When it comes to classic German thrash metal, Sodom remain the unrelenting gold standard, and their latest elpee, The Arsonist, proves they’re still torching the competition with the same ferocity that defined old faves like Agent Orange and Persecution Mania. Dropping later this month, this thirteen-track beast is a masterclass in balancing the band’s old-school bludgeon with a modern, surgical edge, all wrapped in a gloriously raw, analogue-drenched production that gives the album a living, breathing (actually make that snarling) pulse.

Kicking off with the moody, scene-setting title piece, The Arsonist doesn’t so much invite you in as it drags you by the collar into Sodom’s world of war-torn chaos and neck-snapping riffs. It’s a brief prelude, but it sets the stage for the absolute carnage of Battle of Harvest Moon. This is THRASH with capital everything—nought to a hundred in three seconds flat, powered by Toni Merkel’s thunderous drumming, which sits gloriously front and centre. The triple-stringed instrument assault of Tom Angelripper, Frank Blackfire and Yorck Segatz is a relentless battery of riffs, with a mid-song breakdown that channels prime Slayer in a way that’s both homage and genius.

Trigger Discipline keeps the pedal floored, delivering pure, unadulterated Sodomic mayhem. Blackfire and Segatz’s partnership has clearly hit its stride, their duelling guitars slicing through the mix like razor wire. It’s not the most cerebral track, but when it’s this vicious, who cares? The Spirits That I Called loosens the reins slightly, injecting a punkier swagger that’ll have long-time fans banging their heads—and probably their necks, too – into oblivion—thanks to the tracks standout descending riffs that hit like a sledgehammer.

The band’s 2020 release Genesis XIX showed Sodom could fuse their classic sound with a forward-looking fire, and Witchhunter – a tribute to the band’s Totemic drummer Chris Witchhunter, who sadly died in 2008 – doubles down on that promise. It’s the quintessential ‘modern’ Sodom track—marrying their signature bludgeon to a precision that feels almost surgical. It’s a winning formula, and one that storms through the speakers with undeniable force.

Mid-album breather Scavenger dials back the tempo, hitting a doomier groove that lets the riffs breathe, as Tom Angelripper notes in the album’s accompanying press release. It’s a welcome shift before Gun Without Groom reignites the fire, driven by Merkel’s superhuman drumming. Recorded in glorious analogue, his performance is the beating heart of this track, pushing the new with Segatz against the pull of the old in Angelripper and Blackfire’s riffs to create a dynamic, old-school thrash groove that’s impossible to resist.

Taphephobia opens with a classic Sodom intro before erupting into—yep, you guessed it—a classic Sodom banger! Sane Insanity raises (or maybe razes) eyebrows with an intro that feels like Slayer’s Angel of Death reimagined (or, let’s be honest, borrowed), but it quickly carves its own path with irresistible riffs that outshine anything Slayer managed in their later years. Love it or hate it, it’s a headbanger’s delight.

The standout, though, is A.W.T.F., a tribute to Tank’s Algy Ward, whom Angelripper hails as “the best metal vocalist of all time”. Simple, direct, and hard-hitting, it’s one of the album’s finest moments, channelling Tank’s no-nonsense grit into a Sodom-sized punch. Twilight Void continues the band’s knack for blending stripped-back impact with a newfound sophistication (that’s a relative sophistication, natch), cementing what feels like the default sound of modern Sodom—and it’s a damn good one.

Obliteration of the Aeons is the album’s most straightforward cut, no-frills thrash that does exactly what it says on the tin. Closing track Return To God In Parts is a ripsnorter, another Slayeresque thrasher that rounds out the record with a final blast of fury.

While The Arsonist might not quite match the ambition of Genesis XIX, it’s every bit as listenable, with a raw, authentic production that makes every riff and drum hit feel alive. Sodom have always been about staying true to their roots while refusing to stagnate, and The Arsonist is proof they’re still the undisputed masters of that balancing act. With Merkel’s analogue-recorded drums leading the charge and the guitar trio of Angelripper, Blackfire, and Segatz firing on all cylinders, this is Sodom at their unapologetic best. Light the fuse and stand back—this one’s a scorcher.

The Arsonist releases on June 27th.