Sodom - M-16
2001 SPV

Track Listing:
1.  Along Came The Weirdcong
2.  I Am The War
3.  Napalm In The Morning
4.  Minejumper
5.  Genocide
6.  Little Boy
7.  M-16
8.  Lead Injection
9.  Cannon Fodder
10. Marines
11. Surfin' Bird

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Tom Angelripper
Guitars:  Bernemann
Bass:  Tom Angelripper
Drums:  Bobby

Website:  crash.to/sodom

Uncle Meat's Rating:  C
Average Album Rating:  C

Uncle Meat's Review:
Sodom, those road weary thrash dogs have come up with another album, this time it's about war.  How shocking.  I’ve read interviews where Tom Angelripper says that this is not a concept album.  The songs are merely about different issues dealing with war.  Being the fan of Code Red that I am, I had no problem picking this up on reputation alone.  Throughout their 20+ year history Sodom have remained one of the true thrash stalwarts (for lack of a better term).  Songs might be in different tempos and vary from time to time, but for the most part, Sodom is thrash at its finest.

Now I could be cynical and say that this is a rehash of Code Red or some other album, but that wouldn’t be the point.  Thrash, by its very nature, is a static beast.  My main problem with M-16 is that most of the songs are not that interesting.  The songs run the gamut for excellent to piss-poor. The production also seams to have taken a backseat during the recording session.  Not as tight, but more constrained.  I’ll end up buying their next release, but it might not be on the first day it comes out.

Song summaries include...

1. Along The Weirdcong - Mid-tempo thrash with a few moments of older Sodom.  The guitar solo seams to be a place holder more than anything.  At over 5 minutes this song appears too long.  They could have shaved a minute or two off of this.  C+
2. I Am The War - This song starts out fast and doesn't slow down, much.  Tom’s vocals get the distorted treatment towards the end.  B+
3. Napalm In The Morning - The famous quote from Apocalypse Now is played underneath a mellow guitar line.  That doesn't last long as the band kicks in after a few seconds.  This is one of the more "slower” songs in Sodom’s repertoire.  On the negative Napalm goes on forever, over five minutes, with two riffs repeating the whole time.  Even the guitar solo towards the end can’t save the song.  C
4. Minejumper - Much faster, especially when the vocals enter.  It harkens back to Code Red and their earlier work.  Also mercifully short.  B
5. Genocide - Another mid-tempo thrash-by-number song.  Picks up nicely during and after the chorus.  Another placeholder guitar solo (think of Kerry King).  B-
6. Little Boy - Wow two songs in a row that are this similar.  How interesting.  Nice explosion at the end.  C-
7. M-16 - The opening guitar bit sounds like a leftover from Metallica.  This song proves that Sodom were never the greatest lyric writers.  “We shoot 'em down”.  What an awesome chorus!  More mid-tempo nonsense.  C
8. Lead Injection - Minejumper with more force.  Bobby gets his workout on this song.  A few nice death metal riffs thrown in, just for a second.  Another guitar solo that is just playing faster than the last one.  I know this is thrash, but come on.  Playing the same riffs for 6+ minutes does not a song make.  C-
9. Cannon Fodder - Nice “old school” song.  Quick, punchy, sloppy.  Ok maybe not so quick, but still...  B+
10. Marines - For being the last song I was hoping that it would be a bit stronger.  Instead it starts out limply and never recovers.  The middle breakdown section over audio clips is a nice touch.  B-
11. Surfin’ Bird - Originally done by the Trashman.  It was a surf/rockabilly tune and Sodom pretty much stick to the original, except more like Sodom.  If you thought the original was a mess then you haven’t heard this version.  Tom’s vocals are a scream.  Great fun.  A 

Uncle Meat's Rating:  C

Also be sure to read:
Sodom - Better Off Dead by Uncle Meat
Sodom - Code Red by Horatio & Uncle Meat
Sodom - Persecution Mania Review by Uncle Meat