SODOM Genesis XIX 2LP ,BLACK [VINYL 12"]

Gatefold with printed inner sleeves, 140 g, black vinyl

LP 1
Side A
1. Blind Superstition 1:02
2. Sodom & Gomorrah 4:06
3. Euthanasia 3:54
Side B
1. Genesis XIX 7:09
2. Nicht mehr mein Land 4:29
3. Glock N‘ Roll 5:02
LP 2
Side C
1. The Harponeer 7:10
2. Dehumanized 3:53
3. Occult Perpetrator 4:53
Side D
1. Waldo & Pigpen 6:26
2. Indoctrination 3:10
3. Friendly Fire 3:36

Altenessen, a social melting-pot deep in the heart of the Ruhr Area. From the mid-
19 th century, the region supplied Europe’s industrialisation with the required raw
materials, mined under back-breaking conditions below ground in coal pits named
Carl, Anna, Fritz-Heinrich, Helene and the like. Altenessen is also the musical
domicile of Tom Angelripper, vocalist/bassist of German metal act Sodom, who has
met for some years with his band members in a ratty rehearsal room in that part of
Essen to produce tough-as-nails thrash music. To other musicians, such information
may be of marginal interest; to Tom it is an important component of his recipe for
success. “I want guys from the Ruhr, who share my background, with whom I can
work and rehearse consistently,” explains Sodom’s mastermind, who has
implemented his band’s philosophy together with guitarists Frank Blackfire and Yorck
Segatz as well as new addition Toni Merkel (drums). A philosophy that yields more

impressive results in 2020 than ever before. Following the first relaxation of the
lockdown rules, Sodom immediately got back to working creatively. Which is one of
the reasons why Genesis XIX has turned into precisely what the musicians had in
mind: “This is definitely one of the toughest and most diverse studio recordings that
Sodom have ever released,” promises Tom, proudly presenting twelve new tracks
which will be available from 27 November 2020 on Steamhammer/SPV on CD,
double LP, in a boxed set and for digital download and stream.
There will be two digital single releases before the event: 25 September 2020 will see
the arrival of ‘Sodom & Gomorrah’, followed by ‘Indoctrination’ five weeks later. Both,
as indeed the whole album, will be marked by the diversity that Angelripper
mentioned: “Our riff suppliers, Yorck and Frank, are totally different types of
musicians. Yorck is a died-in-the-wool metalhead who grew up with thrash music.
Frank, on the other hand, also integrates blues and rock elements into his style,
including the occasional Frank Marino or Rory Gallagher quotation, and writes songs
that could have featured in the same or a similar way on Agent Orange. These are
the diverse influences that make Genesis XIX what it is.”
In addition, there’s a third level that nobody expected after the – as Tom expressly
emphasises – amicable split with drummer Husky: “In Toni we’ve gained an
awesome drummer. I’d even go so far as to say: He’s the best drummer that nobody
had on the radar before now.” Especially since Merkel also has, along with his furioso
style, a number of other important qualities: Since his stints with death metal act
Sabiendas and a number of other black/death metal bands, where he played the
drums and doubled as a producer, he’s been a dab hand at studio technology and
recording. Says Angelripper: “As a result, we were largely autonomous during the
production of Genesis XIX and were free not only to concentrate on working on new
songs but also to come up with the right sounds. That was important because we use
neither digital amps nor plug-ins but played all the guitar parts using proper Marshall
tube amps.” Following the preproduction, Sodom completed the work at the
renowned Woodhouse Studio in Hagen, where sound engineer Siggi Bemm recorded
Tom’s vocals and mixed the album on an analogue studio console.
The diversity of the result conveys a clear message: from unadulterated thrash metal
tracks such ‘Euthanasia’, ‘Dehumanized’ and ‘Friendly Fire’ to off-the-grid numbers
such as ‘Occult Perpetrator’, Sodom deliver a wide range of facets of their typical
Sodom sound. This inventiveness also applies to the lyrics on Genesis XIX, Tom
presenting, as usual, his very own range of subjects: ‘The Harpooneer’ is based on
Melville’s Moby Dick novel featuring the obsessive Captain Ahab, ‘Glock´n`Roll’ is the
story of a serial killer, ‘Waldo & Pigpen’ is an homage to the same-named US fighter
pilots, whose radio traffic during their mission in Vietnam has survived, and ‘Nicht
mehr mein Land’ describes the condition of western society (Tom: “We’re the very
first to combine real thrash music with German lyrics”). “Naturally, thrash metal
stories need to be martial, but we never intend them to be nasty or disrespectful,” he
stresses, explaining his lyrical approach: “I simply sing about things that weigh on my
mind.” A thrash metal recipe for success in true Sodom style!