Persecution Mania is the second album by Sodom. The album marked a drastic change of sound from proto-black metal to 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.
Despite what the cover may imply, the lyrical themes of the album are centred more around politics and war than religion. This is largely due to guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Godznik joining the band. He brought new songwriting aspects to the band that gave it a much more organized and clearer sound, as well as helping Sodom to carve a lyrical niche that it still practices to this day. The outro guitar lead in track 9, "Bombenhagel", is the German national anthem, "Das Lied der Deutschen".
Persecution Mania was re-released in 2000 as part of a double pack with the Obsessed by Cruelty/In the Sign of Evil split. Both CD releases include the Expurse of Sodomy EP.
Read more about Persecution Mania: Track Listing, Personnel
Famous quotes containing the words persecution and/or mania:
“That diabolical Hell conceived principle of persecution rages among some [people] and to their eternal Infamy the clergy can furnish their Quota of Imps for such business.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)
“It is a mania shared by philosophers of all ages to deny what exists and to explain what does not exist.”
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778)