Ausgebombt

The Ausgebombt EP is another of those short form releases which has been retroactively made entirely worthless through time, but even for its day it was nothing special whatsoever. Whereas the previous Sodom EP Expurse of Sodomy offered three blazing hymns of viral excellence, this is one of those 'fun' excursions where a band decided it would be entertaining to themselves and their fans to step outside their skins for a while. All of this content has since been available on the reissue of Agent Orange, so there is absolutely no reason at all to shuffle currency unless you're the consummate, textbook completist, but ignoring that possibility, there was nothing worth a damn to begin with.

The "Ausgebombt" here is the German version, so naturally it was meant to appeal to the local fan base. This was the frivolous punk song from Agent Orange, following up the uninteresting, unnecessary punkish song on Persection Mania ("Bombenhagel"), and it's truly undeserving of its own single, though not a completely terrible song in any language. "Don't Walk Away" is a Tank cover, from their initial 1981 single. While it's hardly mangled at the hands of Tom Angelripper and crew, and you could always tell that the NWOBHM band was a huge influence on them, through both their warlike moniker/imagery and dirty, blue collar sound, it's really that not interesting of a song, with a typical blues rock pattern to it that sounds. Very Motörhead, like most of the early Tank recordings, but aside from an acknowledgment of Sodom's roots, it hasn't improved through this version.

Lastly, because 2 songs does not a full-bodied EP make, there is a live track, a grimy version of "Incest" from Agent Orange, recorded at Eissporthalle Braunschweig this same year. It's a decent tune, but not one of the best from that album, and there's nothing special about it's inclusion here except for the fact that it fills space. Since I'm just not a fan of Sodom's punk stuff, whether that be Tom Angelripper's 'Onkel Tom' solo project or the tendency for the main band to deviate into the territory from time to time, I found this to be a wasteland of value, meant only to cull a few extra dollars for Steamhammer/SPV and the band. Sodom's a good thrash band, once in awhile great, but that's the only context I've ever appreciated them in.

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Nice little EP, containing three fine songs : the german version of “Ausgebombt”, out of Agent Orange, a live version of “Incest” and the NWOBHM's Tank cover “Don't Walk Away”. A fine and cheap little piece that will please everyone that wants an easy introduction to the legendary german thrash act Sodom.

“Ausgebombt (german version)” is a bit weaker than its english version, but it still is quite nice. The band shows their strong Motörhead influences on it, with the powerful bass riffs and the fantastic Angeripper's vocal approach. In fact, I'd dare to say that this tune is very influenced by the before-mentioned english act, but, in the end, it's better than every track that same act ever released. I've never heard a Motörhead song stronger than this one, really. That's how good “Ausgebombt” is: from the chorus to the stellar drumming, everything is perfect about this song. Simple but very very effective thrash here, indeed.

The other two songs are weaker but still worth listening. “Incest” is performed flawlessly, albeit a little bit faster than the studio version (which is a plus!) and “Don't Walk Away” is a very well done cover, similar to the one featured on Agent Orange . So, a good EP, perfect for all those who can't afford buying a full-length and still are interested in this band.