Frank Testegen Josef Dominic Michael "Destructor" Wulf Uwe Christophers Uwe Baltrusch Michael Hoffmann Andy Brings Dirk "Strahli" Strahlmeier Christian "Witchhunter" Dudek Atomic Steif Bobby Schottkowski Bernd "Bernemann" Kost Markus "Makka" Freiwald Stefan "Husky" Hüskens
Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1982.[2][3] They have gone through many line-up changes, with bassist/vocalist Tom Angelripper the only constant member. The band is currently composed of Angelripper, guitarists Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (who was a member from 1987 to 1989 and rejoined in 2018) and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard.[4][5][6][7] Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene,[8] and is regarded as a pioneer of death metal.[7] Mike McPadden wrote that the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings" (Destruction and Kreator being the other two), Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a "wicked and decadent sound."[9]
Sodom has released sixteen studio albums, three live albums, two compilation albums and seven EPs. They achieved their first commercial success with their third studio album, Agent Orange (1989), one of the first thrash metal albums to enter the German album charts, where it reached number 36.[10] Their most recent studio album, The Arsonist, was released on 27 June 2025.[11] Sodom is one of the best-selling thrash metal acts of all time, having sold over two million records.[12]
History
Early years and transition from black metal to thrash metal (1982–1989)
Tom Angelripper live 2016
Sodom was formed in 1982,[3] with the first line-up featuring Tom "Angelripper" Such, Bloody Monster, Arius "Blasphemer", and Aggressor. Reportedly named after the Venom song "One Thousand Days in Sodom", Tom started the band to get out of working in coal mines in his Gelsenkirchen hometown. The band became a cohesive unit when Chris Witchhunter (Christian Dudek) from Essen replaced Bloody Monster on drums, bringing songwriting experience and creativity after Arius had been fired. Inspired by bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Venom, Kiss, Tank, Accept, Raven, Rainbow, AC/DC and UFO,[13] the group continued as a three-piece and released two demos that led to a record deal with Steamhammer. Aggressor left the band before releasing the In the Sign of Evil EP (generally regarded as an important early black metal release), and was replaced with Grave Violator, who in turn left following the recording of In the Sign of Evil.[14] Michael "Destructor" Wulf joined in, after which the band recorded Obsessed by Cruelty (1986), their full-length debut mostly in the vein of In the Sign of Evil. Wulf did not last long, and later joined Kreator.[14]
Sodom was at first not taken seriously,[by whom?] with various press sources describing them as "a second-rate Venom clone with semi-inventive lyrics." Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik replaced Wulf. He convinced Tom that thrash metal was moving beyond the horror/occult/satanic themes of bands like Venom to embrace political, societal, and war themes. This culminated in Gosdzik's full-length debut with the band, 1987's Persecution Mania.[14] The new lyrical approach and increased musicianship gave the band great acclaim. They toured Europe with Whiplash, Destruction, and Coroner.[14][15] The band returned to the studio to record Agent Orange (1989),[14] which sold 100,000 copies in Germany alone. This album made Sodom famous, and critically acclaim, securing their place with Kreator and Destruction as one of the great Teutonic thrash metal bands. Agent Orange has sold more than any other German thrash metal album in the world.[citation needed] Sodom went on tour with Sepultura.[14][15]
Mille Petrozza offered Frank a position with Kreator, and Frank accepted. Angelripper looked for a replacement and found Michael Hoffmann, formerly of German thrashers Assassin.[14]
The album Better off Dead was released in 1990 with a new line-up. Another European tour followed, playing with bands like Acid Drinkers, Destruction, Accu§er, Running Wild, Coroner, Tankard and Atrocity.[15] During a South American tour, Hoffmann decided to stay in Brazil. Andy Brings replaced him, and a new album was recorded, Tapping the Vein (1992), with elements of death metal.[6] This was last album with drummer Witchhunter, who was fired and replaced with Atomic Steif, formerly of Holy Moses and Living Death.
