Bad!
That is exactly the word I'll start this review of SODOM's "The Final Sign of Evil" with — and why? Because it's bad! So old man Tom decided to reminisce about his youth and re-record the band's first EP, adding previously unreleased songs from that era. More precisely, it was the label's decision, correcting their own call from 23 years ago to release a five-track mini-disc instead of a full-length twelve-song album. The idea is wonderful; the execution is atrocious. The question is: why was it necessary to replace some of Europe's finest musicians — the magnificent drummer Bobby and the excellent guitarist Bernemann? And more importantly, replace them with whom — with those who recorded that mini-disc 23 years ago. Judging by the photos, nobody wasted their time. They all drank hard. But while Tom leads two quite successful acts, writes music, and tours, his two old comrades have been somewhat less active in their daily pursuits. And if the guitarist can at least play something, drummer Witchhunter has simply forgotten how to handle a drum kit — not a single decent transition, harsh and jagged rhythm changes, extremely primitive and inexpressive playing overall. In other words, the drums on this record are simply horrendous. In 1992, Uncle Tom fired him for drinking, but at least back then he could still play; now it's just sheer chaos. Josef (Grave Violator), who left the band back in 1985 — that is, before the first album even came out — plays very mediocrely, though at least he doesn't reduce his parts to kindergarten level, unlike the "Witch Hunter." The recording quality is deliberately poor — yet another attempt to recreate the '80s effect, and again, it's unclear why. Tom tries to sing in the manner he used back in those days — that is, with a menacing growl. The disc's sole value lies in the unique opportunity to hear seven previously unreleased songs from the period when German thrash was just emerging as a genre. Therefore, despite the rather weak performance, the disc is essential for any fan of German school thrash — and I won't even mention SODOM fans, since in any case it's a chance to hear new songs written by Tom many years ago. But for anyone who would like to get acquainted with German thrash and has never heard music of this style before, I strongly advise against starting with this record — listen to "M-16" instead.