Review Summary: If they were "going through the motions" it would at least be passable in comparison.
I Give Up
No seriously, I'm done.
I'm done pretending like Sodom even remotely cares about producing good Thrash anymore. I'm done giving this band a pass every time they pump out another shit album because "it's Sodom". I'm done giving a crap every time they take a piss on their legacy. I'm sick of it, all of it. Honestly Sodom haven't made a great album since
M-16 and even then it was a far cry from their prime days. I should have known things were off after their self-titled effort in 2006. Once that album came out, everything went down hill. I said nothing of course, I just assumed the band was going through a rough patch. Well it's been about 15 years, and they haven't gotten better.
Decision Day is another by-the-books Thrash effort by Sodom, who now just sound lazier than they have ever sounded. If you want a general idea of how this album will sound, look no further than
Vaginal Born Evil, a track so embarrassingly cringe-worthy I can't believe someone thought it was a good idea to make it. The instruments are all completely off sync, and it sounds like nobody is on key with anybody. Even Angelripper sounds like he couldn't care less anymore, with his vocal delivery in both
Who Is God？ and
Decision completely lacking in energy. He just monotonously croaks his way through lyrics without the power that he used to command back in records like
Agent Orange and
M-16.
Another glaring issue is that there are no real defining features between the tracks. The drums sound the same as they have for three albums, so do the guitars, and so do the damn vocals; lazy, uninspired, and generally boring. Honestly, if I am bored listening to Thrash Metal, you are doing something very wrong. There is no better example of boring than the agonizing first track
In Retribution, with the drums and guitars following the same pseudo-speed rhythm they have done since day one, only worse than they used to. Even worse was the fact that, not only was this the opening track, but it was six damn minutes long. I wanted to skip this damn track so bad, but I surprisingly fought the urge.
Honestly, there is one saving grace for this whole album. That is the track
Rolling Thunder, a crazy track that puts guitars in the centerfold. The rhythm is on point and the over-dubbing on the vocals is subtle, not to mention the crazy mini-solos on the guitar towards the middle of the track. The track also features bits of Symphonic Metal from the guitars too. The best part is, this track has Angelripper singing the least, and when he does, he does it well enough. It's horrible to say that I am enjoying Sodom music when Angelripper isn't singing, but its the damn truth. He just doesn't sound inspired anymore, he sounds lazy and bored.
Decision Day is boring, repetitive, and a sad reminder of Sodom cashing in on their legacy and milking it to oblivion. They don't care anymore, and perhaps, neither should I. Maybe it's time to move on from Sodom, to stop pretending like they will ever produce a good record again. After all, there are so many young Thrash bands out there just waiting to be heard from me, and who deserve my attention more than these guys. Not to mention there are old Thrash bands returning to show us that they still have gas in the tank. Sodom is neither the former or the latter, just an old band that forgot what made them who they are. That is the saddest part.
