Band:	Sodom
Album:	Genesis XIX
Style:	Teutonic thrash metal
Release date:	November 27, 2020
A review by:	nikarg

01. Blind Superstition
02. Sodom & Gomorrah
03. Euthanasia
04. Genesis XIX
05. Nicht Mehr Mein Land
06. Glock N' Roll
07. The Harponeer
08. Dehumanized
09. Occult Perpetrator
10. Waldo & Pigpen
11. Indoctrination
12. Friendly Fire

If you were anticipating Agent Orange 2.0, this is not it.

After a massive line-up change, you never know what to expect from a band. Almost three years ago, it was announced that drummer Makka and guitarist Bernemann were out of Sodom. Bernemann's departure especially came as a shock because he had the job for more than twenty years, by far the longest time any guitarist had managed to remain in Sodom, a band that before him had a different guitarist playing on almost every album. What was also a big surprise was that Tom Angelripper decided to replace him with two guitarists, one of these being none other than Frank Blackfire, the man behind the legendary riffs and solos of Persecution Mania and Agent Orange.

However, and as much as I love Sodom, I did not jump on the hype train following this news for two reasons: a) because I was a big fan of Bernemann and b) because Blackfire had disappeared from the scene for almost three decades and resurfaced only recently with Assassin. When Angelripper stated that he "would like to start all over again with fresh and hungry musicians", it didn't make sense to me. And Genesis XIX proves that I was right not to get too excited.

The beginning of Genesis XIX is promising. The intro track is not some atmospheric filler but a mid-tempo groovy riff setting the mood nicely, and hands off the baton to "Sodom & Gomorrah", which outlines the blackened speed/thrash idiom slightly better than the hundreds of new bands out there trying to recapture that particular sound. "Euthanasia" is fast and aggressive as well and boasts the best solo of the album. The title track (which was also featured on the Out Of The Frontline Trench EP) is the album highlight, with some really good riffs and a nice "Agent Orange"-throwback part after the solo. It is indeed a song that proves that the words 'long' and 'thrash' can go together. However, after this point is where the problems begin.

While there are moments in some songs that are memorable, like the haunting melodies and the Araya-like screams of "Glock 'N' Roll", there is also too much cringe in this album, like the ending of "Nicht Mehr Mein Land" which is rehashed, second-rate Slayer. Moreover, too many songs as whole entities are largely forgettable. Tracks like "The Harpooneer" and "Waldo & Pigpen" have similar structure and duration with "Genesis XIX" but are not nearly as engaging as the latter. "Indoctrination" proves that 'fast' can also be 'generic' and "Occult Perpetrator" is just a lacklustre mid-tempo track with gang shouts; I mean, what do you need the gang shouts for in a song that really doesn't even get you excited enough to get up from a chair, let alone raise your fist, headbang and shout along? The closer, "Friendly Fire" is made for mosh pit lovers, it is a fantastic track but it arrives too late I am afraid.

I cannot explain why Sodom needed to have two guitarists, since there is nothing on the guitar front that is so exciting on this album to justify that decision, especially when the band has done much more interesting things as a trio. I often find that when Genesis XIX is quick-paced it is neither menacing nor interesting enough and when it is groovy it is not catchy enough. And it doesn't sound either hungry or fresh. The drumming in particular is really boring and, combined with the generic riffing and the uninspired soloing, it makes for an album that just hurts my jaw from the excessive yawning.

In the space of five years Sodom released four very different albums from each other that, to me, must be part of every thrash fan's collection. There was the blackened speed/thrash dynamite (Persecution Mania), the absolute masterpiece of thrash metal (Agent Orange), the thrash 'n' roll rocker (Better Off Dead), and the face-melting death/thrasher (Tapping The Vein). Now, I was not so naïve as to expect another Persecution Mania or Agent Orange just because Blackfire is back. But I expected the material to be at least as good as it was with Bernemann most of the time. Genesis XIX is not only way too inferior to Code Red, M-16 or Sodom that were released a long time ago but it is also far below the standard set by its predecessor, Decision Day.

What a disappointment.