Obsessed by Cruelty

Sodom: a band that needs no introduction. Since their early days, they've been unleashing a torrent of Teutonic blitzkrieg steel onto headbangers worldwide. They also have the distinction of being one of the earliest ruminations of black metal and death metal, and one of the few bands of this type who stayed consistently good into their thrash metal transformation. Of all their albums, their debut full length album seems to be only appreciated by either the most diehard of Sodomaniacs, the old school black/death maniacs, or by the pure black metal crowd. Very rarely will you hear a casual thrasher or metalhead say that this album is their favorite Sodom record. You're much more likely to get an answer of Persecution Mania, Agent Orange, or even In The Sign of Evil. While those are all terrific records, none of them can compare to how unique and positively evil the very first full length album truly is. Personally, I feel this is because the version most easily accessible to new listeners is the inferior Metal Blade recording, but we'll get into that soon. Time to give Obsessed by Cruelty the admiration and love it rightfully deserves.

Off the bat comes the problem of their being two separate recordings of this album. The story goes that the first recording was considered unacceptable by the guys at Steamhammer, so they had to rerecord the album. This second mix was approved and released in Europe, however by some accident every other region on Earth that wasn't Europe got the first recording (unless you were lucky to get imports like most of Australia did). I will be referring to this first recording as the "Metal Blade" version and the rerecording as the "Steamhammer" version for sake of ease. The Metal Blade mix is plagued hard by an obnoxiously loud drum sound, echoed vocals, and lackluster soloing. Like I said, I'm sure this album's somewhat poor reputation comes from the fact that the most commonly available CD of this album (which contains the first EP In The Sign of Evil) and the formerly available Spotify version use this recording as opposed to the Steamhammer version.

As for the Steamhammer version's production, it's absolutely perfect. Drums are mixed to be powerful and aggressive without overpowering the mix. The guitar player known as Ahäthoor solos blisteringly and violently and has a viciously cut throat sound to his guitar. I cannot stress how excellent the guitar tone is on the Steamhammer version. The bass is wonderfully audible yet disgustingly murky. Tom Angelripper even does a few bass solos (if you can even call them that) to up the chaos a bit. Vocals sound like a reanimated, rabid corpse bellowing into the microphone, no doubt inspiring the vocal performances of the second wave of black metal in some capacity. The vocals also have just the right amount of reverb to them, making them sound like they were recorded in some stinking mausoleum as opposed to some tiny studio in rural Switzerland (at least according to the Lords of Depravity band documentary). Truly evil stuff.

Speaking of evil, the songs on this album are excellent and maniacal. The tagline the record company used to describe this album and a phrase repeated at some points on the album is "Lunatic aggression of hardcore power", and I think there's no better descriptor for the music contained on this album (well other than synonyms of "good" and "awesome"). The riffs on this album are unlike what most black and death metal bands at the time were doing. The playing is weirdly both primitive and technical. For instance, you have the somewhat complex and unorthodox riffing of ragers like "Nuctemeron", "Fall of Majesty Town", and "Brandish the Sceptre", yet there is also blunt and violent riff fests like the monstrously heavy title track, "Equinox", and "Witchhammer" to name a few. One edge the Metal Blade version has over the Steamhammer version is a much creepier and atmospheric intro with a pipe organ and some keyboard effects, while the Steamhammer version is just a slow drumbeat and guitar with an utterance of the cryptic "Soul that pines for eternity" quote from the back of the album. Another thing of note on this album is the lyrics. I have no idea what the hell is going on in some of these lyrics. Since most of the album was recorded drunk, I can only assume most of this is drunken occult rambling haphazardly translated into English. And with titles like "Proselytism Real", I can't imagine I'm too inaccurate in this assumption. But in all seriousness, this album is filled to the absolute brim with scorching and rotten evil metal. "Nuctemeron" is a nonstop riff fest that just delivers on all fronts in musical sadism and aggression. "Obsessed by Cruelty" starts off doomy and absolutely putrid before switching into vile and unrelenting early black metal. The bass solo on "Equinox" in any other context would sound like a wet fart, yet somehow it just works for the album. I could describe every track on this album in agonizing detail on why I love it, but that would take all day and goes against the Metal Archives reviewing policy. Just go listen for yourself!

I really cannot recommend this album enough. Lucky for you the reader, most YouTube uploads of this album are of the superior Steamhammer recording. This album might be the greatest extreme metal release of 1986, which is saying a lot considering its competition. Front to back this album destroys the listener with a metal onslaught of necrotic and aggressive riffing, and while many bands can offer you this, Obsessed by Cruelty offers you it in a much more interesting way that is seldom replicated. This is possibly the greatest German thrash or otherwise recording of all time. Well, what are you waiting for? Go on YouTube or find a way to listen to the Steamhammer version now (as a heads up, one way to tell is the Steamhammer version has a shorter intro with no keyboard and is in a lower tuning, I believe E flat or D)!

Selling cuts: "Nuctemeron", "Obsessed by Cruelty", "After the Deluge", "Brandish the Sceptre", "Proselytism Real"

There are some metal fans who feel that the music is but one component of the overall album package. Elements like artwork, lyrics, the logo and even band photos should come into play to create one dynamic experience. Unfortunately, Obsessed By Cruelty is a prime example of everything being amazing except the actual sounds.

