UMUR "Persecution Mania" is the 2nd full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Sodom. The album was released through Steamhammer Records in December 1987. It´s the successor to "Obsessed by Cruelty" from 1986 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Destructor has been replaced by Frank Blackfire. The original vinyl release featured 8 original tracks and a cover of "Iron Fist" by Motörhead, while the European CD version featured a re-recording of "Outbreak of Evil" (the opening track from the 1985 "In the Sign of Evil" EP) and the material from the March 1987 "Expurse of Sodomy" EP as bonus tracks. The cassette version only featured the 9 vinyl tracks and the re-recording of "Outbreak of Evil".

"Persecution Mania" is quite the leap forward for Sodom in terms of memorable songwriting and better musicianship. It´s still a very raw and aggressive sounding thrash metal release (sometimes bordering early death metal), but the songwriting is audibly tighter, more sophisticated, and generally more interesting than the band´s early releases. The addition of Blackfire to the lineup meant a lot. His playing skills were on a high level and his writing contributions also meant the band had more options and weren´t as limited as before.

The band play fast and aggressive thrash metal riffs and rhythms, but they are also capable of slowing down and playing heavy sections too. Lead vocalist Tom Angelripper plays some powerful and heavy bass lines and his vocals are sandpaper raw and snarling, spitting out apocalyptic lyrics about politics, war, and religion. "Nuclear Winter" opens the album in great style and with that song the dark and aggressive tone is set for the remaining part of the album. Not all tracks are equally sophisticated or interesting, but they are all quite effective and designed to pummel the listener.

"Persecution Mania" features a raw and dark yet detailed sound production, which suits the material well. Sodom were still in the early stages of their career at this point, but "Persecution Mania" is actually surprisingly mature sounding, especially compared to their early raw and unpolished releases. It´s not that they didn´t develop their sound further in the subsequent years, but "Persecution Mania" is pretty much the blueprint for the releases to come. A 3.5 (70%) rating is deserved.

Vim Fuego As one of the unholy triumvirate of German thrash, Sodom was always heavier and more evil sounding than either Kreator or Destruction, and owed a huge debt to Motorhead and Venom. Second album `Persecution Mania' recorded in 1987 was a huge step up from the earlier, more primitive output, with a few dents hammered out of the unrelenting Sodom war machine.

As a three piece band Sodom were never going to be overly technical. The riffing is as basic as you'll ever find anywhere, but let's face it, riffs are what thrash metal is all about, and these sound good.

The album's lyrical content showed a transition taking place. The cheesy Satanic imagery was on the outer, being replaced by a more thoughtful anti-war lyrical stance.

The first of the anti-war songs, "Nuclear Winter", has a similar wailing guitar effect Slayer used, and indicated the band were lifting their game as far as complexity went.

Frank Blackfire's solos through the song are chaotic and far from precise, but it doesn't seem to matter.

The other anti-war song "Bombenhagel" (literal translation "hail of bombs") pointed directly where the classic `Agent Orange' was going to go. The band finally explored dynamics outside just playing as fast as they could. It links several slower passages with heads down thrash outs and bass solos, and pinches the militaristic melody from "Das Lied der Deutschen" (the German national anthem), perhaps as a comment on Germany's conflict filled past. The song finally descends into an ad-libbed groove conclusion.

And the Motorhead influence? Try a cover of the always gutsy "Iron Fist". The simplistic but effective bass line is seems perfectly suited to the album, almost like it was written for Sodom, and Tom Angelripper's take on Lemmy's lyrics add a vicious tone.

"Conjuration" borrows a little from "Overkill" and even the previously aired "Iron Fist", with a vigorous, bass driven theme and a riff which is simplicity itself. It first appeared as "Satan's Conjuration" on the band's early demo `Victims Of Death'.

Often though, Sodom careen along like a runaway train, often playing far too fast for their own good, only just managing to rein things moments before derailment. The title track is a perfect example. Drummer Chris Witchhunter has never been technically proficient, but was usually adequate enough. He seemed to be trying to play catch up on the track, while Angelripper had difficulty trying to spit out the multi-syllabic lyrics. Only Frank Blackfire seemed to cope with the pace of the song, firing out riffs and solos with ease.

"Outbreak Of Evil" and the three tracks from the `Expurse Of Sodomy' single were added to the album on its re-release. "Outbreak Of Evil" came from the overtly Satanic and wonderfully primal `In The Sign of Evil' EP, while the other three tracks sound little different to the majority of the album.

While not the thrash essential `Agent Orange' is, `Persecution Mania' is a terrifying monster of an album when put alongside pallid, limp offerings of the time like Megadeth's `Peace Sells', Testament's `The Legacy' or Exodus' `Pleasures Of The Flesh'.

Warthur A great little gem of European thrash from Sodom, who with a new guitarist onboard up the musicianship and move away from the sleazy, sloppy black metal of previous releases and into a lean, punkish, heavily Motorhead-influenced version of thrash metal. There's even a cover of Motorhead's Iron Fist to leave listeners in no doubt as to who the band's true heroes are, and in updating Motorhead's tried and tested speed metal blueprint with the thrash advancements of the Big Four Sodom finally hit on their own distinctive sound which would sustain them for much of the rest of their career.