When you are doing something for over 30 years you are allowed to stop being excited about your job or occupation. Famous Germans Sodom have recently put a torch to this myth having revitalized their career with a pair of solid full-length albums (my favorite being the self-titled, but most recent Epitome of Torture is a fine specimen in its own right as well). Having left another bullet in the holster, or bridging their pathway to something new in the not too distant future, Sodom have put out a quick mini-release Sacred Warpath. Apparently Tom Angelripper & the Crew had something to say about the events in the world today.

Sacred Warpath, the song, is a longer composition than what you expect from Sodom, and continues with the dark sinister edge the band discovered on Epitome of Torture. There is plenty of dirt and grime in the sound, don’t get me wrong, but Sacred Warpath shows that Sodom today is paying plenty of attention to their song construction and undercurrent melody. There is still burning, scream-it-out chorus, snarling vocals by Onkel Tom and mid-song picking solo by Bernemann. Sacred Warpath shows that Sodom is very much alive and kickin’, even if at less than Mach 3 speed.

The rest of the songs on the EP are live renditions of generally accepted crowd favorite hits. All three, especially Stigmatized sound as if recorded in the studio, this being the testament to both Sodom tight live performances and their studio recordings approaching their live sound. City of God shows off that speed, if you missed it, and The Saw is the Law begins with a live rendition of some superfamiliar tune I just can’t either place or get out of my mind.

It is great to see that those people who were doing thrash metal when I was in middle school are still doing it with fervor today.