Sodom / Hirax Split-Single To Kick Off SPV's 30th Anniversary Celebrations

In 2014, SPV will celebrate its 30th anniversary with various campaigns and releases. The celebrations begin with this limited edition 7" single. Only 1.000 coloured and numbered vinyl copies will be pressed which will make this single a highly collectable item for all Thrash Metal maniacs.

The SODOM / HIRAX Split-Single vinyl wax record will be released in Germany January 24, Europe January 27 and North America February 4 via SPV / Steamhammer Records.

SODOM Reveal Cover And Track Listing For New Album Epitome Of Torture

SODOM have revealed the cover artwork and track listing for their new album, Epitome Of Torture.

The album was produced by Waldemar Sorychta (a.o. EXUMER, THE VERY END), whose expertise as a sound engineer and audio magician thoroughly benefitted Sodom’s 2010 release, In War And Pieces. 

Tom Angelripper: “Waldemar is an exceptional producer, who always succeeds in evening out an artist’s weak spot and promoting his strengths. He doesn’t let you get away with anything, he knows all our weak spots. Which occasionally makes working at the studio a little demanding, but at the end of the day it’s all worthwhile, as the result shows.” The Sodom frontman describes the sound on Epitome Of Torture as “hard-as-nails and contemporary, without ignoring our tried-and-tested old-school attitude.”

The new album will be available worldwide through Steamhammer / SPV in four different formats: as download, a limited-edition DigiPak including two bonus tracks and a poster, in a regular jewel case and as a double gatefold colored vinyl with three bonus tracks.

Epitome Of Torture is set to be released April 26 Germany, April 29 Europe, May 7 North America.

Epitome Of Torture track listings:

Limited Edition Digipak:
01. My Final Bullet 04:40
02. S.O.D.O.M. 03:46
03. Epitome Of Torture 03:31
04. Stigmatized 02:56
05. Cannibal 04:19
06. Shoot Today – Kill Tomorrow 04:01
07. Invocating The Demons 04:25
08. Katjuscha 03:43
09. Into The Skies Of War 03:51
10. Tracing The Victim 04:46
11. Waterboarding 05:06 (bonus track)
12. Splitting The Atom 04:28 (bonus track)

Jewel Case:
01. My Final Bullet 04:40
02. S.O.D.O.M. 03:46
03. Epitome Of Torture 03:31
04. Stigmatized 02:56
05. Cannibal 04:19
06. Shoot Today – Kill Tomorrow 04:01
07. Invocating The Demons 04:25
08. Katjuscha 03:43
09. Into The Skies Of War 03:51
10. Tracing The Victim 04:46

2LP (coloured vinyl):
LP 1 / Side A
01. My Final Bullet 04:40
02. S.O.D.O.M. 03:46
03. Epitome Of Torture 03:31
LP 1 / Side B
04. Stigmatized 02:56
05. Cannibal 04:19
06. Shoot Today – Kill Tomorrow 04:01
LP 2 / Side A
07. Invocating The Demons 04:25
08. Katjuscha 03:43
09. Into The Skies Of War 03:51
LP 2/ Side B
10. Tracing The Victim 04:46
11. Waterboarding 05:06 (bonus track)
12. Splitting The Atom 04:28 (bonus track)
13. Ace Of Spades 02:36 (bonus track)

SODOM Reveal Details On New Album Epitome Of Torture

By Featured Artists

SODOM have announced the release of their new studio album Epitome Of Torture in Germany on April 26, 2013 (Europe April 29, North America May 7) via Steamhammer / SPV.

In recent months, vocalist / bassist Tom Angelripper, guitarist Bernemann and drummer Markus “Makka” Freiwald recorded a total of twelve new tracks (plus a Motörhead cover) which present Sodom as more diverse and multi-faceted than ever.

“Epitome Of Torture features not only your typical Sodom fare, but also two or three numbers which are slightly more moderate and melodic than what people have come to expect from us,” Tom Angelripper explains, “so wait and see!”

Epitome Of Torture was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, whose expertise as a sound engineer and audio magician thoroughly benefitted Sodom’s 2010 release In War And Pieces. Tom Angelripper: “Waldemar is a true authority. He doesn’t let you get away with anything, he knows all our weak spots. Which occasionally makes working at the studio a little demanding, but at the end of the day it’s all worthwhile, as the result shows.” The Sodom frontman describes the sound on Epitome Of Torture as “hard-as-nails and contemporary, without ignoring our tried-and-tested old-school attitude.”

The new album will be available in four different formats: as digital download, a limited-edition DigiPak CD incl. two bonus tracks and a poster, a regular jewel case CD and as double gatefold vinyl incl. three bonus tracks.

