Living Death's first couple of albums had taken more of speed metal approach but this record is fully-fledged Teutonic thrash & is all the better for it too. The term "metal as fuck!" comes to mind pretty readily as the searing guitar tone & aggressive riff assault is a real drawcard. It's just a shame that the album is so top heavy because the quality fades substantially from the middle of the tracklisting which prevents me from opting for a slightly higher rating. Thorsten "Toto" Bergman's vocal delivery is definitely an acquired taste too & when he's not quite on the money it can spell disaster (see "Intruder" for example). Still... this is a more than decent example of the German thrash sound & was Living Death's best work to the time so it should offer some appeal for fans of Destruction, Iron Angel & the more aggressive Accept material.

3.5/5

Holy Moses - "Finished With The Dogs" (1987)

Rip-snorting Teutonic thrash with amazing riffs & aggressive female vocals. It's tight & focused as hell & I love it. In fact, it's a world away from Holy Moses' lackluster speed metal debut "Queen Of Siam". This is pure thrash metal from start to finish.

4/5

Vendetta - "Go & Live... Stay & Die" (1987)

Speed metal-infused Teutonic thrash metal with NWOBHM influences. The vocals & guitar solos aren't amazing but the rhythm guitar tone is wonderfully raw, the lengthy arrangements have been put together with an impressive attention to detail & the overall energy is universally electric so I find it very hard not enjoy this record. For fans of Deathrow, Darkness & Angel Dust.

3.5/5

Holy Moses - "Finished With The Dogs" (1987)

Rip-snorting Teutonic thrash with amazing riffs & aggressive female vocals. It's tight & focused as hell & I love it. In fact, it's a world away from Holy Moses' lackluster speed metal debut "Queen Of Siam". This is pure thrash metal from start to finish.

4/5

Just checked this out. What an amazing leap in quality from the original. Thanks for highlighting this Daniel.

Exumer - "Rising From The Sea" (1987)

Am I the only one who finds German thrashers Exumer's least celebrated sophomore effort to be better than their highly regarded debut "Possessed By Fire" from the previous year? From my brief googling it would seem to be that way. Everyone seems to say that it was a bit of a misfire with flat riffs & very little energy but I can't for the life of me see where that opinion's coming from. Sure it's not as raw, is slightly more accomplished musically & is a complete & utter rip-off of "Hell Awaits" & "Reign In Blood" era Slayer but metal doesn't get any better than classic Slayer & the band do a pretty good job at interpreting it so who fucking cares. The new vocalist is pretty bad ass too & he contributes a more than decent Tom Araya impression. Despite a stupid two minute S.O.D. style comedy number I find this to be a massively underrated record.

4/5

I've just reviewed Exumer's second (better) album and I completely agree Daniel. Sure the first is good, but this is the best Slayer-influenced album I've heard outside of the masters themselves. Some people just get too caught-up in over-thinking metal - sometimes you just gotta let go! We're not talking Mozart here for fucks sake!

Tankard - "Chemical Invasion" (1987)

The sophomore album from Frankfurt's Tankard is an enthusiastic example of alcohol-obsessed, speed metal-infused Teutonic thrash. It's certainly well composed, executed & produced & is always fun but I rarely find it competing on the same level as the other German heavy-weights. In saying that though, I do like it a touch better than Tankard's enjoyable 1986 debut album "Zombie Attack". For fans of Destruction, Nuclear Assault & S.O.D.

3.5/5

Deathrow - "Raging Steel" (1987)

The 1987 sophomore record from  Düsseldorf-based four-piece Deathrow is an enjoyable piece of raw Teutonic thrash metal that builds on the decent platform they'd built for themselves with their debut album from the previous year "Riders Of Doom". There's a bit more melody & ambition being shown here although you shouldn't expect any traces of tech thrash at this stage. The vocal performance is a little inconsistent which has effected my score a touch but fans of Darkness, Sacrifice & "Pleasure To Kill"-era Kreator should find plenty to enjoy here nonetheless.

