Sodom "Obsessed By Cruelty/In The Sign Of Evil"

In the Sign of Evil is the first EP and the debut release by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in 1985 by Devil's Game independent record label. The record is considered part of the first wave of black metal. Despite the melodic rawness, the over-the-top lyrics ("My life begins at midnight twelve, masturbate to kill myself") and the elementary structure of the songs, two of them ("Outbreak of Evil" and "Blasphemer") were regularly played by the band twenty-five years into its career, and are considered crowd favorites.

The tracks from In the Sign of Evil were re-recorded in 2007 and released as The Final Sign of Evil.

The EP is widely available as the bonus tracks in the compact disc version of their debut album Obsessed by Cruelty (1986). Tracks from this EP have appeared on all three live Sodom albums: Mortal Way of Live (1988), Marooned - Live (1994) and One Night in Bangkok (2003).

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Tom Angelripper, except "Witching Metal", by Aggressor.

1. "Outbreak of Evil" 4:49
2. "Sepulchral Voice" 4:31
3. "Blasphemer" 3:05
4. "Witching Metal" 3:13
5. "Burst Command ’til War" 3:36

Total length: 19:12

Recording information:

Recorded October 1984.

Mastered at Studio-Nord-Bremen, Germany.

Detleft Schmidt – sleeve design

Horst Müller – engineering

Sven Clasen – band management

Joachim Pieczulski – album cover painting

Wolfgang Eicholz – production

Obsessed by Cruelty is the debut studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in 1986. Two different versions of this album exist, the European and the American, which were released by Steamhammer and Metal Blade Records, respectively.

Two different versions of this album exist. The band had to record the album twice because their record company was not satisfied with the original result. The first version was recorded in Berlin, and was released on vinyl by Metal Blade Records in the United States in 1986. The second version was recorded in Nuremberg, and was released by Steamhammer Records in their home country of Germany in the same year. According to Tom Angelripper, the second recording is "completely different" and features a bonus track named "After the Deluge".

Obsessed by Cruelty was re-released together with In the Sign of Evil in 1988, containing the first recorded version, and as a picture vinyl in 2005 by Vinyl Maniacs.

The album had a major influence on then-developing black metal. Mayhem founder and guitarist Euronymous described the early Sodom and Destruction releases as underrated "masterpieces of black stinking metal". He also named his record label, Deathlike Silence Productions, after the album's second track.

Track listing

All music composed by Sodom (Chris Witchhunter, Michael Wulf, Tom Angelripper, Uwe Christophers).

U.S. version

Side Obsessed

1. "Intro" 1:53
2. "Deathlike Silence" 5:06
3. "Brandish the Sceptre" 2:56
4. "Proselytism Real" 3:31
5. "Equinox" 3:32

Side Cruelty

1. "Obsessed by Cruelty" 5:47
2. "Fall of Majesty Town" 4:01
3. "Nuctemeron" 3:00
4. "Pretenders to the Throne" 2:39
5. "Witchhammer" 2:02
6. "Volcanic Slut" 3:21

Total length: 37:48

German version

Side one

1. "Intro (The Rebirth...)" 0:56
2. "Deathlike Silence" 5:18
3. "Brandish the Sceptre" 2:56
4. "Proselytism Real" 3:25
5. "Equinox" 3:36
6. "After the Deluge" 4:54

Side two

1. "Obsessed by Cruelty" 5:05
2. "Fall of Majesty Town" 4:04
3. "Nuctemeron" 3:02
4. "Pretenders to the Throne" 2:37
5. "Witchhammer" 1:36
6. "Volcanic Slut" 2:58

Total length: 40:27

Obsessed by Cruelty was actually recorded twice, and both versions of the album were released in different territories due to an error by the record company. The first session was recorded in Berlin, supposedly by Horst Müller, with Destructor as the guitarist. The record company deemed the recording quality to be too poor for the album to be released, so all the tracks, as well as a new one called "After the Deluge", were recorded again at Studio Hilpoltstein (near Nuremberg) by Bobby Bachinger, with a new guitarist called Ahäthoor (aka Assator).

The original, rejected, recording from Berlin was accidentally used on the original US edition, released by Metal Blade, and most editions of the album on all formats. Only the European Steamhammer edition of the LP seems to contain the second recording from Studio Hilpoltstein with the additional "After the Deluge" track: beside the Lp on Steamhammer, the Studio Hilpoltstein version can be found only on a chilean bootleg CD by Kamikaze Products released in 2007.

Note: The 1988 re-release combines the “In The Sign Of Evil” EP and the US version, not the European version of “Obsessed By Cruelty”, i.e. the track listing is wrong, as this CD does not include “After The Deluge” and there is no “After The Deluge / Obsessed By Cruelty” medley either.

01. Intro - Outbreak of Evil (0:14)

02. Outbreak of Evil (4:34)

03. Sepulchral Voice (4:31)

04. Blasphemer (3:05)

05. Witching Metal (3:13)

06. Intro - Burst Command Til War (0:38)

07. Burst Command Til War (2:43)

08. Outro - Burst Command Til War (0:15)

09. Intro - Deathlike Silence (1:53)

10. Deathlike Silence (5:06)

11. Brandish the Scepter (2:56)

12. Proselytism Real (3:31)

13. Equinox (3:32)

14. Volcanic Slut (3:21)

15. Obsessed by Cruelty (5:47)

16. Fall of Majesty Town (4:01)

17. Nuctemeron (3:00)

18. Pretenders to the Throne (2:39)

19. Witchhammer (2:02)

Re-released in 2000 together with "Persecution Mania" and "In the Sign of Evil" as "2 Originals of Sodom".