| Better Off Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 October 1990 | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 49:12 | |||
| Label | Steamhammer/SPV | |||
| Producer | Harris Johns | |||
| Sodom chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    link |
| Rock Hard | 9/10 link |
Better Off Dead is the fourth studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 1 October 1990 by Steamhammer/SPV. The song "The Saw Is the Law" in an altered version that was released on the EP The Saw Is the Law . [1]
All music is composed by Chris Witchhunter, Michael Hoffmann and Tom Angelripper, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "An Eye for an Eye" | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Shellfire Defense" | 4:23 |
| 3. | "The Saw Is the Law" | 4:11 |
| 4. | "Turn Your Head Around" (Tank cover) | 3:23 |
| 5. | "Capture the Flag" | 6:08 |
| 6. | "Cold Sweat" (Thin Lizzy cover) | 3:10 |
| 7. | "Bloodtrails" | 4:45 |
| 8. | "Never Healing Wound" | 2:26 |
| 9. | "Better Off Dead" | 3:44 |
| 10. | "Resurrection" | 4:50 |
| 11. | "Tarred and Feathered" | 3:02 |
| 12. | "Stalinorgel" | 4:41 |
| Total length: | 49:12 | |
Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many lineup changes, with bassist/vocalist Tom Angelripper the only constant member. The band is currently composed of Angelripper, guitarists Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal, along with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard. Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene, and is regarded as a pioneer of death metal. Mike McPadden wrote that the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings", Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a "wicked and decadent sound".
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 label. The record is considered part of the first wave of black metal.
Agent Orange is the third studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 1 June 1989 by SPV/Steamhammer. It was their last album with guitarist Frank Blackfire until his return to the band in 2018. The lyrical content delves deeply into Tom Angelripper's fascination with the Vietnam War, with a song dedicated to the ground assault aircraft AC-47 as well as the Agent Orange defoliant-inspired title-track. It was their first album to enter the German album charts where it reached number 36. Agent Orange sold 100,000 copies in Germany alone and marked the commercial break through for the band. The song "Ausgebombt" was released on the EP Ausgebombt with German lyrics.
Code Red is the ninth studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 31 May 1999 via Drakkar Entertainment. On this album, Sodom returned to classic thrash metal which pleased many fans. It was also released as a two-disc limited edition with a Sodom tribute album called Homage to the Gods and as a two-disc edition with an Onkel Tom Angelripper's album called Ich glaub' nicht an den Weihnachtsmann.
Obsessed by Cruelty is the debut full-length studio album and the second release by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in 1986. Two different versions of the album exist, the European and the American, which were released by Steamhammer and Metal Blade Records.
Persecution Mania is the second studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 1 December 1987 by Steamhammer/SPV. The album marked the beginning of the change in sound from having elements of thrash metal, speed metal and black metal to mostly being thrash metal. As well as defining Sodom's sound, it exemplified the thrash metal genre at a time when it arguably peaked in popularity. The album also bore similarity to the music of other German bands such as Destruction and Kreator, and the term "Teutonic" thrash was coined from this.
Mortal Way of Live is a live album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in 1988. The original cover was censored for the CD release of the record, it was replaced with an all black cover with a white circle in the center containing the band's logo and name of the record, with the original cover appearing on the back of the booklet.
Tapping the Vein is the fifth studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in August 1992 through Steamhammer/SPV. The album was recorded with producer Harris Johns at Dierks Studios in Cologne, Germany. The release marks the studio debut of guitarist Andy Brings and is the last album to feature original member Chris Witchhunter on drums.
Get What You Deserve is the sixth studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 10 January 1994 via Steamhammer/SPV. This was the band's last album to feature guitarist Andy Brings, and their first release with drummer Guido "Atomic Steif" Richter as the replacement of founding member Christian "Witchhunter" Dudek. Get What You Deserve finds Sodom continuing their experimentation, although it bypasses the death metal sound of its predecessor Tapping the Vein in favor of a more crossover influenced approach, while still retaining their thrash metal sound.
Masquerade in Blood is the seventh studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 1 June 1995 via Steamhammer/SPV. Musically, Masquerade is often seen as the band's rawest and heaviest record, and continues in the same vein as that of their previous album, but in a more post-thrash fashion.
'Til Death Do Us Unite is the eighth studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 24 February 1997 by Steamhammer/SPV. It had a controversial album cover, showing the bellies of a naked pregnant woman and an obese man pressing a human skull together. It is the first Sodom album with guitarist Bernermann and drummer Bobby Schottkowski.
Expurse of Sodomy is an EP released by German thrash metal band Sodom. Some copies were released on picture disc and limited edition in clear vinyl. The song "Sodomy & Lust" has been covered by Cradle of Filth, Exhumed, and Epilepsia.
Sodom is the eleventh album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 21 April 2006. The first pressing was in a slipcase and includes a full-colour poster of the artwork. "The album is self-titled," Tom Angelripper explains, "because every band needs a self-titled album."
The Saw Is the Law is an EP by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in 1991.
The Final Sign of Evil is the twelfth studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released in 2007. The album includes re-recorded songs from In the Sign of Evil as well as seven songs originally written for it, but not recorded due to the label's inability to pay for studio time. As a result, In the Sign of Evil was released as an EP with the original versions of the tracks rather than a full-length album.
Dezperadoz is a German "Western metal" band and is the side project of Onkel Tom guitarist Alex Kraft. Formed in 2000, the band plays heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by the soundtracks of the 1960s and 1970s Spaghetti Western movies. Dezperadoz has released four albums, two on the German heavy metal label AFM. They have also had guest appearances by many notable heavy metal musicians including Michael Weikath, Tobias Sammet, Joacim Cans, and Doro Pesch.
In War and Pieces is the thirteenth album by the German thrash metal band Sodom. It was released on 19 November 2010 in Germany, 22 November 2010 in Europe, and 11 January 2011 in the United States.
30 Years Sodomized: 1982–2012 is a three-disc, two-LP box set by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 25 June 2012. The set includes the albums Official Bootleg: The Witchhunter Decade, a collection of live recordings and unreleased demos, and 30 Years' War, a retrospective selection of studio tracks personally compiled by Tom Angelripper.
Christian Dudek, also known as Chris Witchhunter, was a long-time drummer for the German thrash metal band Sodom. He was kicked out of the band in 1992 but came back in 2007 to record The Final Sign of Evil, which featured the original line-up for the first time in 22 years. In 2008, he died of liver failure at the age of 42.
Frank Blackfire is a German guitarist, who is best known as a member of the band Sodom and a former member of Kreator.