3.5/5

Destruction - "Release From Agony" (1987)

I've never been a fan of the first couple of seminal releases from German thrash metal legends Destruction. It wasn't until they went in a more sophisticated & technically proficient direction with 1986's "Eternal Devastation" & 1987's "Mad Butcher" E.P. that they gained my interest & that appeal reached its climax with 1987's "Release From Agony" album which I regard as Destruction's best work to the time. It's a particularly consistent record that oozes class & professionalism. The only limiting factors are the lack of many genuine vocal hooks & Schmier's vocal performance which I'd suggest falls into the category of "tolerable" more that it does "enjoyable". Those issues aside though, "Release From Agony" is a high quality & ambitious piece of Teutonic thrash that kinda sounds like Kreator crossed with Coroner. If that idea sounds appealing to you then you'll likely really dig this album.

4/5

Kreator - "Terrible Certainty" (1987)

1987's third full-length album from German thrash metal leaders Kreator was another very solid release for the band although it failed to reach the heights of their previous couple of releases ("Pleasure To Kill" & the "Flag Of Hate" E.P.). It saw Kreator going for a cleaner & more sophisticated sound &, whilst the riffs were certainly there, the song-writing & technical skills weren't quite fully developed just yet. Don't get me wrong. There's definitely enough high quality Teutonic thrash on offer to keep me happy (including a couple of genuine classics in "Blind Faith" & "Toxic Trace") but the band would take great strides forwards with their next couple of albums & this resulted in "Terrible Certainty" kinda resembling the middle child that inevitably gets less attention. It would bring Kreator back to the pack for a short period that also included the disappointing "Out of the Dark... Into the Light" E.P.

For fans of Sodom, Slayer & Destruction.

4/5

Sodom - "Persecution Mania" (1987)

Sodom's second full-length album was a big record for me when I first discovered the band as a teenager back in 1989. I think I heard the follow-up "Agent Orange" first but ventured back to its older sibling very quickly & it's been my preferred Sodom release to this day. “Persecution Mania” saw the band taking full advantage of their talented new lead guitarist Frank Blackfire with a noticeably cleaner & more proficient delivery that had shed the rough-&-ready production values of Sodom's early blackened period in favour of a much more polished Harris Johns production. Musically, it's very much a combination of three distinct sounds. Firstly, you have a fast & aggressive Slayer-inspired form of thrash metal which is always exciting & really accentuates Tom Angelripper’s raspy vocal delivery. Then you have a jangly, bass guitar-driven & inherently fun form of speed/heavy metal that’s obviously a tribute to Sodom’s beloved heroes Motorhead. And finally, you have a chuggier mid-paced form of thrash that’s similar to early Celtic Frost. All of the faster, thrashier tracks include these slower chuggy sections sections at some stage & I can’t help but feel that they detract from the overall effect a little due to their more calculated & generic nature. The song-structures seem to have been loosely pasted together at times too as Sodom were still very much learning their craft. Tom’s bass work has improved out of sight & his vocal performance still sounds genuinely incisive today. I really do love the faster parts of the album but those mid-tempo parts haven’t aged as well as I’d hoped & this has contributed to me scoring the album slightly lower than I would have back in the day when it represented a minor obsession for me.

For fans of Slayer, Celtic Frost & Motorhead.

4/5

So I thought I'd give the lists section a test run by creating my "Top Ten Teutonic Thrash Release of 1987" list. Here's the link:

https://metal.academy/lists/single/93

01. Exumer - "Rising From The Sea"

02. Sodom - "Persecution Mania"

03. Destruction - "Release From Agony"

04. Violent Force - "Malevolent Assault Of Tomorrow"

05. Sodom - "Expurse Of Sodomy" E.P.

06. Kreator - "Terrible Certainty"

07. Protector - "Misanthropy" E.P.

08. Holy Moses - "Finished With The Dogs"

09. Destruction - "Mad Butcher" E.P.

10. Tankard - "Chemical Invasion"

Feel free to share your thoughts or your own personal lists.