I suppose Sodom and this album deserve a little more black metal credit for instructing the Norwegians what NOT to do. i.e. turn your fucking snare drum down (for the opposite end of this extreme, where you can't even tell if the snare is even being struck at first, listen to Transilvanian Hunger). Though it isn't just the snare, all the drums seem tuned absurdly high in general. The crash end drum outro of Deathlike Silence sounds like a plethora of basketballs are spilling onto the floor. It's a damn shame, because the songs themselves on here seem decent. The guitar sound fairly decent, when you can hear it. I'm sure I could write a thesis on how evil and penguin-bamboozling the riffs are when they aren't being cancelled out by the snare. The modus operandi of thrash is to play fast, and this plays to type, but because the snare dominates at these speeds, the album strangely shines when it slows down/there's no drums at all, see also the intro to the title track.

Another detail that's off about the album's so called "blackness" are Angelripper's vocals. Gone is the demon-lizard slithering of In The Sign of Evil and replaced by conventional thrash shouting. It's almost as if he realized too late that the drums were too loud and to hell with atmosphere, he just wants people to hear such wonderful Germenglish translations like Fall of Majesty Town and Volcanic Slut (is this a pornstar that squirts magma?).

I suppose the highlight of this sucker is Proselytism Real, as it's slow enough for the guitars to punch through, even when things speed up you can kinda hear the riffs. Of course that has to be followed by the next two tracks in a row starting with drum solos. This is not the type of cruelty I was expecting to be confronted with. Frankly I feel like the band is trolling me. I'd expect this kind of crap from Faith No More or some other subversive asswipe band, but old school Sodom?

I wish this would be re-recorded/remixed ala The Final Sign of Evil, but that has yet to happen. Unfortunately, two of the three members are dead, so you are going to need just the right speaker system/pair of headphones to be able to truly be chilled by this. Proceed with caution.

Ah yes, I finally review a record of my favorite thrash metal band! Well, I don't think Sodom needs any introduction, after thrashing for over 35 years, the band is mainly kept alive by the mastermind Tom Angelripper nowadays. It used to not be the case some 30 years ago though, while the almighty called Chris Witchhunter (R.I.P.) was still alive. Sodom went to many line-up changes during their long career up to these days, thus separating the band's history in different chapters. Being one of the most famous thrash metal band of Germany, they acquired a cult status in the late 80s by releasing records like "Persecution Mania" and "Agent Orange" with guitarist Frank Blackfire. However, sometimes people forget about early Sodom. They were one of the fastest, evil and aggressive band with their 80s black metal that influenced a countless amount of bands afterwards.

After the classic, raw and violent "In the Sign of Evil" EP, Grave Violator left and was replaced by Destructor to record what would be the first full-length Sodom's "Obssessed By Cruelty". As we can all notice, this album has been recorded twice due to "poor recording quality". To be quite honest, I don't agree about that one, but it's still great that we have the chance to have two different versions. The first version was probably recorded sometimes during the year 1985, and the second one in early 1986 with another guitarist called "Ahäthoor". The two versions are very easy to compare, the first recording has the guitars buried by the drums, and the bass is pretty hard to hear too. The vocals of Angel Ripper are pretty extreme though, and put very high in the mix along the drums. The second version is a bit clearer, but not that much. The guitars are heard correctly and the drums less prominent, a thing I like a little less, but anyway, both versions has their strength and weakeness, and I would listen to any one of those. One thing you can also notice on the German edition is that some tracks are played faster. To be fair, this is basically one of the most primitive album released by an extreme metal band of the 80s altogether, so you know a bit what to expect there, looking at this epic cover art also helps.

The album kick-off pretty smoothly with an intro consisting of a sinister atmosphere with an evil voice whispering creepy things, but as soon as it ends, the brutality is thrown directly at the listener face with "Deathlike Silence". A track that sets the right and definitive pace for the whole 38-40 minutes of this record running time, fast-paced guitar riff, outstanding drumming performance and bestial vocals that influenced death and black metal later on. What I found really interesting in this album is the authenticity of the material, the tracks are very special in the sense that the structures are uncommon. I had difficulties following the beat changes when I began listening to this album at a younger age, but still today, the songs are still impressive to me for that reason. The band decided to re-record the "Witchhammer" track from the 1984 Victims of Death demo for this album, and well, especially in the second recording, the speed at which the song is played is absurdly intense! They literally played the song half the time it was on the demo originally, so it's one hell of a crazy recording on this.

Despite my absolute appreciation of "In the Sign of Evil", we can obviously notice the great progression achieved by the band, their songwritting and skills with their instruments. Some previous flaws were corrected, such has drums consistency, keeping the beat and such. However, the songs are in general more complicated and worked for sure, a great variety of riffs can be heard. Great example of that is in tracks such as the title track, which has some kinds of a progression feeling during the track till ending with the memorable chorus that define the album concept. There are still some catchy songs like "Nuctemeron" and "Fall of Majesty Town" that I preferred on the USA version for some reason, the tone was better for these ones I guess. Some tracks are particularly interesting though, "Proselytism Real", which look like one of Angel Ripper's favorites to play live from this record. It's understandable, this one kicks much asses, with its heavy and doomy parts. The other track I am speaking of is the last track that was added to this album for the second version, "After the Deluge". This is to me the best addition we can get as a bonus from the original track list, I don't know why, but it became of my highlight pretty quickly, the growing in violence structure is so entertaining that it makes me follow the beat from the beginning to the end, which is not the case for all the songs here, "Brandish the Sceptre" for example, in my case.

