The first interview of 2025 is with none other than Andy Brings. The occasion is, of course, last year's reissue of Sodom's classic thrash metal masterpiece "Tapping the Vein", originally released in 1992. Andy revealed some very interesting details from that era, including all the hard work that went into making the reissues, and at the end of the interview he mentioned some very exciting news that I think will be welcomed by all Sodom fans worldwide. Now scroll down and enjoy our conversation!!!
Hi Andy! Firstly, thank you very much for the killer reissue of "Tapping the Vein". It was long overdue, especially in such a luxurious way. Did it take you long to put together both the audio and visual parts?
All in all, it took us almost three years to get it out. My work happened over many months, it was a lot of intense hours, but it was worth it. Something like this you only do once in your life, so we did everything we had to do. With a smile.
You mentioned earlier that the whole project was ready to be released in 2022 for the 30th anniversary of the album, but it took another two years to physically materialize. Was this mainly due to the label's policy and the fact that it coincided with the release of "40 Years at War – The Greatest Hell of Sodom", which celebrated the band's 40th anniversary? Or was there some other obstacle in the way?
We had a complete communication breakdown with the label, which really stopped the whole project in its tracks for almost two years. But in 2024 I brought all parties back to the table and we managed to pull it off together. In the end it was a very fulfilling collaboration.
When I compare the original sound of "Tapping the Vein" with the sound remastered by Eroc, I am pleased to note that his remaster was not at all about loudness. It's just a bit louder than the original, and he focused primarily on equalizing the frequencies, so the remastered album sounds more massive and less grainy (especially if you listen carefully to the guitars). For me, the original sound is still perfect and flawless, but the remaster gives us a rather new approach, which I like and enjoy listening to as well. What do you personally think about all this?
You are spot on with what you said. We wanted the remaster to actually BE the original, but a little updated here and there.
My remix on the other hand is a different story. I wanted it to be very different. A compendium piece, so to speak.
On the recording of "Tapping the Vein" you used two Kramer guitars, and I also saw an Ibanez on the official band photos. So which specific models were these? And how did you achieve that aggressive guitar sound? I mean, I see the Marshall stack in the old videos, but can you recall what exactly you used to get that particular guitar tone?
The Ibanez on the first photosession was not mine, we borrowed it for the shoot, because I did not own a black guitar, haha. True story.
On the album you hear my two Kramers: my Baretta with the Marilyn Monroe airbrush and another Baretta, with different configurations, but that one I don't own anymore. Marilyn still lives in my house though.
Of course, the most interesting parts of the reissue are the audio bonuses and never-before-seen photos from your personal archives. For me in particular, the Redux version and its alternative remixes (with different vocal and solo takes) were a great experience, because the raw studio tracks gave me a whole new vision of the album. In short, thank you very much Andy for this clever addition. By the way, how did you get access to the original studio tapes, or did you have them all along? Was it decided from the start that you would be responsible for the bonus audio stuff, its restoration, remixing and mastering?
Thank you very much, that means a lot coming from a true fan like yourself.
We always had the tapes in our possession, we actually had them digitized in 2012, for the 20th anniversary, but that never happened, as we all know.
Yes, everybody was on board with me doing all this, because it means so much to me. And everybody was happy with the results.
Looking back, the timing was perfect in a way. You gotta roll with the punches and take everything as it comes.
It was also a very good idea to create an artwork for the Redux version, which turned out fantastic. Please tell us more about this cover and its creator.
This artwork was originally a shirt for the fanclub, a limited edition of 100 pieces.
We thought it would be a waste to only use it for a few shirts, because it looks amazing, so we did. It adds to the story and the mystique.
In terms of design and content, the bookpack version is of course the dominant one, the classic 2LP or 3CD and 2MC versions are also cool, but unfortunately all of them have some bugs, which for me is a bit sour. Generally, no big deal, but for example the latter two versions, I mean the cassette and CD versions, omit the lyrics to "Hunting Season" and "Reincarnation". Then the lyric inserts for the remastered vinyl versions are missing the song title "Hunting Season", plus the song titles "Tapping the Vein" and "Reincarnation" are not highlighted in bold like the other song titles. How could this happen? Did you know about all this?
I learned about all this after the release. I don't know, somehow it happened, people make mistakes and sometimes stuff gets overlooked. I don't see the big drama there.
Nobody got fired over this, haha.
In support of the reissues, you have made some very cool videos for "Bullet in the Head (Redux version)", "Wachturm (Remastered version)" and "Body Parts (Redux version)". I must also admit that these are very special footages in general. Were there any plans to put them all together for a DVD or Blu-ray release?
Thank you, it was a lot of fun to do these videos and go through the material.
DVDs and Blu-rays are kind dead media in this day and age, don't you think? (Well, in terms of quality, the DVD format is a bit outdated, sure, but Blu-ray keeps up with the quality and is definitely better than anything on YouTube or other online platforms. – Ed.) Or is there still a demand? (From the fans' point of view, yes, there is still a demand for it. I mean, it's definitely better to have some rare material archived in physical format than in poor audio and video quality online. – Ed.) I don't know. I love YouTube.
Together with Tom, you've done a lot of great interviews and coverage for the reissue of "Tapping the Vein", as well as some special signings. It was also great to see the videos of you visiting Dierks Studios and talking to Dieter Braun. But somehow I still miss a conversation with the mighty Harris Johns, don't you think? So please tell us a little bit about what it was like working with him at the studio with the assistant engineers David Nash and Jan Wichers.
Thanx again. Harris was great, especially for Chris, who really needed guidance. I was very young and Harris and the techs could not have been more helpful.
You know, Harris has made so many records.... we talked about it, but his memories are not as vivid for specific records, because of how much he worked back then.
Okay Andy, that's all I wanted to ask you about the reissue of "Tapping the Vein". I really hope I didn't bore you to death with my questions. If there is anything specific you would like to add at the end about this thrash metal masterpiece, please feel free to post it here. Thank you very much in advance!
Thanx brother! Always a pleasure. We started working on ABER BITTE MIT SAHNE and GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, so there's more to come. Cheers!