Kreator - "Coma Of Souls" (1990)

I revisited this legendary slab of Teutonic thrash glory over the last couple of days & very quickly remembered how much of an absolute riff-fest it is. The production is superb (particularly the killer rhythm guitar tone) & the addition of Frank Blackfire on lead guitar adds some welcome technique & melody to proceedings. There are three or four unmitigated belters amongst the ten tracks on offer here but it's the inevitable quality of the filler material that best showcases the album's true strength i.e. it's overall consistency. Mille's raspy vocals still possess that imposing & instantly recognisable snarl that I've always loved so much but the most noteworthy characteristic of "Coma Of Souls" is the whole new level of maturity in the song-writing which showcases an unusual level of restraint at times. The continued improvement of Ventor as a powerful, precise & efficient drummer is equally impressive, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of one of Kreator's greatest charms i.e. their unbridled aggression. I guess this is partially responsible for "Coma Of Souls" not being my favourite Kreator record. In fact, it probably wouldn't even make my top three but it's still an undeniable classic which is as strong an indication of the importance of Germany's finest metal export as there ever was. What an album cover too!!

For fans of Sodom, Slayer & Destruction.

4.5/5

Kreator - "Out Of The Dark... Into The Light" E.P. (1988)

I make no apologies for my deep love of German thrash metal icons Kreator, specifically their 1986-1990 period. In fact, if I had my way then they’d be a part of the Big Four & I’m not talking about the Teutonic one either. I first discovered Kreator through the “Betrayer” video clip through a late-night Australian music video program called Rage in 1989/90 & never looked back. I very quickly picked up everything I could find from the band, including this E.P. which I secured on CD. Over the years though, I’ve tended to regard “Out Of The Dark… Into The Light” as an inessential cash-grab more than anything else & have largely overlooked it in favour of Kreator’s more highly regarded studio material. Have I been a little harsh? I suspect I might have been so I’ve decided to review my position for the first time in well over a decade this week.

“Out Of The Dark… Into the Light” is essentially a five-song combination of studio & live tracks that served as a stop-gap between 1987’s “Terrible Certainty” third album & 1989’s wonderful “Extreme Aggression” record. The two studio tracks include one new original in “Impossible To Cure” which is an excitingly raw & shredtastic thrasher that’s perhaps not as classic as some of Kreator’s best material but is a particularly solid inclusion nonetheless. The other studio track is a cover version of NWOBHM outfit Raven’s “Lambs To The Slaughter” which is taken from their 1981 debut album “Rock Until You Drop”. I’ve always struggled with Raven to tell you truth & the original version of this song didn’t exactly set my world on fire so I’m not surprised that this cover came across as really flat. It sees Kreator taking more of a heavy/speed metal approach with the occasional use of higher-pitched vocals from Mille & it simply doesn’t work in my opinion. In truth, I think this track has impacted my overall impression of the E.P. a little more than it should have over the years too.

The three live tracks included were taken from a 1988 performance at the Dynamo Club in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. All three songs represent big tracks in Kreator’s back catalogue however they do tend to be some of the more overrated ones & the performances are very rough indeed. In fact, the title track from “Terrible Certainty” is presented as somewhat of a dog’s breakfast with its timing & precision issues seeing me struggling to find much enjoyment in it. “Riot of Violence”, on the other hand, has always thrived in the live environment & that’s still the case here, despite the sloppy musicianship. “Awakening of the Gods” is certainly a more impressive song than it’s given the chance to be here with the rhythm guitar parts seeming to be far too much for one of the axemen but it’s still a strong enough example of Teutonic thrash to keep me interested.

So you can see that “Out Of The Dark… Into The Light” is very much a mixed bag that’s been thrown together from a bunch of disparate & imperfect off-cuts but I can’t deny that there’s just enough of interest to justify it’s release. The raucous & slightly abrasive production job is perhaps the last time we'd see that from Kreator with "Extreme Aggression" seeing them starting to clean up their act & it works reasonably well here. Extreme metal bands performing heavy metal cover versions in a style that’s different from their usual one is not generally a practice I profess to support & that’s once again been proven to be the case here. It’s amazing how much of a difference there is between the skill levels shown in the live performances here versus 2003’s “Live Kreation” double live album too. They’re very much chalk & cheese. In saying that though, I don’t think many people listen to Kreator for their technicality & the exciting energy levels are still there so the rawer presentation isn’t a disaster, even if “Terrible Certainty” struggles to stay afloat. Overall, I’d suggest that “Out Of The Dark… Into The Light” is certainly inessenital & is very much an only-for-the-diehards release but if my rating is anything to go then it would appear that I must class myself as one of those.