Well, Obssessed By Cruelty is the last album to feature the satanic imagery and concept for Sodom, they dropped off when Frank Blackfire joined the band and moved on with war related topics. I have to say that Tom's lyrics were always greatly written and thought. The ones on this album are morbid, grim and satanic. They are outstanding, just to say the least. Overall, this is the most underrated Sodom album and also my favorite. It clearly deserve its cult status among the classics of 80s black metal records and should have more listeners as albums like "Endless Pain", "Infernal Overkill" and such. One of my greatest recommendation, if you have not listened to this masterpiece yet, what are you waiting for?

Favorite tracks:

After the Deluge
Deathlike Silence
Equinox
Fall of Majesty Town
Obsessed by Cruelty
Proselytism Real

The man who made the artwork hates his picture (and the music as well). The first recording session was rejected by SPV due to the shitty sound. The second producer, Rainer Hänsel, has never listened again to this work after having finished the recordings. The guitarist did not like to be together with Angelripper and Witchhunter and left the band immediately after the his contribution to the album. Another guitarist had to play the guitar on "After the Deluge"...

...so what? "Obsessed by Cruelty" represents a massive mountain of early German underground stuff. Even the second recording session led to an awkward sound and the band still did not behave very professionally, but these negligible trivialities do not matter. The production is neither transparent nor very powerful, but it holds an almost unique listening experience. Yes, the mix has its own special charm. It is the typical sound of a debut of enthusiastic yet technically not perfect newcomers. The guitar sound can cause serious pain, but it also creates a very authentic aura. The drum sound meets the expectations and due to some interesting drum figures, it seems that Witchhunter had already reached a pretty solid musicianship. His performance at the very strong beginning of "Equinox" shows that he was able to master his challenges in a pretty precise way. Just compare his drumming with the weird bass solo in the same song. Angelripper seemed to be totally drunken while playing this extremely filigree part. He probably contributes the worst solo of the entire metal history. Compared with this amazing noise, even the guitar sound on Bathory's second album can be described as sensitive and fragile. Anyway, one fact cannot be ignored. Unlike the first albums of Destruction or Kreator, the here presented debut featured a very autonomous compositional approach. Back in 1985, we called the song patterns strange, today one would call some of them almost progressive. The fantastic "After the Deluge" provides evidence in this context.

The whole output walks a fine line between bestiality and embarrassment. The very "bestial" vocals of Tom at the beginning and the end of the title track, for example, are a little bit goofy. Yet details such as this are sidelined by some really good and surprisingly mature riffs. Furthermore, the band does not totally neglect the structuring of the songs. "Fall of Majesty Town" offers chaotic sections in abundance. Not to mention the mega-fast "Witchhammer" with its nearly amateurish break and the almost absurd solo. But at the end of the day, everything fits together. Don't ask me why! Sodom's debut spreads the same vibes as some later albums from South America which also often hold wild, unleashed and unorthodox sounds. Yet we may not forget that Sodom were the one who made the first step.

Moreover, they had very delicate lyrics. Sometimes I still dream of a volcanic slut that kneads swollen balls. Believe me, it's a nightmare and pure horror. At first, I thought that Tom sings "she eats your swollen balls". This wrong understanding triggered even worse nightmares. Yet apart from my dreams and my bad English, the song itself heralds another triumph of chaos, power and belligerence. Nevertheless, the best song is - together with "After the Deluge" - the opener. "Deathlike Silence" is based on an almost comprehensible riff, it takes no prisoners and its entire formula indicates the huge options of the noisy gang. With regard to this piece and some other tracks, it was only logical that the German press did no longer mock the band. 7.5 of ten points was the rating in the Rock Hard magazine and this was rather too little than too much. But okay, nobody could imagine that exactly this work would become a classic.

I must emphasize another point. Despite or exactly because of the here performed chaos, the album offers a subliminal malignancy and a well hidden substance. Indeed, the band did not come up with half-baked ideas. This is not to say that each and every song works excellently. Yet Sodom avoided major flaws, and this was anything else but a matter of course in view of their dubious reputation at that time. Of course, if one only accepts perfectly designed thrash grenades, for example the overwhelming "In Retribution" of Sodom's last work, it will be difficult to find access to "Obsessed by Cruelty". But all those who appreciate the defiant brutality of juvenile outlaws will understand the dimension of this output. - Witchhunter and Destructor, rest in peace.

The debut effort from German black/thrash metal pioneers Sodom, “Obsessed by Cruelty,” is actually more of an influential record than a good one, as while there’s certainly a lot of quality to be found within, it’s actually more of what’s going on in it that’s inspired what came after that really drives this one.

At first, this seems like a traditional thrash album but almost immediately signs pop up indicating otherwise. While the riffing takes plenty of cues from the punk scene in terms of its simplicity and explosive imagery, the fact that it manages to contain a bestial quality about it missing from even the more extreme thrash acts at that time which comes from the way the whole of the material is recorded. Rather than a cacophonous wall-of-sound that typified the production found on most thrash records, the album has a dissonant, almost hell-ish quality to it that really seems like an accident to make it sound as otherworldly as it does here, and this is aided in no small part by the flurry of activity coming from the guitars. They’re very involved and busy in the album producing a rather chaotic vibe that dominates the mix, and at the level of their production manage to have a lasting impact as part and parcel to black metal in terms of how a record is produced rather than in how to write and record a black metal song. This is not a true black metal release by any stretch, but the way it’s produced and sounds is of great importance for the emerging black metal scene that’s spawning a few years away.

