Obsessed by Cruelty
Occupation
- Tom Angel Ripper: vocals, electric bass
- Michael " Destructor " Wulf: Electric Guitar
- Chris Witch Hunter: Drums
Obsessed by Cruelty is the debut album by the German thrash metal band Sodom. It was released in the spring of 1986 in Europe at Steamhammer / SPV and in North America on Metal Blade Records. Due to an oversight, the American version was released with a title less.
Background
The lyrics of the album are inspired by occult subjects, Tom Angel Ripper employed in his time with the writings of Aleister Crowley. Retrospectively expressed Angelripper about the texts that they could not quite translate and that he had later asked himself what he had meant by the lines of text. The music of the song originates largely from drummer Chris Witch Hunter, only for the composition of After the Deluge and Witchhammer Tom Angel Ripper received credits. The album was recorded twice. With the first recorded in Berlin version of the record label was not happy and left the band repeat the recordings in a recording studio in Hilpoltstein. Due to an oversight, the record company the wrong master tape was sent to the USA to Metal Blade, which is why all CD pressings included except the U.S. version the old version without the piece After the Deluge, the new recording is only on the LP version and all U.S. pressings included. According to Angelripper about 5,000 copies were pressed of this false version for the U.S. market. The songs of the album, the band plays very rarely for concerts because Angelripper have claims to forget all the guitar riffs and the current members of Sodom it also could not hear, instead, a medley of different songs of the early phase of Sodom was planned.
Reception
Götz Kühnemund of music magazine Rock Hard saw in a contemporary review a " two hundred percent increase over the weak mini- LP", the production is clear and strong and the guitar work of the new guitarist Michael Wulf and a further session guitarist would be " out of proportion to the poor Hackerei Grave Violator ". But bottom line, the band playing " despite all the improvements still bad enough not to lose the old harshness and brutality ."
The album is for the thrash and black metal area of great importance and shall enjoy cult status. Nuclear Exterminator Nocturnal Graves called Obsessed by Cruelty as "the epitome of Chaotic Metal". The Rock Hard recorded the album in June 2009 in its list of " 250 thrash metal albums that you should know " on.