Seventeen albums in, Germany's Sodom remain a force to be reckoned with, Tom Angelripper and co still more than capable of cranking out the riffs. And even although, as usual for most modern thrash metal bands, it may not hold up when compared to the classics and will be downright predictable for those who have heard the last few albums, The Arsonist still has enough spark to make it a fun listen. Joined by the returning Frank Blackfire and Yorck Segatz on guitars and the more than capable Toni Merkel on drums, Sodom in 2025 are a band well aware of increasing age but just as aware they still have what it takes to make a solid album.

After the ominous title track intro Battle of Harvest Moon gives some surprisingly grandiose grooveage as well as speedier moments that feel very rooted in the 80s heyday. Gun Without Groom is a more frantic take on a similar style, plenty of widdly lead guitars helping it stand out too. Those moments across the album are, of course, where Sodom are at their best. Trigger Discipline sees the band blasting along merrily (with Tom hitting that Araya-esque vocal peak early and contrasting it with some death metal-adjacent growls later in the song) yet it's Witchhunter with its Motörhead-esque barrelling charm that stands out the most in the first half of the tracklisting - a tribute to the departed drummer.

The production is deliberately old-school, drums recorded to tape and some may differ but personally it sounds terrific; raw, churning and earthy without losing impact. Galloping blasters like Taphephobia and Sane Insanity sound tremendous, crunchy and powerful, and it makes the NWOBHM-infused A.W.T.F. (a tribute to Algy Ward from Tank) even better. By the time you've reached the latter part of the album that near-fifty minute runtime can feel a little excessive and certain songs definitely run into each other and come across as samey, however, which does hold the album back from true greatness. That cover art deserves a more consistently killer record! Yet it's hard to pick songs that are actually filler level, and the closing Return to God in Parts ends things on a high note with plenty of infectious riffing. A solid outing for these legends.