3.5/5

Vendetta - "Brain Damage" (1988)

My experience with second tier Teutonic thrash metal outfit Vendetta began fairly early in my time as a teenage tape trader back in the early 1990’s when I received their first two albums on either side of the one cassette from a reliable European gentleman I’d been corresponding with. I remember them being quite entertaining too & they both received a good few listens over the coming month or so but I think it’s fair to say that my attention had already been well & truly captured by the thriving death metal insurgence by that stage so I’d suggest that Vendetta were always going to be facing an uphill battle in their quest to justify return visits in the longer term. As a result, Vendetta kinda slipped off my radar until a few years ago when I revisited their 1987 debut album “Go & Live… Stay & Die” & found it to offer an enjoyable brand of speed metal-infused thrash, complete with NWOBHM influences, a wonderfully raw guitar tone, an electric energy & some lengthy arrangements that showcased an impressive attention to detail. The vocals & guitar solos weren’t amazing but it was a decent enough first-up effort overall. Ever since that time I’ve been meaning to revisit Vendetta’s most highly regarded release in their 1988 sophomore album “Brain Damage” which seems to have gained somewhat of a cult following over the years.

"Brain Damage" sees legendary German metal producer Harris Johns returning to produce his second Vendetta album only this time he's under the guidance of experienced executive producer Karl-U Walterbach whose resume certainly proceeded him. Walterbach had worked on a string of classic Teutonic metal releases such as Celtic Frost’s “Morbid Tales”, “Emperors Return” & “Into Mega Therion”, Kreator’s “Pleasure To Kill” & Running Wild’s “Port Royal” while Johns’ own CV sported the likes of Helloween’s self-titled E.P. & “Walls of Jericho” debut album, Kreator’s “Pleasure To Kill”, Voivod’s “Killing Technology” & “Dimension Hatross” & Sodom’s “Persecution Mania” so Noise Records had certainly brought in the big guns & “Brain Damage” sounds less raw & more professional than “Go & Live… Stay & Die” as a result. In fact, the clear & bright production quality plays a pretty major role in the appeal of this record as the song-writing isn’t always up to scratch.

The time that Vendetta put into the arrangements on the debut is once again on show here with some quite progressive & slightly technical moments popping up here & there. The musicianship is excellent throughout with the band's performances being super-tight which gives the arrangements their very best chance at success. Vendetta prove themselves to be well capable of creating some great, chuggy thrash riffs but the NWOBHM influence that was so evident on “Go & Live… Stay & Die” is once again fairly obvious here with Iron Maiden being the clear source inspiration, particularly in some of the more progressive sections where bassist Klaus Ullrich is given the chance to shine such as the lengthy instrumental centrepiece “Fade To Insanity”. I mentioned earlier that speed metal played a role in the make-up of the debut & “Brain Damage” is no different in that regard, so much so that I’d suggest that the dual tagging is warranted here. Thrash metal is still the main player but I don’t think you can disregard the significance of the German speed metal contribution as there's often a little ambiguity about which genre has the ascendency.

Once again though, the limiting factor in Vendetta’s metal assault can be found in the vocals of guitarists Achim Hömerlein & Michael Wehner which don’t really meet the mark for a band with such a melodic sensibility in my opinion. Perhaps if Vendetta took a more raw & aggressive approach similar to Kreator or Sodom then I wouldn’t be discussing it so much but Vendetta’s sound is intended to be cleaner & more accessible so I’m not sure that this result has served then particularly well. The raspy vocals certainly don’t hide their German origin but often remind me a lot of Kai Hansen’s dodgy contributions to the early Helloween releases which I wasn’t much of a fan of to begin with.

Despite this shortcoming, there is some reward to be found in “Brain Damage” as the class in the instrumentation is quite impressive. There are a few weaker numbers to be found across the tracklisting (see the title track, “Precious Existence”, Dominance of Violence” & particularly the pointless “Love Song”) but the stronger material is able to balance it out with opener “War”, the previously mentioned instrumental “Fade To Insanity” & the fast & thrashy “Never Die” (my personal favourite) being the best inclusions. I do have to admit that I’d be more likely to reach for the rawer debut album over this one though as it’s simply a little more consistent. Still… if you really dig some of the more underground bands from the Teutonic thrash scene like Grinder, Darkness & Pyacanda then “Brain Damage” will no doubt be of interest to you.