All that aside, the music on here is quite good if not exactly stand-out worthy. The guitars here do get a lot of attention, as there’s a lot going on with them. At times, they feel heavily influenced by punk in the form of simplistic riffing that has a chaotic, unrefined feel to it which just adds to the overall atmosphere of the album. There are indeed bursts of some technicality struggling to breathe in several of the songs, but it gets drowned out in the frantic fury of the riffing as they blast their way through the songs. Those bouts of technicality move the album away from the realms of the hardcore punk scene and into the thrash realm quite handily, as well as well the outstanding drumming on display that really just adds an insane quality to the overall music. Featuring double-bass fills when it’s required but more often just blaring away with a cacophony not usually associated with the genre where it comes off as thunderous and propulsive in most of the songs, there’s a rather brutal element to the drums when it stays with those simplistic blasting formula and not feature the double-bass when it would make most sense to do so is a courageous step that the band deserves credit for and allows for a rather nice added perk of their sound. Complete with a blaring bass sound that never contends itself with following the rhythm of the music and acts as its own instrument that adds atmosphere and fragments the fury quite nicely and a rather dirty style of vocal that’s far more evil and demonic than the traditional thrash style rounds off the effort.

In the two parts of the record, there’s not much difference between the first and second halves. The first half has perhaps more of a chaotic thrashing vibe that really doesn’t have too many differences between them. Full of wild, off-the-rails style riffing that adds a dimension of unchecked aggression and intensity into the music that would otherwise never be utilized by the band as there’s never been a band that crosses over into that darker realm as comfortably and easily as this album, and this is reflected with the thrashier pieces placed up front with the later half featuring shorter, sharper bursts with more of a punk-like feel than the top part of the album. It’s almost a full-on guarantee, where those looking to get richer, fuller and more textured compositions are going to do so with the tracks in the front half while those that like the quicker, more simplistic blasting songs are going to get their fill with the later half. It’s not so much a difference in composition style but rather presentation of the performance that gets the two separated.

There’s a lot to like here at times as many of the songs range from decent to above-average. The opening ‘Intro (The Rebirth...)’ sets the mood quite early with its creepy basement-like produced feel and spooky vocals that create an unnerving effect of this being quite a different thrash effort than most of its contemporaries. Proper first song ‘Deathlike Silence’ is a stunner with its crushing drumming, extremely nimble bass work that gives off a dissonant vibe, some innovative change-ups from simple riffing to slightly chaotic and dirty but not growling or screeching vocals that evoke the emerging black metal scene quite nicely while still staying firmly rooted in the thrash arena. Follow-up ‘Brandish the Sceptre’ is almost as wild with more of that chaotic riffing that retains feel of thrash but comes off with blackened touch, great drumming and dirty, filthy vocals, only in a smaller package to generate the same effect. The first real change-up is the slightly doom-like ‘Proselytism Real,’ which eases off the throttle in favor of a down-tuned tempo with simplistic riffing, competent if not stellar drumming and fine vocals that never kicks into higher pace regards of the bands’ urge to explore faster tempos and stays in the simplistic realm more than usual. Another minor change is ‘Equinox,’ as it also forsakes chaos-riddled thrash for a mid-range tempo with a great punk-rock drumming intro, frantic and desperate riffing and great filthy vocals that isn’t quite as intense as the opening few numbers but certainly feels more connected in spirit than the track before it.

As mentioned, the later half is more of where the simpler tracks are found, even though it starts off somewhat differently. The title tracks’ middling intro gives way to a full thrashing attack with plenty of chaotic riffing, blasting drumming and full-on dirty vocals with great bass-work that utilizes multiple change-ups in epic frame, sounding more in vein of the upper half than those that will come after. ‘Fall of Majesty Town’ falls into the same range with expansive, mid-tempo riffing that tries to be grander than it is with explosive riffing, blasting drums and chaotic vibe as it merges the two styles nicely if slightly uncomfortably. Things then take a different turn with four similar songs in a row, starting with the proto-thrash riffing in ‘Nuctemeron’ which has a punk-like feel that merges with hyper-speed blasting drumming, stellar bass-work and frenzied riffing that’s far too short to really develop anything special. This is continued in ‘Pretenders to the Throne,’ which has more of a pure punk-rock feel with simplistic riffs, blazing drumming and lack of real changes in riffing patterns or attack, again carried over from the preceding track. The chaotic ‘Witchhammer’ is the best of these shorter blasting tracks as it features some outstanding frenzied riffing with pure blazing drumming and absolute disregard for anything as it just pounds away in stand-out fashion. It tries to change slightly with ‘Volcanic Slut’ by incorporating an atmospheric drum-and-bass intro with chaotic drumming, frantic riffing and explosive energy, succeeding quite nicely and ending the album on a strong note.

