Album · 40 years old this year
Obsessed by Cruelty
Obsessed by Cruelty is the first full-length studio album from Sodom, the German thrash metal band, and their second release overall. It came out on 7 May 1986, with the genre tags on the record also pointing to black metal, a mix that gives the band's early sound its rough, hostile edge.
The album exists in a European and an American version, issued through Steamhammer and Metal Blade Records respectively, with Restless Records listed for the US release in 1986. It opens a discography that has run to seventeen studio albums, from Persecution Mania in 1987 through to The Arsonist in 2025. If you want to hear where Sodom began, this is the place to start.
Obsessed by Cruelty: tracklist and credits
11 tracks · 37:55Tracklist
- 1Intro (The Rebirth...)Witchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper1:53
- 2Deathlike SilenceWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper5:07
- 3Brandish the SceptreWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper2:56
- 4Proselytism RealWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper3:32
- 5EquinoxWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper3:33
- 6Obsessed by CrueltyWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper5:48
- 7Fall of Majesty TownWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper4:02
- 8NuctemeronWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper3:00
- 9Pretenders to the ThroneWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper2:39
- 10WitchhammerTom Angelripper and Chris Witchhunter2:03
- 11Volcanic SlutWitchhunter, Wulf, Angelripper3:22
- Recorded at
- Casablanca Studio, Berlin (U.S. version), Tonstudio Hilpoltstein, Nuremberg, West Germany (European version)
- Recorded
- 1985
- Engineered by
- Robert "Bobby" Bachinger
- Labels
- Restless Records, Metal Blade (U.S. version), SPV/Steamhammer (European version)
- Length
- 37:55
Line-up
- Tom Angelripper · electric bass guitar, lead vocals
- Chris Witchhunter · drums (drum set)
- Michael Wulf · electric guitar
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
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More from Sodom
Full discography →
In the Sign of Evil
1984
Expurse of Sodomy
1987
Persecution Mania
1987
Mortal Way of Live
1988
Agent Orange
1989
Ausgebombt
1989
Better Off Dead
1990
The Saw Is the Law
1991
Tapping the Vein
1992
Aber bitte mit Sahne!
1993
Get What You Deserve
1994
Marooned: Live
1994
Masquerade in Blood
1995
Ten Black Years: Best Of
1996
’Til Death Do Us Unite
1997
Code Red
1999
M‐16
2001
One Night in Bangkok
2003
Sodom
2006
The Final Sign of Evil
2007
In War and Pieces
2010
30 Years Sodomized: 1982–2012
2012
Epitome of Torture
2013
Hellion Rising / Water Boarding
2014
Sacred Warpath
2014
Decision Day
2016
Partisan
2018
Out of the Frontline Trench
2019
Genesis XIX
2020
Bombenhagel
2021
1982
2023
The Arsonist
2025
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More on Restless Records
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia only
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | May 1986 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 7 May 1986 | |
| Wikidata | 1986 | |
| US release | 1986 | earliest US date |
5 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | US | Restless Records | other | |
| 1986 | US | Metal Blade Records | other | |
| 1986 | CA | Banzai Records | other | |
| May 1986 | DE | Steamhammer | original | |
| 12 February 2015 | US | Wax Maniax | 802215502917 | other |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 600×600 | upscaled |