FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…
On November 22, 2010, Sodom released their thirteenth full-length studio album In War and Pieces in Europe via Steamhammer/SPV.
It was released three days prior on November 19, 2010 in Germany, and later released on January 11, 2011 in the United States.
Background:
On November 30, 2010, Tom Angelripper was interviewed by Metalpaths.com. Here are some excerpts from that interview:
"We don’t want to copy ourselves and you can’t compare it to any other older production, like Agent Orange for example. I saw some reviews “It’s better than Agent Orange” or “It sounds like Agent Orange”. I don’t wanna hear that, you know. We’re just doing new songs, even the latest Sodom release was a great album with very very good songs. At this time we do the music we want to. I know exactly what we want. We need a big production with big drum kit and guitars more close up to the ears. We did a kind of pre-production, two months before we started the recording. That brings a very good result in the end. — Tom Angelripper, when asked about how the album compares to Sodom’s previous releases.
“I think Sodom is sort of political band. If you’re watching TV news, read newspapers, you see that what’s going on in the world is so bad some times, this is very tragic. For me it’s very good if you write lyrics about it. It’s very important to stress up themes like war, economical crisis, sexual abuse, stuff like that. However, you will not find any political opinion in our lyrics or when we’re on stage. Life is a big inspiration for me, there are so many things going on in the world and we have to write songs about it.” — Tom Angelripper, when asked whether Sodom’s lyrics are politically themed.
“I think we’ll never get rich from buying or selling records, but if you’re a fan and gonna buy the new album, I want you to be satisfied with it, not disappointed. We wrote new songs but we tried to keep the spirit. My expectation is that we have success. We had some wonderful reviews from magazines and I got many e-mails from Sodom fans who bought the album and are really satisfied. And if the fans like it, well I’m satisfied! That’s the most important thing, you know. We do music for us and for the fans, not for any companies or any magazines.” — Tom Angelripper on the bands expectations of the album.
On November 30, 2010, following the release of In War and Pieces, it was announced that Bobby Schottkowski would be leaving the band, due to "personal and private problems" between Tom Angelripper and Schottkowski. On December 8, 2010, Markus "Makka" Freiwald was announced to be Sodom's new drummer.
Critical Reception:
In War and Pieces sold over 700 copies in the United States in its first week.
In his review for AllMusic, Freeman stated;
“The 13th album by German Thrash/Death Metal institution Sodom deviates not a bit from the pattern established over its dozen predecessors. The group bashes through aggressive, Slayer-esque songs with lyrics about death and war, never letting momentum flag for an instant. Songs like the title track and Hellfire could easily be outtakes from the Slayer songbook circa Seasons in the Abyss, and Tom Angelripper's hoarse, shrieking vocals are extremely close in spirit to Slayer frontman Tom Araya's fevered shouting. Even when they offer a slow intro, as on Through Toxic Veins or God Bless You, it soon erupts into another burst of staccato riffing and machine-gun drumming. Sodom are a lot like Motörhead in that you basically know what you're going to get from album to album; it just depends whether the band is particularly "on fire" or not. While this album does nothing to move Sodom's music to the "next level," whatever that might be, it's a strong dose of what fans have been coming to them for since the late '80s.”
Side Note:
The album was released in four formats:
• Limited edition digipak with bonus live CD including 10 tracks (Wacken, 25th anniversary show 2007)
• Double gatefold LP in blood red vinyl with 1 bonus track (Murder One)
• Standard version
• Download
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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