Sodom are about to start shooting a video for their new album song Stigmatized with ROAX team (e.g. Sodom: Lords of Depravity Vol 1+2) in Berlin. “Sodom haven’t had an official video clip for some time, so it’s about time we do one,” Tom Angelripper confesses. “That’s why it will be an uncompromising, shocking clip which our fans can look forward to!”

While all of this sounds very promising, the same question remains once more: why different release dates spread over almost two weeks?

Wake up labels and finally arrive in the 21st century! Maybe you don’t care about your employees becoming workless once reality has whiped you out, but it’s your damn duty to care about your artists.

If the web and ways to handle the demands of the current and future music business properly are still a mystery to you, get people on board who are 21st century men and don’t kill your artists with your stubborn, ignorant 80’s style!

SODOM And EXUMER Drop Out Of Monsterfest Colombia

German / U.S. thrashers SODOM and EXUMER have dropped out of Monsterfest Colombia in Bogotá for breach of contract by the promoter.

The shows were scheduled for Saturday, January 26. See Sodom's statement at this location (Spanish only). Here's Exumer's official statement regarding their cancellation of Monsterfest Colombia:
"To all our Colombian fans and friends:

We wanted to inform you today, with the deepest regret, that we will not be appearing at the Monsterfest show on January 26, 2013 in Bogotá / Colombia!

The promoters of this show approached us last year and asked us if we would like to partake in this epic event. We instantly agreed, without any hesitation, to play at this truly unique event alongside our dear friends from TANKARD and SODOM.

We and the promoters of this show reached an agreement about the conditions for this show that we held up until the very last minute. Unfortunately the promoters did not do the same and not only did they lie to us, but they lied to you, the fans, as well. The promoters sent us everything from fake flight reservations to unverifiable money transfers, making it impossible for us to travel to Colombia while we still heavily promoted this show on the internet.

EXUMER is not responsible for any of this and we want to let you know that we will come and play for you anytime an honest local promoter is willing to take the time and the effort to bring us to Colombia.

Again, we are extremely sorry for all of this, but be assured that the band had nothing to do with the shortcomings of the promoters of Monsterfest, who appear to be liars and swindlers of the worst caliber. We hope that their shameful actions will not cause you any monetary damages, as they have caused us time and effort.

Thank you for all your loyal support over all these years and we will meet hopefully soon! \m/
Mem, Ray, Tony, Matthias and H.K."

An additional personal message to Exumer's fans by vocalist Mem V. Stein can be read here.

MYSTERIA Metalkneipe In Recklinghausen Schließt Ende März

Von Featured Artists

Die Inhaber der MYSTERIA Metalkneipe in Recklinghausen überraschten gestern Metalfans und -bands der Region mit einer höchst bedauerlichen Tatsache: der Schließung dieser Institution Ende März diesen Jahres.

Ob für das Feierabendbier, den gepflegten Vollabschuß am Wochenende oder für zahlreiche Shows von u.a. Diabolic Danceclub, Despise & Conquer, Sabiendas, Final Depravity und The Very End - das Mysteria war über mehr als ein Jahrzehnt unabhängig vom Standort innerhalb Recklinghausens der Anlaufpunkt für Freunde der Rhythmen, bei denen wir alle nicht nur mit müssen, sondern in erster Linie mit wollen.

An Mine und Matthias (stellvertretend für das gesamte Mysteria Team): persönlich und im Namen von FA’s The Very End und Final Depravity einfach nur herzlichen Dank und alles Gute!! \m/

Bevor ihr im Folgenden die Schließungsankündigung im Wortlaut nachlesen könnt, noch der Hinweis auf zwei Veranstaltungen im Mysteria:

Samstag, 16.02. ab 20:00 Uhr
CROSSPLANE Live Unplugged
Das Video zur neuen Single Rollin’ feat. Tom Angelripper (Sodom, Onkel Tom) und Christof Leim (The New Black) könnt ihr unten sehen.

Samstag, 23.03. ab 20:00 Uhr
DIE Abschlußparty! Gong zu den allerletzten Runden, Abriß, Abschiß und alles, was noch reingeht - 
der finale Kracher im Mysteria!

“Time to say goodbye – the end of an era!

So Leute, auch die schönste Zeit geht mal zu Ende. Deshalb müssen wir euch heute leider bekannt geben, dass wir nach 13 Jahren, in denen das Mysteria zu einem riesigen Teil unseres Lebens geworden ist, definitiv am 23.3.2013 unsere Tür zum letzten Mal in Recklinghausen für euch öffnen werden.

Wir danken euch ALLEN für die tolle gemeinsame Zeit, 2 Umzüge, 3 Locations, etliche Konzerte und coole Partys. Natürlich allen Metal Heads, die den Weg zu uns gefunden haben, die wir über die Jahre haben kommen UND gehen sehen und allen, die uns tatsächlich über die volle Distanz die Treue gehalten haben!