While this is quite an enjoyable album, and certainly worthy as a debut of a band with such a legacy as theirs, the fact that this one falls more in line as a historical landmark record than anything else is of some concern. Some of this is due to the records bizarre strategy of uploading the quality, rather involved tracks up front while the later half is of stylistically-similar but compositionally-challenged pieces that don’t seem to fit as being in the same band as they display far more of a penchant for writing complex, lengthy tracks by the third song that keeping in short, blasting tracks in the same realm doesn’t seem to make sense. That said, as an important record in the evolution of black metal in terms of how to make a produced record with the way the guitars and vocals sound here makes this an important record nonetheless, and while it may lack for the hardcore Sodom fan as there’s better material out there, this one’s still got enough of a punch to be worthwhile enough.

The early days of thrash metal antiquity were an auspicious yet confusing time, one that birthed the most vicious version of metal upon the unsuspecting world. In retrospect, the early works of Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, and the often neglected 4th forefather of black metal Sodom (mostly due to their closer association with the German thrash scene) come off as crude, under-produced fits of unfocused rage, but in their day they appalled the masses to a point often taken for granted today. The first LP out of Sodom in “Obsessed By Cruelty” is an oddity in this respect, as it showcases Angelripper and company abandoning much of their early pioneering sound for something a bit more common, but it does so in a way that makes it quite distinctive nonetheless.

This is an intense excursion into the upper reaches of speed and villainy, rivaling the 1986 releases of what has since been dubbed by some the unholy trinity (“Reign In Blood”, “Darkness Descends” and “Pleasure To Kill) but falling just a tiny bit short of them in quality and memorable moments. While it cuts through the speed of sound with similar fervor, it does so in a much sloppier manner, as if not fully leaving the blackened realm of “In The Sign Of Evil” entirely. The guitar work features a similar smattering of punk and Motorhead influences, often times blending together in redundancy, but still slicing through the listener’s soul with enough intensity to make it a worthwhile experience. The drum mix is basically where this little demon’s Persian flaw is exposed, as the snare drum blasts like a thudding golem’s stomp with rusty feet and drowns out much of the arrangement during the blasting sections.

Ironically, part of what makes this album good is its blunt candor and seeming irreverence for established musical practices. Even though Kreator and Possessed had already put noticeable death metal-like twists on the thrash vocal shout a year prior to this, Angelripper has essentially upped the ante here with something that is guttural and nasty enough to conform to said style, but also haunting and sepulchral to the point of mirroring Quorthon’s approach. In a sense, barring a greater prevalence of slower sections brought in by more orthodox Motorhead and Venom emulations on here, this album brilliantly captures the ambiguity between the three extreme metal styles that was common during the early to mid 80s, embodying that sort of primordial stew of proteins from which the infusion of differing sub-species would come about.

The biggest hurdle in approaching this album, particularly for those who come from a more mainline American thrash background, is the extremely low-fi production. Many members of the Norwegian 2nd wave of black metal have rightly pointed to Sodom as being a principle influence in the development of the grim, frostbitten, fuzzy mayhem that characterizes much said scene, and this album still has a good amount of those trappings left over from their more influential demo and “In The Sign Of Evil” era. This would change a year later when their output started to resemble the more polished yet still quite dangerous sound of Slayer, Kreator and Dark Angel.

This release is one of the most badass, under produced, grimy as fuck recordings ever. Everything about it screams testosterone filled black/thrash madness. The second you put this in you feel dirty, you feel angry, and you want to bang your head and run wild.

Tracks like Proselytism Real, Pretenders of the Throne and Obsessed By Cruelty set the standard for late 80's thrash, not to say that the whole album isn't awesome, just picking out a few examples. The vocals on this are just awesome, they sound evil and angry without being cheesy or overdone, the reverb is perfect and when combined with the awesome guitar tone it sounds great, especially in slow parts like Witchhammer.

Fast parts are frequent, blast beats and fills left and right, constant riffs, screaming vocals etc. The solo's really add a nice touch too. People who complain about the production then maybe this just isn't there thing, but i'm a guy who loves sloppy furious metal, it just adds a whole new edge to the sound that really fits the style their going for.

Their previous releases were a bit more "black metal", they've moved on to a full fledged up your ass thrash sound similar to early kreator, with added black metal. Its great, works well. The drumming especially sounds great, its really easy to bob your head to and the snare sounds fantastic. As said before the fills are constant, more extreme for the time possibly, and everything just mixes nicely.

I usually don't really care about the lyrics, but this album has pretty memorable lyrics. Very anti-Christian, satanic, pretty funny and badass. For example:

7: Obsessed by Cruelty
With a frightful weight
Demolish christian stamped bodies
Their tears and blood of
Deception and insidiousness
Doze away to the ground
Smash of imperium of
uncontroled religous expansion


Fun to sing along to, but not everything is great though. The drums at times can be overwhelming and a little too abrasive especially the snare, the production can sometimes be too messy and can be annoying especially in the guitar tone.

but still, Obsessed by Cruelty is definitly something you should pickup if you are a fan of thrash metal, or black metal. If you want a real rush of adrenaline this is something to listen to. A very good start for Sodom.

The early Sodom might have lacked the razor edged refinement of their countrymen Destruction, or the barbaric ballast of Kreator, but they made up for some of their lack of musical pedigree and production standards with a lot of heart. By heart, of course, I mean the one being ripped out of the listener's chest and stamped upon. Obsessed by Cruelty, arriving two years after their EP inauguration In the Sign of Evil, is in turn both the most lo-fi and disgusting of the 'Big Three' debut full-lengths, but its primacy would nonetheless make a mark on a scene seduced by wretched extremity on both sides of the pond. It's little more than an expansion of the EP's heavily punk driven speed/thrash metal sound, with a new guitarist (Destructor in place of Grave Violator), and its often sloppy to the point of being nearly incomprehensible, but it's quite god damned evil, and certainly lives up to its hype as an influence upon splatter-thrash, death and black metal.

