German thrash metal legends SODOM today release their new single and video for the song “Friendly Fire.” The track is taken from the upcoming studio album Genesis XIX, set for release on November 27th via Entertainment One (“eOne”) in North America and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe.
Notes bandleader Tom Angelripper, “So, here it is … my favorite on this album. I can hardly believe or indeed describe how much I love this song. I’m pretty sure it sets the direction for our next album. And in the meantime, I’m convinced that it’s the clever sequence and combination of notes in our twelve equal system that makes music (generally) so diverse. Lord, I wish we’d known that back then. Often in a war situation, soldiers find themselves having to direct their weapons against their own comrades who are holed up close to enemy positions. These victims were accepted as part and parcel of the overall victory. Large numbers of supposed enemy planes were also shot down…”
From unadulterated thrash metal tracks “Euthanasia,” “Dehumanized,” and “Friendly Fire” to off-the-grid numbers such as “Occult Perpetrator,” SODOM delivers a wide range of facets of their signature sound. This inventiveness also applies to the lyrics on Genesis XIX, with vocalist/bassist Tom Angelripper presenting, as usual, his very own range of subjects: “The Harpooneer” is based on Melville’s Moby Dick novel featuring the obsessive Captain Ahab, “Glock N’ Roll” is the story of a serial killer, “Waldo & Pigpen” is an homage to the same-named US fighter pilots, whose radio traffic during their mission in Vietnam has survived, and “Nicht mehr mein Land” describes the condition of western society.
Genesis XIX – recorded by Siggi Bemm and mastered by Patrick W. Engel – comes shrouded in the cover art of Joe Petagno of Motörhead fame. The record will be released as a CD digipak, exclusive 2xLP (on translucent orange with opaque silver swirls – an eOne store exclusive), and digitally.
Find preorders HERE