Legendary German thrashers Exumer (who formed in 1985) have returned to the scene with their fourth album ‘The Raging Tides’ (their second since reforming in 2008). It’s a fierce slab of energetic Teutonic thrash metal that showcases a band clearly firing on all cylinders, sounding rejuvenated with new blood in the ranks and burning bright with musical fire. Original vocalist Mem Von Stein gave Kat Gillham an insight into the new album and the recent events in the Exumer camp…

Your new record ‘The Raging Tides’ has just been released, are you satisfied with how it turned out? Mem: It’s definitely a step up from our last album ‘Fire And Damnation’ in terms of how it’s a lot more direct, I think. We tightened the edges in many ways and I think it just pops a lot more. It just has a bigger punch than ‘Fire And Damnation’, we did like the sound of that album but I think this is a step forward in regards to bringing the mix upfront and really making sure that the guitars and drums are really punching you in the face so to speak, so yeah we were really happy with how it turned out overall. … Read More

“I don’t know,” isn’t the most succinct of answers, but Sodom‘s Tom Angelripper is finding it all but impossible to describe how he sees his long-standing band within the wider context of heavy metal. One of the early (and certainly one of the most initially unrestrained and chaotic practitioners of thrash, he is in even more wonder at the fact that Sodom have clocked up 30 years as a living, breathing entity.

“I think Sodom is still a strong part of the metal scene,” he continues. “I’m surprised, you know, myself, after 30 years that the band is still alive. We’re still touring, still writing new songs, still writing and recording new albums; it’s amazing! The ‘30 Years’ box is a special gift for the fans. But yes, the band is still alive and we will keep on going; that is the most important thing.”

As mentioned, the reason we are putting Sodom down for the first in this series of articles that looks at the biggest game-changers in the heavy metal universe is that Sodom are celebrating their anniversary with the mammoth ’30 Years Sodomized’ box set. One of the two central components to the box is ‘30 Years’ War’; ostensibly … Read More