You don't get a lot of precision here, the songs just seem to fall together; like "Volcanic Slut" which sounds so amateur as it creeps between oozing bass and feedback atmosphere to a storm of speed, the guitars cruising at 100mph. But it seems about as organized as an improvisational death/thrash jam, especially when the solo careens over the bridge, and especially through Tom Angelripper's gnarled vocals. "Brandish the Sceptre" goes for the artery with a tearing force that foreshadows some of their career highs like "Nuclear Winter", but some of the drums in the transitions sound a little lazy or unpracticed. Some of the slower, more traditional rocking pieces like "Deathlike Silence" and "Proselytism Real" seem to steal the thunder away from the more bewildering speed of others, but it's not because they're somehow more complex; Tom's vocals just seem to meld better where they get a chance to expand syllables over the better paced riffs. That said, there's something uncannily entertaining about the brute bursts of "Witchhammer" or "Nuctemeron", with that same loose, distraught menace that Venom once had, Hellhammer or Bathory before the Viking phase commenced.

There's some part of me which has always struggled a little with Obsessed by Cruelty. It's a hot, sticky mess, but a fun mess. It seems almost all cohesion had been thrown to the wolves in the name of slovenly sadism, and I will admit that there are few points at which the riffs are so sterile that I have become bored through the years. It's actually a very, very similar tone to Venom's first two records, except those had the benefit of superb, unforgettable songs that never stopped pounding against my skull. A few numbers here deserve their spot on a Sodom career highlight reel ("Deathlike Silence") but I'd say that both of the EPs which sandwich this album are superior, and the most critical weapon here is that of jilted, atmospheric nostalgia, and the flaws here are just a few too many to brush off entirely, no matter how much I'd like to coddle its cult classic status. It's far more raw than, say, Pleasure to Kill, but also less extreme in its execution.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

For people like me, who love semi-sloppy, primal old school metal, it doesn’t get much better then ‘Obsessed by Cruelty’. Some complain about the shitty production and mixing, others complain about the band’s at-the-time lack of musical efficiency, but both of which are things that I welcome with open arms. In my eyes, I would not want this LP any other way. The guitar could be louder, but I think its lowness in the mix actually adds to the chaotic, thrashing cacophony the band was going for. Over the years, it has really grown on me, and I’m very glad it finally did and it now sits as my favorite Sodom release (with the EP coming in not too far from behind).

The complaints regarding the production mostly come from the mixing department, as the recording itself actually has a pretty clear sounds that could have been indubitably put to full use given the proper mixing job. This has grown to really not bother me though, as the music more then makes up for it, and to me, the rawness and primitive nature of it works to the band’s advantage. The vocals, although not as buried as some people may have you believe, are still fairly low in the mix, but are definitely loud enough to remain audible, no matter what was going on with the music. The guitar has only one track, which is panned to the right, while the bass is on the left. Both have pretty warm tones and aren’t as crunchy as on the preceding EP, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, as both are powerful enough to do the riffs justice. The drums hold the most power and prominence in the mix, which is actually something that tends to bother me as well as most others in a lot cases, as you may have gathered. However, here, I do not find this to be an issue, and in fact, I like it this way. So if your ears have been tainted and pussified by today’s digital, crystal clarity, then this album’s production will without a doubt irritate you to no end, but I’m perfectly okay with that, because in that case, you probably shouldn’t be listening to classics like this anyway (though I think Behemoth may suit you well).

‘Obsessed by Cruelty’ marks the band’s transition from pure, early black metal to a more relentless and ripping black/thrash-oriented sound (emphasis on the thrash part). But this new sound didn’t necessarily mean the band had completely outgrown the messy, blackened slop that helped make the ‘In The Sign of Evil’ so great. While their writing skills had developed far beyond the basic three or four riff songs that the EP saw, their playing skills had not quite caught up with that level development, making ‘Obsessed by Cruelty’ a well-written yet sloppy affair. The balance between the two works out well enough to make it one of those albums where when you think about it, it just would not be the same if it were being played with high musical prowess. This comes out the most during the faster sections, where at times the drums and bass may be a tad bit ahead of the guitar, or the other way around. The guitar never ventures too far off though, as it does always find its way back home quickly after getting off track. In this sense, the guitar being low in the mix is not necessarily a bad thing, and in the end probably saves more irritation for the modern-metal kiddies who can’t handle a little sloppiness then the production already does for those who need everything polished, pristine, and squeaky clean.

By the time Sodom began recording this album, Tom Angelripper’s vocals had shifted from a much raspier, high-pitched, croak-like shriek, which was just radiating with menacing evil, to a more mid-range, semi-growled-yet-intelligible recitation that a lot of the time didn’t follow any particular rhythm. Not a bad way, though, he just sort of demonically rambles over vicious, ripping blackened thrash metal, and it works very, very well.

