J-Man
Nothing Counts More Than Blood
Sodom is a band that, surprisingly enough, I hadn't even heard of until a few weeks ago. Although I've now heard other albums by the band, I'm still a "noob" in all senses of the word when it comes to Sodom. All I really know is that their latest album, In War and Pieces, is a high-quality, if clichéd, modern thrash album. In War and Pieces is the type of album where the fans of the genre will embrace, but more casual listeners will just moderately enjoy. Not because it's bad, but because it's simply not innovative enough to stand out in the thrash metal scene. Modern thrash fans will have everything that they want in this album, but this just doesn't stand out enough from the genre stereotypes to really pique my interests. With that said, In War and Pieces is still a solid album that fans of Sodom should check out.
There are 11 songs on In War and Pieces, which adds up to a 47 minute running time. That's a pretty good length for this album. There isn't a whole lot of diversity aside from tempo changes, so, thankfully, the album isn't long enough to get too tiresome. My favorite song by far is God Bless You, which is a dynamic piece with a nice acoustic intro.
Sodom is an extremely talented group, and it's pretty easy to hear that throughout In War and Pieces. These guys know how to play their instruments, and they do it quite well. I especially have to applaud Bernd Kost for the standout guitar work. He's obviously very experienced with his instrument.
The production is great. It's heavy and professional, but is still pretty raw. This is basically everything that's essential for a thrash album.
Conclusion:
In War and Pieces is a competent album by Sodom, but does little to stand out in the modern thrash metal scene. Because of the great musicianship, production, and solid overall feel, I'll give the album 3 stars. This isn't an album that I'll put on often, but it's still enjoyable to hear from time to time. If you like Sodom and/or thrash metal, In War and Pieces is worth an acquisition.