Review by Rexorcist for Sodom - Agent Orange (1989)

Having got through the EP's and albums before this one, including their first live album, I'm happy I'm finally checking this out.  Their second album and second extended play showed a major upgrade in musical quality, both on a songwriting and heaviness factor, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect except for a good time.  The titular opener showcases a new ability to go from careful melodies to proper thrashing instantly while keeping the essence strong.  Some may miss the fuzz factor that defined their blacker albums, but the clearer production gives them a chance to really show off their thrashing abilities, especially in regards to their guitarists.  We also get some more excellent drumming from the always wonderful drummer, Chris Witchhunter, who's consistently been my favorite member.  Hell, even Tired and Red is able to showcase just how far they're willing to take thrash by going from the blackened riffs to a softer ballad solo to some easier, chiller thrashing akin to Jump in the Fire.  This is the most any Sodom song had done so far.  If you're a fan of the really early Sodom stuff, then you might get a huge kick out of Incest (I want you to pay very close attention to the capital I).  Its first half is entirely made up of the extra-strength muscle rub that slathered the earlier blackened stuff, heavier than anything on Agent Orange thus far.  The second half is slower and a little more "epic" in that vein, before ending with a return to the first verse's form, as expected.  This first side ends with Remember the Fallen, which starts as more of a heavy metal song than thrash.  I'll be honest, they obviously didn't learn how to make a great heavy metal track yet.  It was alright, palatable, but had nothing really amazing about it.  At least they gave heavy metal a shot.

Side B kicks off with Magic Dragon (no relation to Gloryhammer or Puff).  The heavy metal intro and first verse carry on the heavy metal sound of the last track with a slight improvement in quality, but it only made me want the thrash to come back because there's a difference between "pretty good" and "great."  Thankfully, the second act kicked off just like that.  Nothing new but it had much more personality and ability.  But I certainly don't want the album RELYING on the thrash.  I'm an "expand your horizons" guy, so I was a bit disappointed that Exhibition Bout started out the same thrashy way we've been getting for the previous few releases.  Thankully the song took a softer thrash route after the first minute, and it really wasn't that bad.  It was catchy and operable, but it only lasted for the middle section.  The saving grace upon returning to typical form was one of their best solos overtaking the third act, a grand one that makes this one of the best songs on the album.  Track 7, Ausgebombt, is practically a crossover thrash song that retools the Sodom sound, and adds a little something to the album that honestly should've been done ages ago (Slayer were doing it pretty often), so it's nice to hear that.  And finally, yet another grand thrash, Baptism of Fire, shoves the black metal influence and the Teutonic majesty in your face as it should.

So this wasn't the most diversified album, as expected being a Sodom album, but it was another upgrade in quality, albiet a small one from their sophomore release.  This is one of the harder thrashers in the Teutonic scene based on what I've heard so far, and I can get behind it being a thrash classic.  Still, give me Metallica any day.

90