The riffing had certainly gone through some modifications over the two-year span between the EP and this, setting the Hellhamemer-like simplicity to the side and replacing it with, a more thrash-oriented and varied style riffing, ultimately giving it the thrashier sheen the band was going for. That is not to say the occasional ‘In the Sign’-type black metal riff doesn’t pop up every once in a while, because it does, and they actually do a great job of carrying some of that into their newfound thrash riffing. The guitar tone is relatively thin, but not overly so, and its punch is still felt through the excellent riffing. The bass is thick and ugly, and has a very deep tone, which sounds especially awesome during the slow sections (the beginning of the title track is a perfect example). I’d say Mr. Chris Witchhunter, the drummer, did a damn fine job on here. I mean, at this point he was no virtuoso by any means, but sloppily yet surely, he kept it together as he pounded and pummeled away on those poor skins of his. Like the rest of the band, he really was at his best during the slower sections, where he could add texture with well-placed fills and different snare patterns.

In my eyes, Sodom’s first LP, the almighty ‘Obsessed by Cruelty’, is a damn fine piece of black/thrash. I’d go as far as to say it’s easily one of the best albums of its kind from that era, ranking it up there with Necrodeath’s ‘Into the Macabre’ and NME’s ‘Unholy Death’. Everything from the sleeve artwork, to the broken English lyrics, to the music itself, and yes, even the production, is awesome, and all live up to the standards it takes to deem an old 80’s black/death/thrash recording a classic.

Recommended. Vinyl especially.

Obsessed By Cruelty signs a Sodom’s musical different approach respect the primordial EP In The Sign Of Evil. Sometimes, it’s almost astonishing how a band could improve its way of playing and creating songs. Well, at the end, Sodom are never been masters of techniques and virtuosos but this is another reason for which I like them. Actually, we are always stuck in the same putrid mud with their first full length effort, but everything sounds more thrash metal, losing a bit the black/death atmosphere.

Tom’s vocals are far thrasher here and the production is less obscure and sharper even if it’s not so good and powerful. The budget at the time was a bit low and that explains this poor but thrasher production. The riffs are more mature (if we can use this term for Sodom in 1986) and pure thrash metal with the predilection of palm muting instead of open chords riffage ala Hellhammer with punk influences like in the previous EP.

“Deathlike Silence” is truly famous among the Sodom’s songs, featuring a good refrain, while “Brandish The Sceptre” is remarkable for the restless drums-guitars work and the mid paced session in the middle. This one is something new for Sodom and here the show new skills and abilities in bringing this mid paced part in a growing speed to finish again in up tempo. “Proselytism Real” shows again good tempo changes in it and the whole song seems really more mature.

The solos on these songs are nothing special, being the classic furious shreds. It’s a pity that Sodom don’t play these songs in live gigs because they are very good and catchy, like the intro to “Equinox” that is very, very similar to “Show No Mercy” song by Slayer. Seems to me that the band (Tom Angelripper) has a bit forgotten this album, maybe because it’s a sort of starter-album before Persecution Mania and it was put out after a black/death milestone as In The Sign of Evil. Anyway, it’s a pity.

“Fall Of Majesty Town” is great for the epic/thrash riff at the beginning, recreating a doom and tragic atmosphere while the last “Pretenders To The Throne”, “Witchhammer” and “Volcanic Slut” are completely on up tempo showing some of the very first death metal influences. Overall, a very good piece of raw death/thrash that, musically, is a bit far from the EP not principally for the goodness of the songs, but mostly for the production and the new band’s direction.

Sodom were, early on, one of the most notorious bands in the death metal underground. Their demos were poorly recorded, but full of vicious Satanic metal that was moe intense than anything yet heard. Even Hellhammer seemed refined and tame by comparison. Not much changed with IN THE SIGN OF EVIL, the band's debut EP, except for the inclusion of a far better production job. But with OBSESSED BY CRUELTY things became downright strange.

First off all the production, as others have mentioned, is wrong for this sort of death metal.The guitars sound buried and the whole album is washed out with too much studio ambience. But what happened is that the odd emphasis on elements like the echoing vocals and overly loud drum tracks gave the album a unique and odd presence. Also, Angelripper's voice itself wasn't truly a death metal growl, nor was it really clear or intelligible, adding another weird layer. But most of all, it seems that Sodom attempted to write material that was too complex and/or technically demanding for their own abilities. Thus songs like "Deathlike Silence," "Nuctermeron," "Witchhammer" and "Brandish The Sceptre" sound wildly out of control at times, as Sodom can barely keep pace with fury of their own songs. When they do slow down to more controlled tempos as in the title track or "Prosleytism Real" they create some very mean and formidable riffing. The lyrics are also weird, not being fully occult-driven but are nevertheless full of evil proclamations and forboding ideas.

It's also been noted that the guitarist on this album (Destructor) was thrown out of Kreator before he could record with them (his picture is on the back of the PLEASURE TO KILL album), and Sodom was equally umimpressed with his abilities. Sadly he is no longer with us to defend himself, but bear in mind that death metal was a very new form of music when this album was recorded, and few guitarists had mastered it's quirks at the time.

Sodom was very displeased in general with the album, and it seems they've always been hesitant to perform songs from it in concert (even during the time shortly after it's release). But it's strange presence and interesting material have gained it a real cult following, and I've really loved it ever since it was first issued. I've always thought a re-recorded or remixed version could be a revelation, as I feel this album was way ahead of it's time, despite being held back by the poor production and odd touches that it has. But even in it's good old raw form, OBSESSED BY CRUELTY is a unique album not only for Sodom but for death metal in general. Maybe someday Angelripper and company will give in to fan requests to perform the whole album live! If they ever do, I pray a recording of that show will be released!