3.5/5

Destruction - "Cracked Brain" (1990)

Teutonic thrash heavyweights Destruction & I have always maintained an unusual relationship when compared to that of most extreme metal fans. You see, despite my having quite enjoyed the their early “Bestial Invasion of Hell” demo, I have to admit that I’ve never really gotten on with Destruction’s first couple of proper releases in 1984’s “Sentence of Death” E.P. & 1985's “Infernal Overkill” debut album. It’s not until they became a little more adventurous & added a bit of sophistication to their sound with their 1986 sophomore album “Eternal Devastation” that I saw my interest being held with any sort of regularity & from that point I saw Destruction adding a little more appeal with each release they put out during the back end of the 1980’s. But the reality is that I discovered all of these releases in quick succession & not necessarily in chronological order after first having Destruction brought to my attention through some material from “Sentence of Death” that was playing on a late-night underground metal radio program I used to obsessively follow as an early teenager.

The first & only Destruction release that I’d purchase an original copy of at the time of its release would be 1990’s “Cracked Brain” fourth full-length which came off the back of my favourite Destruction records in 1987’s “Release From Agony” & 1989 live album “Live Without Sense”. Ben & I picked “Cracked Brain” up on cassette & I played it fairly religiously for some time afterwards. It wouldn’t be for a couple of decades that I’d discover that I really shouldn’t enjoy “Cracked Brain” as much as I had been. It’s apparently forbidden for one reason or another, mainly due to the sacking of legendary front man Schmier just prior to the recording of the album from what I can make out. But my memories of “Cracked Brain” are in direct contrast to the consistent criticism I’ve read about it online lately so I decided to see how much of my positivity is caused by nostalgia & how much is genuine quality.

As with all of Destruction’s previous records, “Cracked Brain” was released through legendary German metal label Steamhammer Records, this time with experienced English producer Guy Bidmead sharing the production duties with the band. Guy had certainly paid his dues over the years but his most noteworthy contributions as a metal producer were through Motorhead’s “No Remorse” & “Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Exciter’s “Long Live The Loud” & “Unveiling The Wicked”, Cloven Hoof’s “Dominator” & Coroner’s “Punishment For Decadence”. Unfortunately though, the result of his work on “Cracked Brain” amounted to a wishy washy & slightly muted sounding record that’s a little lacking in brightness. Thankfully though, the quality of the majority of the material is strong enough to overcome the deficiencies in the mix.

That’s right ladies & gentlemen. I said it. “Cracked Brain” is a high-quality thrash metal record that features Destruction’s most complex & sophisticated song structures to date. The angular, technical nature of many of the riffs gives the album a fresh & exciting feel while, contrary to popular opinion, I’ve always felt that the inclusion of a new vocalist in André Grieder of Swiss thrashers Poltergeist breathed new life into the band. Original singer & bassist Schmier had been unceremoniously sacked just prior to the recording of the album, a decision that most (eventually including the rest of the band members too it has to be said) felt was a very poor decision. André’s raspy delivery sounds a little more screamy & psychotic in a Paul Baloff kinda way as opposed to the snarlier Schmier but I think both have their merits & the two guitarists do a great job at picking up Schmier’s bass duties. Where “Release From Agony” bordered on technical thrash metal, “Cracked Brain” takes the full plunge for a good half the album, often sounding as much like Coroner as it does Kreator or Sodom. The way they manage to incorporate melody into their riffs without sacrificing on the darkness is something that really appeals to me personally. Don’t get me wrong though, this is still an aggressive & thrashy as fuck Destruction record with a whole lot of energy & I don’t think any member of The Pit will have too many problems with the musical direction.

This brings us to the obvious exception however & one that I feel is primarily responsible for “Cracked Brain” being treated unfairly by many diehard fans. I’m not sure whose decision it was to include a cover version of The Knack’s “My Sherona” right in the middle of the tracklisting but it was undeniably a very poor one. Again contrary to popular opinion though, I don’t think it’s a bad version of the track if you listen to it in isolation & don’t focus on the fact that it’s been produced by a thrash band. In fact, if you heard it playing in a pub at high volume after downing a few beers with your mates then I can almost guarantee that you’d all be singing along to it merrily. It’s just that it sounds so out of whack with the material around it that’s the big problem here & I simply can’t justify the decision to include it. Thankfully though, the rest of the tracklisting is completely blemish-free & is actually very strong. The opening title track is the clear highlight & is one of Destruction's best tracks overall in my opinion but the rest of the tracklisting rarely dips below a very solid & consistent level of quality with the less ambitious thrasher “Die A Day Before You’re Born” probably being the weaker of the bunch if you exclude the poorly placed cover version.