Uns ist klar geworden, dass der Metal nicht tot (zu kriegen) ist und dass es sich lohnt, gegen alle Widerstände anzukämpfen um dem Metal weiter zu dienen. 13 Jahre Metalkneipe (generell und besonders in RE), das schafft nicht jeder - und darauf sind wir auch ordentlich stolz!

In den 2 Monaten, die uns noch bleiben, wird es an jedem Wochenende eine Menge Specials geben. Am 16.2. werden wir auf jeden Fall noch unseren 13ten Geburtstag mit einer großartigen Unplugged-Liveshow von Crossplane feiern.

Am 23.3. wird es dann DIE Abschlußparty überhaupt geben!

Also nutzt die wenigen Chancen, die euch bleiben, um mit uns zu rocken. Genießt unsere verbleibenden 10 Wochenenden, um nochmals alles zu geben!

Man soll ja niemals „NIE“ sagen und wer weiß, ob man sich nicht doch nochmal wieder sieht und wenn ja, wo, unter welchem Namen und mit welchem Konzept das dann sein wird…

Also sagen wir erstmal – bis dann!

Euer Mysteria Team”

MONSTERFEST COLOMBIA - New Website Launched

The promoters of MONSTERFEST COLOMBIA have launched an all new website for the show at howmuch.com.co/monsterfest.  
Monsterfest Colombia 2013 in Bogota on January 26 features German thrash metal masters SODOM, TANKARD and EXUMER.

Commented Exumer vocalist Mem V. Stein: "It's an honor for us to finally travel to Colombia and play for our fans there. We were quite sad that we were unable to visit Colombia during our SOUTH AMERICAN DAMNATION TOUR, earlier in May/June this year.

Hence, we were very excited when we were asked to join forces with our friends from SODOM and TANKARD and to play at Monsterfest. This will be no doubt an epic event and something to remember for a long time to come."

ENEMY OF THE SUN - New Bass Player Announced

ENEMY OF THE SUN, the international metal band lead by top producer Waldemar Sorychta (a.o. SODOM, EXUMER, THE VERY END), are proud to announce Reina Schauff as their new bass player. He is no stranger to the Enemy camp as he hails from the band‘s homebase of Dortmund, Germany.

The four-piece, which is the follow-up to Sorychta‘s GRIP INC., is currently holed up in the studio working on their third album, set to be released in spring 2013.

Here is the official statement from Waldemar Sorychta: “Reina brings fresh impulses to the band! We have known him for a long time, and he has always been a part of Enemy Of The Sun, having touring with us on several occasions.”

Commented Reina Schauff: “I am really excited to join this wonderful band. The new album will be killer and definitely the best in band history yet. I can’t wait to get my feet on stage with those guys!”

Caedium, the second album from from Enemy Of The Sun, was released in North America on June 22, 2010 via The End Records and in Europe on May 28, 2010 through Massacre Records.

EXUMER - Drummer Matthias Kassner Featured In Sick Drummer Magazine

Absolutely NO Triggering - 
Just Pure Organic Drumsound!

Drummer Matthias Kassner of German thrash metal titans EXUMER is featured in the latest issue of Sick Drummer Magazine.

Get all the details at this location, it's worth checking out!

Exumer have released their album Fire & Damnation, the first new album in 25 years, worldwide in April 2012 via Metal Blade Records and are currently preparing European and North & South American tours for 2013.

Matthias Kassner also hits it hard in the German rock band CROSSPLANE (see the video for their new single Rollin’ feat. Tom Angelripper, SODOM / ONKEL TOM and Christof Leim, THE NEW BLACK below), and is the owner of House of Drums, the specialist store for drums and percussion in the Ruhr Area.

SODOM, TANKARD And EXUMER To Play Monsterfest Colombia

German thrash masters SODOM, TANKARD and EXUMER have been confirmed to play at Monsterfest in Bogota/Colombia on January 26, 2013.

This is EXUMER’s first trip to Colombia and the start of their 2013 touring schedule, which will take EXUMER through Europe in February/March and to North America in April/May.

Commented vocalist Mem V. Stein: "It's an honor for us to finally travel to Colombia and play for our fans there. We were quite sad that we were unable to visit Colombia during our SOUTH AMERICAN DAMNATION TOUR, earlier in May/June this year. Hence, we were very excited when we were asked to join forces with our friends from SODOM and TANKARD and to play at Monsterfest. This will be no doubt an epic event and something to remember for a long time to come."

EXUMER released their latest album, Fire & Damnation, in April of this year. The album, described by Bloody Disgusting as a "blistering, arcing, glorious moshfest", is the band's third full length release and first since 1987's Rising From The Sea. EXUMER's debut album, Possessed By Fire, holds exalted status in the thrash underground as being one of the best releases of its era. And now, in 2012, EXUMER has returned to the stage, many years wiser, and as electrifying as ever.

