Product Description
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Pictures of atrocities, abominations of Western civilisation,
war, brutalisation and devastation: Sodom, one of the very first
German th metal bands, appear to have everything but calmed
down in the twentieth year of their career, and (thankfully) they
dont really seem to be much the wiser: Sodom are still loud,
tough, troublesome and totally committed. On August 11, 2001, Tom
Angelripper (vocals, bass), Bernemann (guitars), and Bobby
Schottkowski (drums) are scheduled to perform a gig at the Rock
Pub in Bangkok, presenting a number of tracks off their new album
M-16 to fans and journalists from all over the world. The lyrical
theme of the record deals with the horrors of the Vietnam war.
One day later, on August 12, there will be a spectacular world
premiere as part of a free show in Saigon, Sodom being the first
metal act from the West to play Vietnam.
In May of this year, the band visited both Asian countries,
travelling Thailand and South Vietnam to get a first-hand
impression of the country which still bears the s of a
devastating war. The three musicians did not only meet napalm
bomb victims but also visited the famous war criminal museum in
Saigon, which exhibits pictures of victims, decapitations and
people disfigured by fragmentation bombs, plus a complete arsenal
of missiles in all shapes and sizes (the biggest one weighing 6.8
tons!) and jars containing the bodies of deformed babies, victims
of the toxin Agent Orange. The defoliant was used by the American
army in the merciless clashes during the war and causes severe
deformations for at least four generations. At the same time the
band took part in an extensive tour of the 200 km Cu Chi tunnel
system, which the population used for underground operations.
The new album M-16 is due out at the end of October on
Steamhammer/SPV and deals with the barbarity and effects of the
brutal Vietnam war, which raged between the southern and the
northern part of the country during the Sixties, with around
500,000 US troops fighting Eastern Block . Sodom continue
a long tradition of politically committed and socially conscious
albums that Angelripper & Co. started with Agent Orange and Code
Red.
About the Artist
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In 2001, Sodom still are one of the most important and most
authentic European th metal bands. Their origins date back to
the year 1980. Be it the early demo tapes, their In The Sign Of
Evil-EP (Steamhammer), their 1996 debut album Obsessed By
Cruelty: Sodom intimidated the world at large from the very
beginning. Two years and one album later, the band toured Europe
with the likes of Whiplash, the live cut Mortal Way Of
Life a the legendary Tor 3 in Düsseldorf in the process. Thanks
to Agent Orange and the cult single Ausgebombt, the group from
Gelsenkirchen succeeded in being the first th metal act
world-wide to enter the German album charts. Sodom toured all
over the world, travelled Europe repeatedly and played a number
of successful gigs in Japan and South America. Albums like Better
Off Dead (1990) or Tapping The Vein (1992) manifested the success
of the band, who despite a number of personnel changes managed
to maintain their characteristic sound, mainly thanks to bassist
and vocalist Tom Angelripper. Throughout the Nineties, Sodom lost
none of their authenticity on albums like Masquerade In Blood or
Til Death Do Us Unite, remaining firmly grounded and never
losing touch with their roots. With their 1999 release Code Red,
a title that refers to the US Marines infamous punishment code,
the trio consisting of Angelripper/Bernemann/Schottkowski proved
as politically committed as ever. This long tradition continues
with Sodoms trip to the Far East, their gigs in Bangkok and
Saigon, and of course with the controversial subject matter of
their impending album M 16.