Sodom | Artist

Sodom is a German thrash metal band formed 1981 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, by Tom Angelripper (bass, vocals), Frank Testegen aka Aggressor (guitar, vocals), Rainer Focke aka Bloody Monster (drums). Chris Witchhunter took over on drums after one year. Angelripper is the only constant member still with the band today. Sodom is regarded as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal, along with bands Destruction, Kreator and Tankard. Taking inspiration from bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Venom and AC/DC, the group continued as a three-piece in the Motörhead-fashion and released two demos which led to a record deal with Steamhammer label. Michael "Destructor" Wulf played guitar on their debut album Obsessed by Cruelty, but soon after left to join Kreator, for a brief period before he died in tragic motorcycle accident in 1993. In the early days Sodom's lyrics focused on Satanic and occult themes but war and humour soon became their main subject. This gave the band a reputation as being militaristic, but their song lyrics are actually more anti-war in meaning. To date, Sodom has released fifteen studio albums, standouts include their two early classics Persecution Mania (1987) and Agent Orange (1989), plus Tapping the Vein (1992) and M-16 (2001). Mille Petrozza has also released several solo albums. Tom Angelripper has released a number of solo albums, plus he works in side bands Bassinvaders, Desperados and Die Knappen.

Artist Website: sodomized.info

Featured Albums: Sodom

Related Artists: Kreator