After the U.S. the most important country in the story of thrash metal has to be Germany. And in Germany it all started with the debut EP from Sodom. Where German thrash initially differentiated itself from its American counterpart was in crude, primitive blackness. And it doesn’t get much cruder, blacker or more primitive than 1985’s In The Sign Of Evil. It’s all very Venom-inspired with similar levels of punkish ineptitude. Most songs alternate between two caveman riffs and the performance, even on stupidly basic riffs like those in Sepulchral Voice, often unravels. But it was all chaotically evil enough to ensure that Sodom played a crucial role in the “first wave” of black metal and countless black metal bands still draw from this well. Outbreak Of Evil and Witching Metal are catchy-as-hell bruisers, Burst Command ‘Til War predates war metal with its howling pack of dogs chaos and Blasphemer ramps up the evil with Vincent Price laughs and entertainingly crap satanic lyrics… “masturbate to kill myself”. It’s the kind of entry-level simplicity that means new bands still fancy their chances at emulating it. But few have. In The Sign Of Evil is still a cut above with songs that live in the memory and in the band’s set-list to this day.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
I like that tasty riff. Especially on a Sunday morning. I guess “punkish ineptitude” isn’t a bad thing?
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Only if Dave Grohl is involved!
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Every time I do a Grohl post, I do legitimately feel bad about it!
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Makes sense. I’d feel bad too.
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I wanted to prove he’s not bulletproof.
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Got any Exciter kicking about?
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First two albums.
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I had the first two as well. Pounding Metal is such a good song. Can Con Thrash.
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Masterbate …. What?!! It’s bad for you?!
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Only if you do it as much as Sodom clearly do.
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I’m not one to play on national stereotypes, but maybe they just do it really too efficiently, rather than too often?
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Quite possibly! They’re very organised about it, perhaps.
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Have you seen the show, Community?
That was how one of the characters died – perhaps this Sodom recording was where the writers got the idea!
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Not seen that but I have just found out that Germany has unusually high instances of death due to “extreme” umm… self love. 100 people a year!
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This band sort of passed me by in the 80s but it is great 80s sounding thrash.
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Yes! I’m a total sucker for the Venom-y stuff. It took me longer to get to them than the other German bands. Was into Kreator and Destruction first.
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So was I.
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I love Sodom on albums like Better Off Dead and Agent Orange. Well put together, well played, well produced.
This and obsessed with cruelty are, um, well not my cup of tea.
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Fair enough. I always like the knockabout Venom kinda stuff so this is right up my street.
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What’s all this. This is too noisy. Death by masturbation? What!? What kind of evil are you spreading here!
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I’m doing nothing of the sort! Isn’t that a Robert Palmer cover?
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How very dare you! Mr. Palmer would never resort to such cheap (albeit deadly) thrills.
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