Label: Steamhammer
Date: June 27th, 2025
And here, just like I promised in my previous review, comes newest release of another legendary band, an ensemble without which it’s impossible to imagine evolution of metal music, every metalhead worldwide know and, at least I can’t imagine other situation, but I’m old geek, so…, love. To be honest, when I’m writing this review, I feel the same way I do with Vader. I mean, I also have a downright devotional attitude towards them! Sodom just was, is and always will be a very special band for me! This applies especially their first few releases. It’s certainly because these iconic albums and EPs shaped me musically. That’s probably why I somehow can’t imagine that there’s someone (especially from more or less my generation) on this planet who doesn’t think the same way. However, unlike some of my buddies, I appreciate all their recordings. Of course, they had slightly less successful albums, but they never ever went below a certain level. And let’s be honest, it was in my opinion a high level. But as I mentioned, I never treated them like a normal band, they’ve always been metal gods to me, so…
Anyway, “The Arsonist” saw daylight June 27th thanks to German Steamhammer and it’s available in all possible formats. Well, I’m not sure if you still can buy it as a box containing three 12”, CD and cassette because it’s limited edition. One surprise or even curiosity is the fact that Japanese Avalon and Brazilian Valhall Music released it on CD earlier. This happened June 25th and June 5th, respectively. By the way, since I’m on purely technical information, so to speak, I’ll tell you that seventeenth, I somehow don’t count “40 Years at War – The Greatest Hell of Sodom” as a regular album, studio full-length contains thirteen not too long and at the same time not too short tracks (the shortest one takes two minutes and fifty seven seconds, the longest is about four minutes and forty-four seconds). Well, the first one, “The Arsonist”, is, taking one minute and two seconds, in practice an intro. So, count for yourselves how long the whole album is. I know it’ll be only more or less accurate estimation, but… Do you really need an exact number for anything? I mean, does it matter whether this album lasts fifty, forty-nine or less minutes long? And even if I should do it to seem more professional, I actually don’t give a shit.
What takes music as such, I have no intention of writing even a word about it. We all know exactly what Sodom performs, what are their lyrics about, so it’d make absolutely no sense and it’d even be waste of time and energy – both yours and mine. That’s why my decision is irrevocable! The only thing I want to spread is that it was definitely worth waiting those long five years, as I wrote before “40 Years…” isn’t in my opinion regular full-length, “The Arsonist”! From the first sentence of this paragraph, you already know this is in the style Sodom managed has gotten us to used, which they present since “Agent Orange”. And this is probably one of reasons, except for the one I mentioned on the beginning of this review, why such old-school metal orthodox as me love Sodom so much! And I’m sure there are more individuals. Well, I’m sure they’ve enjoying their copies, in most cases, these are certainly physical copies, of “The Arsonist” for a relatively long time. So, my words aren’t addressed to them. Of course, I can’t exclude several of them read this review out of pure curiosity to see if my opinion matches with theirs. At the same time there’s a possibility, even if it’s a little one, that there are among readers some people who didn’t hear this album yet. And they should buy it as soon as possible!