"You dweller of the twilight void comes Sodom..."

By this time in '86, rumors of Sodom moving to Splitsville hadn’t festered and Obsessed by Cruelty, the tentative title to their debut full-lengther, is rampant in zines around the globe, yet the sign of evil hasn't lit the night sky in nearly two years. Like I’ve said previously in other reviews i.e. Trouble, Omen, the lapse between releases, especially the initial two, played worrisome games with me. Is the shadow of disappointment lurking? Will they suddenly think they’d be better off sounding like Talas? Is Angel Ripper’s hair now fluffy blonde and he’s got the cheeks cut out of his spandex? Those images quickly die on the vine…the cover art, Angel Ripper all decked out trying to look menacing, the song titles…yeah, Sodom’s back.

With one spin of “Deathlike Silence”, the difference between In the Sign of Evil and the lp is clear as a bell. As far as the mix goes, Angel Ripper’s once up-front vocals have been partially camouflaged by the production, plus his voice itself has deepened a notch, now more guttural than throaty snarl, and some echo does sinister wonders. The guitars wage a losing battle with the percussion for audible dominance. In addition, the songwriting has ascended to grander levels, showing off the three-piece’s penchant for epic structures and choruses that the ep, a more straightforward affair, didn’t showcase extensively. Blistering paces were never a problem for the band, but now plodding gaits find stretches of time, steamrolling with all the viciousness of the past. Stick-flying Witchhunter still bewilders with off-kilter timing while Destructor (and session guitarist Uthatoor) replace Grave Violator on guitar.

After the overlong, funeral-esque intro that’s as compelling as toast crust, we find out Sodom has either hired someone else to write their lyrics or took a crash course in English grammar and prose. The same guys who wrote “we are all suicide, without brain” and “where devils make a toy” are now quill-penning it with “delivered from the chains of subjection” and “patriotic society liberate from human rubbish”, however between misspellings and the flamboyant, almost unreadable font used to print the lyric sheet, it’s all pretty moot.

More positively, "Deathlike Silence" drives through without remorse, fearless in its introduction to the adjusted Sodom sound. Even though the guitar sound gasps for breath, the rhythms are found shifting with a timeliness that keeps the track from seeming more prolonged than it is. With "Brandish the Sceptre", "Proselytism Real", and "Obsessed by Cruelty", we see the 'softer' side of the trio as those aforementioned slow, pounding beats dwell long enough to grind bones to dust. Even with its unkempt drum intro, “Equinox” is dauntless as its lion-hearted main riff sweeps into motion on an undercarriage of rolling double bass.

Demonic laughter fills the groaning din commencing the title cut, a track that marvels with rhythmic changes, sound speed shifts, and a condemning chorus. A mid-pace is the starting tempo for “Fall of Majesty Town”, but lasts only as long as the three-piece can keep from exploding with near-perpetual purebred speed that carries right over into chaos-induced “Nuctemeron”, an unstoppable, cool-riffed blaster. “Witchhammer” and “Volcanic Slut” do absolutely nothing to quell the effort’s severity, the latter track the imposing and frightful end to an lp that has mustered much molten aggression.

Top tracks could be a toss up as fist-whitening "Equinox" and orgasmic "Volcanic Slut" are both exceptionally ambitious, but I would have to go with either the title cut or imperious "Pretenders to the Throne" with its somewhat unassuming start breaking free to be overpowered by heavy-duty riffs and a chorus most intrepid.

The ’88 Steamhammer two-on-one cd of the debut ep and this lp is all screwed up, listing 19 songs when there are only 16 (the intros to “Deathlike Silence”, “Burst Command ‘til War”, and “Outbreak of Evil” are accounted for separately), meanwhile “Volcanic Slut” is listed last on the disc, but shows as track 14 in place of “After the Deluge”, which is nowhere to be found, much like the North American pressing (Metal Blade) of the lp. Good job guys.

In any case, heaving their second anchor overboard was Sodom and with these eleven tracks redoubled the devotion of their fans and most thrash fanatics, German or otherwise.

Sodom loses alot of the black metal they had on their debut EP, and go for an all-out thrasher (with one major exception, more on that later) this time, and it's safe to say that their music is alot more enjoyable this way.

The mix is much more balanced than In the Sign of Evil, which helps alot. The riffs are alot thrashier and there is alot less tremolo riffage going on. I like the drumming alot more, because along with the power and speed, there is alot more going on with the cymbals. The bass doesn't sound as fuzzy and is actually discernable in the mix, which is awesome. The solos are also alot better phrased and sound alot cooler.

Tom got his vocals down a hell of alot better on this album, too. He is more understandable and commands alot more authority.

Highlights: Deathlike Sentence has an ass-kicking solo, and Pretenders to the Throne has a rollicking intro-riff.

Low points: Equinox is a totally boring turd of a song, and sometimes the guitar seems slightly out of tune.

One odd exception to the thrash: Witchhammer is almost full-blown black metal, but it's still an awesome song!

It's still not quite as enjoyable as some of Sodom's future albums (especially Agent Orange), but this should NOT be ignored by any self-respecting fan of thrash.