Sodom

Persecution Mania (1987)

Persecution Mania is fairly confused in its stylistic direction, there's some Motorhead / Venomesque heavy metal, some nascent Black / Death Metal, and a fair bit of Speed / Thrash Metal too. The main standout songs are 'Nuclear Winter', 'Persecution Mania' and 'Christ Passion' (including the scene setting instrumental 'Procession to Golgotha') where Sodom really pushed the boundaries of the time. Where these are brilliant lies in the Sodom's ability to texture songs with acute chord selection and a fine control over tone to provide ambience where necessary (especially through the drumming), and melodic direction. There is some verse / chorus type fare, but the band excels when it escapes this through the intuitive linking of 'bridge' sections through motif association and song-progression. There are also times where Sodom utilize tremolo strum, and more open chord voicings to change the phrasing away from rhymthic dominated 'rock' stylings. The introductory sections of each of the best songs are also well-executed, and provide a strong foundation for thematic composition.

Expurse of Sodomy (1987)

Noticeable on Expurse of Sodomy is the way that there is very little in the way of rhythmic expectation. For instance there are no big tempo changes or 'thrash breakdowns' and the riffs do not have that whiplash or bouncy headbanging feeling common in a lot of the American Thrash of the time. At a mirco-level the riffing does not have that momentum build-up to a big power-chord finish or anything like that, Sodom are more focused on creating jagged droning chord patterns or tremolo riffs played over a pulsing, steady drumbeat. This music, like early Destruction uses a mid-tempo attack, based around creating atmosphere with the use of minor chord changes to lull the listener gradually into its dark mood. There is not really anything in the way of flashy 'rockstar' solos either and as such it is reminiscent of dry grinding sound of Crust Punk bands like Amebix, but drawn out longer, and driven by small adjustments and changes of chords. Whilst not as minimalist as a lot of the future Black Metal, it is certainly influential to this stripped-back style. The result of the techniques used here is a ball of tension that slowly grows, eventually crushing the listening under its weight. Interestingly Sodom, generally do not conclusively resolve the tension by the end of each song - implying that the only resolution is silence (death).