Review by Vladimir on April 24, 2023.

Sodomy is a new blood in the Brazilian metal scene, founded by an anonymous individual under the pseudonym of "Kadu Necro Defunto", handling the vocal, instrumental, as well as songwriting duties. This one-man project presents itself with a 4 track demo called Bleed Like A God, released on the band's Bandcamp page. As if it wasn't already obvious by the cover art of the demo, it clearly screams "Bathory worship" all over, at least an attempted one. Going into this I had very mid expectations, because we've had good Bathory clones or gimmick bands like Hellfire, showcasing a solid example of first Bathory album sound revival. This however is not one of those cases.

The demo starts with an ambient intro with the sound of rainfall, church bell ringing and baby cries, which actually made it a bit promising from the get-go. After that we're awaited with the tracks 'Bleed Like A God' and 'Evil Is Eternal', with blackened punk vibe riffs and d-beat drum rhythm, although with very low pitch-shifted vocals that should have sounded demonic but were overdone and ended up being a rather half-ass affair. The reason why I find the vocals very unfitting is because this kind of vocals, that were common in the early days of Brazilian extreme metal scene, were used in certain points of songs, rather than being the main vocal style. The only standout from this demo was the Misfits cover 'Devilock' due to not having the low pitch-shifted vocals like the other two, but even the different vocal style and the overall instrumental performance doesn't really save it from sounding very mediocre and dull. The only thing that somewhat managed to impress me was the slow Darkthrone-styled mid riff in the title track 'Bleed Like A God', although it was a very short-lived pleasure due to vocals completely burying the entire moment.

I'll be honest, I didn't really so much mind the band name, the overused Old English logo font or the copypaste cover art, because I was at least hoping for a good tribute or some good oldschool experience. The biggest issue is that this was meant to be a love letter to the First Wave of black metal classics, that was unfortunately poorly executed and did not live up to any expectations. Some people might enjoy this and find it a guilty pleasure, so I will leave it for you to judge it. I do hope that Kadu Necro Defunto will correct these flaws and show some potential in future Sodomy releases.

Rating: 0.5 out of 10

Review by JD on April 9, 2013.

I have heard some extreme metal from the oddest of places across our huge planet. That always shows how global metal has become and now Ireland is in on it, and we as a group are happy about it.

This band started in the islands of Ireland. Travelling to Vancouver in Canada top continue and then back to the Emerald Isles – losing two members in the process. Now as a duo, this band unleash a metallic barrage that shapes its thunder by using all sorts of metal in the making. Death, Thrash, Groove and even Metalcore all are used and lovingly mashed together to come out as how Chosen has ‘chosen’ it to be.

This sort of metal is not my cup of tea normally but there were some amazing songs laying just in wait for me, much to my surprise. I was impressed with the track 'Engines of Belief' with its controlled frenetic riff and angry Metalcore vocals that seemed to urge it all along with this wall of a blistering attack. Equally as chaotic, 'Mental Clarity' puts how this band is right in your face.

Some of the vocals tend to get lost in the mix but with Metalcore, it always seemed that way – but yet, that is the icing on this Extreme Metal cake. This is one of the few bands that have made it come alive for me, a true accomplishment you can tell. I would love to see this band with a straight metal vocalist with an alternative twist to his or her voice – but I can more than live with it just like it is on the album.

Chosen might not be your normal listen but it is worth spending the just under an hour to hear it. I took a chance, and loved my ‘Chosen’ time.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8.5
Originality: 9.5
Overall: 9

Rating: 9 out of 10