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It's like time travel. After their lackluster eponymous album apparently Tom Angelripper felt like Sodom needed a kick in the ass to get their cred back. Thus, he did the next best thing to jumping in a DeLorean and going back to 1984: he recruited the classic-era band musicians Grave Violator and Chris Witchunter to not only re-record the 5 original tracks off the In The Sign Of Evil EP, but they also recorded seven other songs originally destined for that recording but which never completed. All together it makes Sodom's twelfth album a feast for the old-school metalhead.

Initially I was skeptical, as we all know how many ways this could have been awful, but instead The Final Sign Of Evil is a head-banging, face-ripping good time. The true genius was staying true to the original spirit of the old songs. These tunes have not been 'modernized' or 'updated' at all. The production is a bit better than the originals, but it's still a raw, low-fi sound. I wish the guitar tone were a bit harsher and meaner, but it's still better than the ultra-cheap sound of the EP. The 'new' songs sound right at home, being definite slabs of old-fashioned Black/Thrash mayhem with great riffs and stomping choruses. "Bloody Corpse", "Hatred Of The Gods", and the delightful "Sons Of Hell" are some of the most entertaining songs on here, but really, this is a solid album with no bad tracks. How could it be when it starts with a great EP and just builds from there? I was not thrilled by the prospect of this, but The Final Sign Of Evil delivers. Fans of Sodom's old stuff should get down and start worshipping now to beat the rush. Highly recommended.