German thrash metal giants Sodom have released a 20th anniversary remastered edition of their tenth studio album M-16 (2001), unleashed in three formats: a glossy CD mediabook, 2 LP 180gm orange vinyl and a deluxe boxset. The CD and LP releases contain two previously unreleased live tracks "Remember The Fallen" and "Blasphemer" from Wacken 2001 as well as some exclusive Sodom photos. The boxset contains the remastered CD and LPs plus a further 2 bootleg LPs of previously unreleased live material, a USB stick in the shape of a rifle cartridge with the album on it, a Sodom military ID badge, poster of the cover artwork plus a 44-page booklet filled with rare band photos. It's a must have for any fan of the band. M-16 was lovingly remastered by Sodoms current drummer, Toni Merkel, and you can really tell the difference. The overall sound is clearer and brighter. The original recording has aged well but it is very bass-heavy which can make things a bit flat and gloomy. The remastered edition has more definition and gives great clarity to the individual instruments. The vocals have renewed vigour bringing the lyrics to the forefront.
Sodom's greatest achievements, for me, were 1989's Agent Orange and 1999's Code Red, which established the band as thrash metal legends, influencing countless other bands from Cannibal Corpse and Mayhem to Municipal Waste and Evil Scarecrow. Their decision to bring out M-16 (2001) as a concept album on the Vietnam War in a year when terrorism and war were rife was a bold move, yet M-16 really hits home. Often misconstrued as glorifying war this is really not the case. The songs are dark, brutal and honest. Lyrically "Among The Weirdcong", "Naplam In The Morning", "Minejumper" and "Cannon Fodder" convey the sense of loss and devastation. Songs like "Little Boy" and "Marines" show the patriotism and naivety of the soldiers all set to an impressive and ferocious blast of thrash metal grandeur. I get why they chose to cover The Trashmen song "Surfin' Bird" as it was featured in 1987's Vietnam War movie Full Metal Jacket but this is my least favourite track on the album.
It's easy to forget that Sodom were a 3-piece for the majority of their career due to how big their sound has always been and even though the lineup has changed many times the combination of Tom Angelripper (the only remaining original member) on bass and vocals, Bernd "Bernemann" Kost on guitar and Bobby Schottkowski on drums were the dream team on this occasion. I have very much enjoyed listening to this remastered edition.To be completely honest, I have never really been a huge fan of live albums unless I had actually attended the gig myself as the sound quality often tends to be a bit poor but again the live tracks here have had the same remastering treatment and have come out sounding great. I like the fact that they have chosen tracks spanning the range of their earlier albums and EPs from Code Red (1999), Persecution Mania (1987), Masquerade In Blood(1995) and others, from different shows all over the world in the early 2000s.
M-16 (20th anniversary edition) has had a lot of time and effort put into in both in restoring the original recordings finding the live tracks and creating all the extras that have been added to all the formats. The deluxe boxset is exceptionally beautiful in appearance and the quality is reflected in the price which is very reasonable for the amount of extra goodies contained within it.
