Sodom (band)


Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1982. 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 and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal, along with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard. Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene, and is regarded as a pioneer of death metal. Referred to as the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings", Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a "wicked and decadent sound."
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, which was one of the first thrash metal albums to enter the German album charts, where it reached number 36. Their most recent studio album, The Arsonist, was released on 27 June 2025. Sodom is one of the best-selling thrash metal acts of all time, having sold over two million records.

History

Early years and transition from black metal to thrash metal (1982–1989)

Sodom was formed in 1982, with their original line-up consisting of Tom "Angelripper" Such, Bloody Monster, Arius "Blasphemer", and Aggressor. Reportedly named in reference to the Venom song "One Thousand Days in Sodom", the band was initiated by Tom as a desperate attempt to get out of having to work in coal mines in his home town of Gelsenkirchen. The band became a cohesive unit when Chris Witchhunter from Essen replaced Bloody Monster on drums, bringing songwriting experience from his time in school, and spearheading the creativity process after Arius had been fired. Taking inspiration from bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Venom, Kiss, Tank, Accept, Raven, Rainbow, AC/DC and UFO, the group continued as a three-piece in the Motörhead-fashion and released two demos which led to a record deal with Steamhammer. Aggressor left the band shortly before releasing the In the Sign of Evil EP, and was replaced by Grave Violator, who himself did not last long, and left following the recording of In the Sign of Evil. Michael "Destructor" Wulf was found as a replacement, after which the band went and recorded Obsessed by Cruelty, their full-length debut featuring music that was mostly in the vein of In the Sign of Evil. Wulf did not last in the band long, and later joined Kreator.
For the most part, Sodom was at first not taken seriously, with various press sources describing them as "a second-rate Venom clone with semi-inventive lyrics"; one member would change that. Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik came in to fill the guitar spot Wulf had left behind. Frank convinced Tom that thrash metal was moving beyond horror/occult/satanic themes of bands like Venom to embrace political, societal, and war themes. Tom was already interested in various wars yet remained a peacenik. New inspiration culminated into Gosdzik's full-length debut with the band, 1987's Persecution Mania. The new lyrical approach and increased musicianship on the part of Frank gave the band great acclaim. They subsequently toured Europe with Whiplash, Destruction, and Coroner. After that, the band returned to the studio to make another album. The resulting album, Agent Orange, sold 100,000 copies in Germany alone. It was this album that made Sodom famous, giving them worldwide critical acclaim, and secured their place alongside Kreator and Destruction as one of the great Teutonic thrash metal bands. To this date, Agent Orange has sold more than any other German thrash metal album in the world. In support of the album, Sodom went on tour with a then-unknown Sepultura.
Problems were brewing inside of the band, however. Tom and Chris descended further into alcoholism. Furthermore, Frank had grown tired of composing music that his bandmates would often perform poorly live. Mille Petrozza offered Frank a position with his band Kreator, after they lost their second guitarist, and Frank accepted. Angelripper went out looking for a replacement and found Michael Hoffmann, formerly of German thrashers Assassin.

Changes in formation (1990–1996)

With a new line-up, the album Better off Dead was released in 1990, and another grueling tour in Europe followed, playing with bands like Acid Drinkers, Destruction, Accu§er, Running Wild, Coroner, Tankard and Atrocity. During the South American tour, Hoffmann decided to stay in Brazil and was therefore forced to quit. Andy Brings replaced him, and a new album was recorded, Tapping the Vein, with elements of death metal. This proved to be the last album with the drummer Witchhunter: He was kicked out of the band, and Atomic Steif formerly of both Holy Moses and Living Death became his replacement behind the drum kit.
On 15 September 1991, Sodom played in Sofia, Bulgaria. The show was notable for the band because the audience of fifteen thousand people was one of the largest they had ever as a headliner. It was also notable for the audience because it was the first show of a Western metal band in Bulgaria after the fall of communism.
The group's next album, Get What You Deserve, introduced punk-infused sound. Get What You Deserve had an arguably grotesque album cover, and 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 also started a solo career doing metal impressions of drinking songs, German Schlagers and even Christmas-type carols. A live album was recorded of the tour in support of the resulting album called Marooned – Live.
Masquerade in Blood added groove metal to the group's evolving blend of crossover thrash and death metal. It was released in 1995 and the update of their style was successful. Again another guitarist had to be found. The new choice, Strahli, did not stay very long with the band. He was arrested and imprisoned on drug-related matters, and the band had since lost contact with him, until January 2011, when they learned that he had died in Düsseldorf. Atomic Steif also left and again Angelripper needed to search for new members. These were found: a guitarist in Bernemann and a drummer in Bobby Schottkowski. This line-up stabilized the band significantly and lasted until December 2010, when Schottkowski left.

Return to thrash metal (1997–2009)

Sodom's eighth studio album Til Death Do Us Unite spawned the song for which Sodom would make their most famous music video, the highly-controversial song "Fuck the Police". After this album, Sodom returned to the studio and released Code Red in 1999 which marked a full return to the Teutonic thrash metal sound of the 1980s, and it was met with praise from fans and press alike. A limited edition featured a bonus CD containing a tribute to Sodom album, Homage to the Gods. With 2001 came the release of M-16, a concept album about the movie Apocalypse Now, which took its title from the famed M16 assault rifle.
In 2003, a double live album was recorded in Bangkok, Thailand, titled 'One Night in Bangkok''. A new album simply titled Sodom was released in 2006, in the same vein as M-16. The title was chosen – as Angelripper explained it – "because every band needs a self-titled album", and the band had never released one. The album was delayed however, because the DVD Lords of Depravity took more time to compose than initially thought.
In 2007, Tom was asked by the record label Steamhammer for any tracks to be released on the In the Sign of Evil EP. Tom believed there were, and the label floated the idea to Tom to get former members Chris Witchhunter and Grave Violator to re-record the EP with the bonus tracks. The result became The Final Sign of Evil. Chris "Witchhunter" Dudek died on 7 September 2008 from liver failure after a long battle with illness.
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)

Sodom's thirteenth studio album, In War and Pieces, was released in Europe on 22 November 2010, and released in North America on 11 January 2011. On 30 November 2010, it was announced that Bobby Schottkowski would be leaving the band, due to "personal and private problems" between Tom Angelripper and Schottkowski. On 8 December 2010, Markus "Makka" Freiwald was announced to be Sodom's new drummer.
In late January 2012, Sodom began writing their fourteenth studio album, which they had planned to record in May 2012 for a late summer release. On 17 December 2012, the band announced the album would be released on 29 April 2013. The album is titled Epitome of Torture and features 13 tracks. 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.
On 9 June 2016, Sodom announced their fifteenth studio album Decision Day on their Facebook page. It was released on August 26 of that year.
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 the release of Decision Day, Angelripper stated that Sodom had "some ideas for next album which want to bring out in 2018."