Band:	Sodom
Album:	The Final Sign Of Evil
Style:	Teutonic thrash metal
Release date:	September 28, 2007
A review by:	jupitreas

01. The Sin Of Sodom
02. Blasphemer
03. Ashes To Ashes
04. Witching Metal
05. Sons Of Hell
06. Burst Command 'Til War
07. Where Angels Die
08. Sepulchral Voice
09. Hatred Of The Gods
10. Bloody Corpse
11. Outbreak Of Evil
12. Defloration

Re-recording classic songs has been a fad of sorts in the thrash metal world in the last few years. Testament, Anthrax and Destruction are the most well known and publicized such projects and now it seems that Germany's notorious Sodom has decided to also jump on this bandwagon. As it turns out; however, The Final Sign Of Evil is a significantly different beast than similar nostalgic releases by other bands.

First of all, this is not a compilation. Instead, this is supposedly what In The Sign Of Evil would have sounded like were the band's label at the time able to support them with enough funds to record all of the songs that have been written for the occasion (instead, only the 5 songs that appear on the original EP were recorded). Actually, I'm more than willing to believe that this is indeed what this album would have sounded like since Sodom also decided to mix it in pretty much the same way (ie. probably on some ancient 4-track fished out from Angelripper's grim and evil garage) and all of the original members of the band from that time are also present on this recording. Now let me tell you, although Onkel Tom's bass playing and vocals have improved over the years, it seems like the other two members from that era have spent the last two decades doing anything but honing their skills as musicians. The tempos waver, the guitar makes tonnes of mistakes and a grand total of perhaps 6 chords are being used here. The whole thing sounds like it was found is some damp attic and not recorded in 2007 AD. This is a far cry from Anthrax' technically impressive Greater Of Two Evils, no? Still, let me tell you - none of this matters...

Sodom have moved onto far more interesting things after their In The Sign Of Evil EP; however, due to the muffled production, high intensity and 'evil' lyrical content, their first release is still considered to be one of the crucial influences on black metal and extreme metal in general, easily in the same category as Venom, Hellhammer or Bathory. Indeed, I never understood why Sodom wasn't ever included in the so-called First Wave of Black Metal, considering those other bands were also essentially thrash bands specializing in a primitive and blunt approach... Well, I think The Final Sign Of Evil will certainly be great fun for anyone enjoying these traditional, primitive and obscure proto-Black Metal sounds. Fans of Darkthrone or Carpathian Forest need to check this out. Cuts like "Blasphemer" or "Outbreak Of Evil" are still some of the best examples how powerful metal can be with such a simplistic approach.

This album will get you to think about impaling your cat, wearing satanic jewelery and wishing you weren't "born too late" (a pat on the back to anyone who knows where that's from). Recommended to fans of early Sodom, First Wave Black Metal and modern traditional Black Metal. Everyone else - keep away!