Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen (NRW), Germany. The… Read Full Bio ↴Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen (NRW), Germany. They formed in 1981. Along with the bands Kreator, Destruction and Tankard, Sodom is considered one of the "The Big Four" of Teutonic Thrash Metal. Traditionally a three-piece, the band expanded to a four-piece with the addition of second guitarist Yorck Segatz in 2018.

The band was formed by Tom Angelripper and Aggressor in 1981 in the Western German industrial town of Gelsenkirchen. Initially, they were mostly influenced by bands like Motörhead, Tank, Raven, and Venom. Sodom's own music style would greatly influence many late-1980s and early-1990s thrash and black metal bands, among others.

They soon found a drummer called Bloody Monster who was, however, quickly replaced by Chris Witchhunter, with whom they released two demos, "Witching Metal" and "Victims of Death" in 1982 and 1984, before signing a deal with SPV GmbH. After a gig in Frankfurt in 1984 (with Destruction and Tankard) Manfred Schütz of SPV GmbH came to the band and spoke the legendary sentence "You guys are so bad, you will sell a lot of records!". This led to the recording of their debut EP "In the Sign of Evil". Missing was Aggressor, who had meanwhile left the band. He was replaced by Grave Violator (recommended to the band by Kreator's Mille Petrozza), who also wouldn't stay very long. In his place, Michael Wulf joined, just to leave the band shortly after the recordings of their first full-length album "Obsessed by Cruelty" in 1986 to join Kreator (where he would last only one show). Michael Wulf died in a motorcycle accident in 1993.

After "Obsessed by Cruelty" was released, the band abolished their satanic image and replaced it with the (pacifistic motivated) war theme that can be found on most of Sodom's records. With their new guitarist Frank Blackfire, the most legendary Sodom line-up recorded two albums (plus a live album, "Mortal Way of Live", the first of various Sodom releases which had a censored cover in Germany): "Persecution Mania" (wich was the first Sodom album produced by the band's long-time producer Harris Johns, and also had the first cover that featured the band's mascot "Knarrenheinz") and "Agent Orange" (including the single "Ausgebombt"). This album made Sodom the first German Thrash band to ever enter the charts (it reached number 36 on the German Media Control charts).

Blackfire left in 1989 (like Destructor before he joined Kreator) and was replaced by ex-Assassin guitarist Michael "Micha" Hoffmann.

In 1992 Tom fired Chris Witchhunter, who had alcohol problems. Atomic Steif, who would stay in the band until 1996 (and is, like many former Sodom members, still embittered that Tom fired him) became the new drummer.

From 1997 to 2010, Sodom had a consistent lineup consisting of Tom Angelripper, Konrad "Bobby" Schottkowski (Crows) and Bernemann. In 2001 Tom, who meanwhile also released various solo albums as Onkel Tom Angelripper, has been awarded double platinum for more than 1.000.000 sold Sodom albums.

Sodom collaborated with famous German schlager singer/actor Roberto Blanco in 2011, making a commercial intended to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease. He also joined them on stage at various gigs (including Wacken 2011) for a metal rendition of his song 'Ein bisschen Spaß muss sein'.

Current members:

* Tom Angelripper (Thomas Such, Onkel Tom) - Vocals/Bass (Desperados)
* Frank Blackfire (Frank Gosdzik) - Guitars (later Mystic) and Kreator) (1987-1989, special appearance in the December 28, 2006 concert in Bochum, 2018–present)
* Yorck Segatz – guitars (2018–present)
* Toni Merkel – drums (2020–present)

Former members:

* Aggressor (Frank Testegen) - Guitars (1983-1984)
* Grave Violator (Pepi Dominic) - Guitars (1984-1985)
* Destructor (Michael Wulf) - Guitars (later Kreator) (1985-1986) R.I.P. in 1993.
* Assator (Uwe Christophers) - Guitars (ex-Darkness) (on tour in 1986)
* Uwe Baltrusch - Guitars (on tour in 1989/1990) (also in Mekong Delta, later House of Spirits)
* Michael Hoffman - Guitars (ex-Assassin) (1990)
* Andy Brings - Guitars (later Powergod) (1991-1995)
* Strahli (Dirk Strahlimeier) - Guitars (1995-1996)
* Chris Witchhunter (Christian Dudek) - Drums (1983-1992) (see also Destruction and Bathory)
* Atomic Steif (Guido Richter) - Drums (later Stahlträger and Assassin), ex-Sacred Chao, ex-Holy Moses, ex-Living Death, ex-Brotós) (1992-1996)
* Bobby Schottkowski - Drums (ex-Crows, ex-Onkel Tom Angelripper) (1997-2010)
* Bernemann (Bernd Kost) - Guitars (ex-Crows) (1996–2018)
* Markus "Makka" Freiwald – drums (2010–2018)
* Stefan "Husky" Hüskens – drums (2018–2020)

Official website:
www.sodomized.info

2) ＳＯＤＯＭ were an early-mid 80's Japanese punk group, who played mid-speed hardcore punk. Their style takes cues from The SS, Discharge, Typhus, as well as American hardcore. They have one tape (Sodom & Requiem) and were featured with 7 songs on the ADK Omnibus Vol.1 compilation.

Fansite:
www.sodom.hu

Deadline
Sodom Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Euthanasia or amnesty
Takes you off the ground
Embrace your hopes
And pray to them
When your smile turns upside down

Silent noise in sleepless nights
Freeze your mind and blood

Think about your morbid life
Is there any god?

No postponement
Death by the law
At zero hour
Stops your beating heart

Your days are numbered
Your fate is sealed
When the bell rings twelve o'clock
Waiting for the message
No governor's reprieve
These guys just doing their job

No postponement
Death by the law
At zero hour
Stops your beating heart

You have to live on charity
Not die a natural death
That brings your life so close
Of your own wrongful act

Come on man
It's time to go
Deliverance not so far
TV covered

Millions wait
Tonight you are the star

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sodom's song Deadline seem to describe a situation where the singer is faced with death by either euthanasia or amnesty. The lyrics ask the listener to imagine their own mortality and wonder if there is a god to whom they can pray. The song highlights the inevitability of death and how the prospect of it can cause one's hopes to turn upside down. The phrase "death by the law" suggests that the singer is in some way involved in a legal situation that has resulted in them being sentenced to death. The lyrics describe a feeling of powerlessness in the face of death, as even the governor does not have the authority to grant a reprieve. The song ends with the singer being seen as the star of the moment, with millions watching as he faces his ultimate destiny.

Line by Line Meaning

Euthanasia or amnesty
You have the choice of either assisted suicide or forgiveness

Takes you off the ground
The decision will release you from your problems

Embrace your hopes
Hold onto your dreams

And pray to them
Believe that your aspirations will come true

When your smile turns upside down
During difficult times, keep a positive attitude

Silent noise in sleepless nights
Disturbing thoughts haunt your mind and keep you awake

Freeze your mind and blood
Anxiety and fear make you feel cold and numb

Think about your morbid life
Contemplate the grim reality of your existence

Is there any god?
Question the existence of a higher power

No postponement
No delay

Death by the law
Capital punishment by legal means