Released on June 27, 2025, via Steamhammer/SPV, The Arsonist is the seventeenth studio album by legendary German thrash metal band Sodom, marking their return after 2020's acclaimed Genesis XIX. With a career spanning over 40 years, Sodom, led by iconic vocalist and bassist Tom Angelripper, remains a pillar of German thrash metal alongside Kreator and Destruction, delivering a raw, aggressive, and uncompromising sound that evokes the '80s but with modern and precise touches. The album, which clocks in at around 48 minutes, is comprised of 13 intense tracks, all in the 3- to 4-minute range, creating a relentless flow of grenade-sharp riffs and rhythms that sound like a sonic blitzkrieg. The production, recorded on a 24-track analog tape machine without digital enhancements, captures a dirty, greasy, old-school essence, reminiscent of classics like Agent Orange, but with a clarity that avoids over-polishing. The guitars fire in machine-gun bursts, the kick drums pound with brute force, and the bass—less pronounced than on the previous album—anchors the chaos with heavy grooves. The cover art, by Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak (known for covers for Ghost and Mayhem), evokes a dark, apocalyptic atmosphere, perfect for the recurring theme of war, death, and destruction. Tom Angelripper shines with his raspy, manic vocals, alternating between berserker screams, death metal growls, and staccato deliveries reminiscent of Slayer's Tom Araya in moments like "Trigger Discipline." His performance is a vehicle for venting visceral fury, sounding as if in urgent need of therapy—pure Sodom. The lyrics delve into narratives of battle and warlike horrors, with the intro, "The Arsonist," building a somber landscape of gunfire, robotic voices, and screams of agony, as if the listener were thrown into an annihilated battlefield. Critics and fans praise the album's consistency, without jarring highs and lows, comparing it favorably to Genesis XIX and the glory days of Sodom. It's "pure, no-nonsense" thrash, vital and authentic, sounding as if the band has removed all the air from the studio to maximize the impact of each note—it sounds young yet experienced, capable of humiliating contemporary bands. There are no radical innovations, but that's its charm: Sodom doesn't follow trends, it sets them. Reviews range from 4/5 to 5/5, with praise for the "100% sharp" lethality and its ability to compete with the band's classic catalog. In short, The Arsonist is a sonic bunker-buster that proves that Sodom, after 43 years on the road, still has its dirty nails in the filth of extreme metal. Perfect for those seeking old-school thrash with modern punch—listen to the whole thing and prepare for the fire. Sodom have released their seventeenth studio album, "The Arsonist", today! 🔥 Get your copy here: https://sodom.lnk.to/TheArsonist MEMBERS Tom Angelripper - Bass, Vocals Frank Blackfire - Guitars Yorck Segatz - Guitars Toni Merkel - Drums TRACKLIST 1. The Arsonist (00:00) 2. Battle of Harvest Moon (01:03) 3. Trigger Discipline (05:17) 4. The Spirits That I Called (09:12) 5. Witchhunter (12:12) 6. Scavenger (15:27) 7. Gun Without Groom (19:31) 8. Taphephobia (24:17) 9. Sane Insanity (28:01) 10. A.W.T.F. (32:07) 11. Twilight Void (36:08) 12. Obliteration of the Aeons (40:54) 13. Return to God in Parts (44:50) SOCIAL MEDIA Bandcamp: https://sodomofficial.bandcamp.com/ Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/14703 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sodomized Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sodom_band_official/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6SYbLA9utoNsllunR1TnkM YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/SodomOfficial COPYRIGHT All music written and produced by Sodom. All rights reserved to Sodom. #newalbum #newrelease #fullalbum #promotion #metal #sodom #ThrashMetal #GermanThrash #TeutonicThrash #SodomTheArsonist #TheArsonist #Metal2025 #BlackenedThrash #DeathThrash #OldSchoolMetal #HeavyMetal #ExtremeMetal