Sodom - Obsessed by Cruelty (1986)

I suspect I'll eternally have an appreciation for all early pioneering extreme metal no matter how sloppy, lo-fi and primal it may sound, and in the case of Sodom's debut full-length were talking face melting skull crushing madness on, 'Obsessed by Cruelty.'

Arriving exactly two years after the bands EP, 'In the Sign of Evil,' its by far the most intense and violent of the big three of German thrash metal debuts. After a short intro track with an ominous feel, 'Deathlike Silence' proceeds to wallop the listener through this opening cut that isn't entirely different from the EP material, but tends to show a more thrashy/proto-death/black metal rather than the more straightforward blackness of the EP. 'Brandish the Sceptre' relents in no way, lacerating and pulverizing it hits quite hard too, and it likely becomes clear by this point that the production is very raw and unusual. Largely because the drums greatly dominate over the guitar and the bass is completely absent, which sounds odd, but mixed with Angel Ripper's hellish snarls this chaotic mess works.

Deathlike Silence

Perhaps if there is a problem to be found within this debut its the simple fact that the formula is mostly the same from start to finish, save for the opening of the title track. Its sort of the same flaw that Kreator's debut, 'Endless Pain' has, while I enjoy both, the lack of infectious riffs and memorable solos sort of leaves you longing for a bit more after its thirty seven minute duration. So, in a way I sometimes prefer listening to these songs on a more individual basis as I tend to notice individual nuances between them. That's not to say that the riffs or solos are bad, or that there is any lack of energy within this beast, but sometimes taking it all in at once can result in it being something of a blur. Curiously I ask myself if had the EP featured more tracks would I have felt a similar thought?

Nevertheless, I still am quite a big fan of, 'Obsessed by Cruelty' and enjoy it for that early pioneering madness, but the EP has always lasted stronger in my mind and of course everyone knows the immense offerings Sodom would soon choke out during the remainder of the 80's.