The musicianship on “Cracked Brain” is nothing short of stunning to be honest & is a real highlight with Destruction once again proving themselves to be miles ahead of the other three Teutonic Big Four members when it comes to technical proficiency. The two lead guitarists Mike Sifringer & Harry Wilkens really go to town on the sweep picking during some highly creative guitar solos that lean pretty heavily on progressive concepts to differentiate themselves from standard thrash metal fodder. Odd time signatures are pulled off with ease while drummer Oliver Kaiser (who joined the band for their last album “Release From Agony”) once again puts in a solid performance that works more to accentuate the music around him than trying for anything too showy.

While I do think that “Release From Agony” just manages to top “Cracked Brain”, I simply can’t understand or condone the consistently lacklustre opinions on what I consider to be a very engaging European thrash metal record & one that I’d take over any of Destruction’s pre-1987 releases. People need to look past their anger at Schmier’s sacking & the silly cover version so that they can reach the gooey centre that clearly seems to have been eluding them up until this point.

4/5

Sodom - "Better Off Dead" (1990)

I first became aware of Teutonic thrash heavy-weights Sodom through their classic 1988 third full-length "Agent Orange" which I purchased on cassette in the very late 1980's or early 1990's & it impressed me enough to see me very rapidly purchasing the remainder of their back catalogue (also on cassette). I wouldn't say that I ever regarded them as a tier one thrash outfit but they certainly offered enough energy & menace to keep this ol' thrasher satisfied & sat comfortably at the top of my tier two bucket. The main issue for Sodom throughout the 1980's was always their ability to write freely flowing songs. They were masters of writing fantastic riffs but the song structures often sounded really jerky & pasted together to my ears which saw them lagging behind their superior local peers Kreator the majority of the time. 1990 would see Sodom releasing their fourth album & it'd be the first that I'd purchase on release (on cassette again -go figure). The better tracks had already been flogged on late-night underground metal radio programs so I was pretty pumped for what I hoped would be the record to see me finally elevate Sodom to the top tier where they belonged.

So, did they manage to do it? Well... not quite but they gave it a damn good crack. "Better Off Dead" is a beautifully conceived & composed thrash record that saw Sodom finally overcoming the song-writing challenges of the past to present some fully-developed & naturally flowing song structures. Of the twelve tracks, two are cover versions but they're both well executed & work as nice change-ups (particularly the Tank one which is really very good & suits their sound nicely). Stylistically, the majority of the record takes a familiar but highly professional German thrash direction but the band regularly change things up with not only a couple of those Motorhead-style speed metal numbers they're so good at but also a few genuine heavy metal tunes. They're damn entertaining too & easily trigger the ear worms to take control of your body for the remainder of the day to reflect on. 

The highlight tracks on "Better Off Dead" are sublime. Elite thrash numbers like opener "An Eye For An Eye" & album highlight "Bloodtrails" are crushingly heavy & never fail to get my head banging but the surprise packet comes in the form of a stunningly ambitious track like "Resurrection" which is a much more controlled heavy metal number that utilizes some unique choir sections & features Motorhead's Lemmy on backing vocals. The consistency of the tracklisting is another major selling point as there's not a weak track included with only the Thin Lizzy cover of "Cold Sweat" sounding inessential. New guitarist Michael Hoffmann's bluesy Fast Eddie Clarke-inspired guitar solos fit Sodom's dirty sound like a glove too which isn't something I thought I'd be saying going in. I guess it goes without saying then that "Better Off Dead" is an essential Sodom album, isn't it? But I'll go one step further by claiming that I'm now comfortable to voice the internalized feelings I've always harbored that "Better Off Dead" was Sodom's best release to the time. Yep! I went there & I'm holding my ground too.

4/5