On 15 September 1991, Sodom played in Sofia, Bulgaria. The audience of fifteen thousand people was one of the largest they had ever as a headliner. It was the first show of a Western metal band in Bulgaria after the fall of communism.[citation needed]
The group's next album, Get What You Deserve (1994), introduced a punk-infused sound.[6] Many fans did not take to the band's new direction. This period also marked the beginning of less international visibility for the band as thrash lost its commercial viability for the remainder of the 1990s, due to the rising popularity of grunge and alternative rock. Angelripper started a solo career doing metal impressions of drinking songs, German Schlagers and Christmas-type carols. A live album was recorded, called Marooned – Live.
Masquerade in Blood added groove metal to the group's blend of crossover thrash and death metal.[6] It was released in 1995 and the update of their style was successful.[16] New guitarist, Strahli, was arrested and imprisoned on drug-related charges. He died in Düsseldorf in January 2011.[17] Atomic Steif also left. Angelripper found guitarist Bernemann and drummer Bobby Schottkowski. This line-up lasted until December 2010, when Schottkowski left.
Return to thrash metal (1997–2009)
Sodom in Bangkok, Thailand (2007)
Sodom's eighth studio album, 'Til Death Do Us Unite (1997), spawned the highly-controversial song "Fuck the Police". After this album, Sodom released Code Red in 1999, which marked a return to the Teutonic thrash metal sound of the 1980s. It was met with praise from fans and press. A limited edition featured a bonus CD containing a tribute to the Sodom album Homage to the Gods. M-16 was released in 2001, a concept album based on Apocalypse Now and named after the M16 assault rifle.
In 2003, a double live album was recorded in Bangkok, Thailand, titled One Night in Bangkok. A new self-titled album was released in 2006. The album was delayed because the DVD Lords of Depravity took more time than initially thought.
In 2007, record label Steamhammer floated the idea to Tom to get former members Chris Witchhunter and Grave Violator (real name: Franz Josef "Peppi" Dominik) to re-record the In the Sign of Evil EP with bonus tracks. The result became The Final Sign of Evil. Chris "Witchhunter" Dudek died on 7 September 2008 from liver failure.[18]
In 2009, Sodom returned to the UK to play their first show in the country in 20 years at Bloodstock Open Air.
Markus "Makka" Freiwald-era (2010–2017)
Bernd "Bernemann" Kost in 2016
Sodom's thirteenth studio album, In War and Pieces, was released in Europe on 22 November 2010, and in North America on 11 January 2011.[19] On 30 November 2010, it was announced that Bobby Schottkowski would leave the band due to "personal and private problems" with Tom Angelripper.[20] On 8 December 2010, Markus "Makka" Freiwald was announced as Sodom's new drummer.[21]
In late January 2012, Sodom began writing their fourteenth studio album, which they planned to record in May 2012 for a late summer release.[22] On 17 December 2012, the band announced the album would be released on 29 April 2013.[23] The album is titled Epitome of Torture and features 13 tracks.[24] The album was released in Germany on 26 April, and in the US on 7 May.
In November 2014, Sodom released the EP Sacred Warpath as a preview of their fifteenth studio album. The EP contains one original studio track, and live versions of three previously released songs.[25]
On 9 June 2016, Sodom announced their fifteenth studio album Decision Day. It was released on August 26 of that year.[26]
Sodom released the compilation album, Demonized, on 1 September 2017. Available only on cassette and 12" vinyl, it features the band's first two demo recordings, Witching Metal from 1982 and Victims of Death from 1984.