Monsterfest Colombia
SODOM / TANKARD / EXUMER
Sábado, 26 de Enero de 2013
Bogotá, Teatro Royal Center
Boletas disponibles en: www.lataquilla.com.co

KILLUSTRATIONS - New Artworks For SODOM And TANTRUM Launched

German design studio KILLUSTRATIONS, founded and operated by artist Björn Goosses, has launched its latest artworks.

One of them is the official poster for the 30th anniversary of German Thrashers SODOM, who certainly don't need to be introduced here.

The second is the cover artwork for the upcoming debut album Rebellion by TANTRUM from Sri Lanka. 

Founded in 2004, the band's style is considered Thrash Metal, with a touch of technical Death Metal and various melodic elements. Classical, Blues, Jazz & Eastern elements are also influential to the band when creating music.

The release of two singles and an EP in 2005/2006 brought the band into the public eye in Asia, but major line-up changes put the newcomers on hold for quite a while.

Now in 2012 "Tantrum is looking forward to opening the floodgates to a whole new level of music, and take Sri Lankan heavy metal to greater heights, and their journey has just begun..."

Go check 'em out and show your support!

Rebellion Track List:
1. Rebellion
2. The Holy Torment
3. Purgatory of Sinners
4. Bleeding Compassion
5. On The Edge
6. Political Paradox
7. Eternally Damned
8. Darkness Through Your Eyes
9. Final Embrace

Listen to the track On The Edge from Rebellion on Bandcamp:

ENDZEIT Festival 2011 - Pictures online at lautundinfarbe.de

This year's edition of ENDZEIT Festival was held at Zeche Carl, Essen, on October 21 and brought a stylistic variety of Ruhr Area metal acts to one of the most famous stages in the German metal scene: SODOM, WORTMORD, BLACK MESSIAH and HARASAI had the crowd going wild! 

Pictures from that night are now online. See some excerpts below and browse the full galleries at lautundinfarbe.de. 

SODOM

WORTMORD

BLACK MESSIAH

HARASAI

HARASAI - New song, new line-up and details on second album

Germany's HARASAI have issued the following statement:

"Hey folks,
we've been a bit stingy with news on HARASAI lately. That's over now!

First of all we're very happy to announce Dennis Baron (FINAL DEPRAVITY) as our new permanent member. We already kicked major ass on stage this year and are now looking forward to a grandiose future as a henceforth complete band. We welcome you, bro!

We will enter the Green Man Studios in Werl and Arnsberg in December / January to record our second album with producer Sebastian Levermann from ORDEN OGAN. The album will be entitled 'Psychotic Kingdom' and will bring you a whole lot of suprises. More heavyiness, more tranquillity, more lyrical depths...

HARASAI 2011 - from left to right: Martin (vox) - Arne (bass)
Nico (drums) - Dennis (guitars) - Yannick (guitars)

As a foretaste of what is to come, we have recorded the new track "Dying Race Domain" with Sebastian Levermann (mastered by Dennis Koehne, a.o. SODOM, EXUMER, THE VERY END) and uploaded the song on our Facebook page (free download!) to give you a rough impression of the new material. Enjoy!

We gonna play our last show in 2011 in our home Altenessen at Zeche Carl (Endzeit Festival w/ SODOM, WORTMORD & BLACK MESSIAH) on Friday, October 21.

Cheers,
Harasai"

Dying Race Domain by Harasai

EXUMER - First Album In 24 Years To Be Recorded This Summer

German thrashers EXUMER will be recording their first album release in 24 years in Dortmund/Germany over the summer. The band has recruited legendary producer Waldemar Sorychta (Grip Inc., Enemy of the Sun, Voodoocult, Philip Boa, Lacuna Coil, The Gathering, Tiamat, Moonspell, Therion) to produce what will be the third EXUMER album to date. The band will enter the studio in early June and remain there throughout July to complete the recording/mixing process. 

Vocalist Mem V. Stein comments:

"We basically took off from playing live for this entire year in order to concentrate solely on writing, recording and mixing this record. Waldemar was the most logical choice for us in regards to producing this very important album. We heard what he had done with the last SODOM album and we all agreed that he is capable of preserving the spirit of a 1980s thrash band but still make them sound relevant today. That is exactly what we need and envision for EXUMER. We became quite confident that we will achieve this objective after meeting with Waldemar earlier this year and trust his intuition as a producer, songwriter and musician, as well as his ability to push EXUMER's envelope when it is necessary."

EXUMER began negotiating with several labels to release their upcoming CD and will announce the album's title once a deal is closed.

Follow EXUMER