Shortly after Decision Day, Angelripper stated that Sodom had "some ideas for [their] next album which [they] want to bring out in 2018."[27]
Reunion with Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (2017–present)
Tom Angelripper at Rockharz Open Air 2018
On 3 December 2017, Sodom announced they would reunite with former guitarists Josef "Grave Violator" Dominic (who performed on In the Sign of Evil), Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (Persecution Mania and Agent Orange) and Andy Brings (Tapping the Vein and Get What You Deserve) during their 35th anniversary show on 26 December in Bochum, Germany. Their previous performances were at Wacken in 2007.[28] They performed three songs separate from one another's appearances from the respective albums they appeared on.[29]
On 5 January 2018, Angelripper announced the departures of Bernemann and Makka "to pave the way for new challenges." He said he would introduce new members on 7 April at the 2018 edition of the Full Metal Mountain festival, and they would work on a new album together.[30] Bernemann and Makka later said they were fired from the band via WhatsApp without Angelripper listening to the new material they were working.[31] On 22 January 2018, Angelripper announced he had expanded the band to a four piece. He was rejoined by guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik and added Stefan "Husky" Hüskens and Yorck Segatz as the band's new drummer and second guitarist respectively.[32] On 26 February 2018, Sodom cancelled their appearance at the Full Metal Mountain festival "due to the short-term change of line-up and the restructuring of my band Sodom", as explained by Angelripper. He said that the time was "simply too short to put the new line-up in a solid live set".[33] The new line-up made their live debut on 18 May at the 2018 Rock Hard Festival.[34] Sodom participated in the 2018 MTV Headbangers Ball European Tour with Death Angel, Suicidal Angels and Exodus from late November to mid-December.[35][36] This new line-up recorded the EPs Partisan (2018) and Out of the Frontline Trench (2019).[37][38][39]
On 13 January 2020, drummer Stefan "Husky" Hüskens departed the band due to "some changes at [his] full-time job, as well as a few other matters", and would not return in the future.[40] He was replaced by Toni Merkel.[41]
On 12 June 2020, Sodom announced they had begun recording their sixteenth studio album, Genesis XIX, at Woodhouse Studio in Hagen, Germany with producer Siggi Bemm.[42] Mixing was completed in August 2020.[43] A month later, it was announced that the album would be released on 27 November.[44]
On 11 May 2021, Sodom announced an EP titled Bombenhagel, containing a re-recorded version of the song "Bombenhagel" from their 1987 album Persecution Mania as well as two new tracks, was set to be released on 20 August.[45]
In a December 2021 interview, Tom Angelripper revealed that Sodom had begun writing new material for their next album.[46] A month later, Sodom was announced as one of the bands to have its contract with SPV/Steamhammer Records renewed.[47] In May 2022, Angelripper said that the band's new album would be released in 2023.[48][49] He later stated that it would not be released until 2024.[50] Angelripper confirmed in September 2024 that the album was finished for a late 2024 or early 2025 release.[51] The resulting album, titled The Arsonist, was released on 27 June 2025.[11]
To coincide with the band's 40th anniversary, Sodom released the compilation album 40 Years at War – The Greatest Hell of Sodom on 28 October 2022. The set includes one song from each of the band's studio albums between Obsessed by Cruelty and Genesis XIX, in addition to "Sepulchral Voice" from the In the Sign of Evil EP.[52] The band released another EP, 1982, on 10 November 2023, including both the title track and re-recordings of early songs.[53]
On 20 July 2024, Sodom were part of the Klash of the Ruhrpott festival at Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. This marked the first time all the "Teutonic Big Four" bands performed on the same stage.[54]
In January 2025, Tom Angelripper expressed his desire to slow down the band's touring for the foreseeable future for personal and business reasons, and was uncertain of his return to live performances. This indicates that following the release of The Arsonist, Sodom will go on an immediate and indefinite hiatus.[55][56] On 31 August 2025, former drummer Guido "Atomic Steif" Richter died at the age of 57. His death was confirmed on 6 September 2025.[57]
Artistry
Musical style and influences
Early Sodom lyrics focused on Satanic and occult themes, but since Persecution Mania, most of their songs have covered the concepts of war, politics, fascism and world history. Some of their songs cover religion, rape or sexual intercourse, almost often in a humorous light. In an interview with Metalkings.com, Tom Angelripper said: "Why are we writing about war? Because we don't want war. We wanna describe how bad the war is."[58] The chorus of the song "Ausgebombt" gives a very clear message: "No trade with death, No trade with arms, Dispense the war, Learn from the past."[59]
↑ Phillips, William; Cogan, Brian (2009). Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p.217. ISBN978-0-313-34801-3.
↑ McPadden, Mike (2012). If you like Metallica: here are over 200 bands, CDs, movies, and other oddities that you will love. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Backbeat Books. p.118.
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