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
No Way Out
Sodom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love is like a boon
A leader in my haggard dreams
Emotions of a fool
No way out
I'm spoiling you with my prurience
The way you told me beside stories
Still pleasant to my ears
A willing and addictive girl
Wide open legs so tempting
The gleaming of her greedy eyes
Seduced me to come back
Your touch was like a snakebite kiss
Your love was like a boon
The leader in my haggard dreams
He passes me the gun
The lyrics of Sodom's No Way Out depict a tumultuous and dangerous relationship, as the singer is enraptured by the intense physical and emotional connection with their partner, despite the harm it causes. The opening lines describe the touch of the partner as a "snakebite kiss", suggesting that the love they share is both alluring and venomous. The singer acknowledges their partner's hold over them, likening it to a leader in their dreams, even though they feel foolish for succumbing to their emotions. The refrain "No way out" emphasizes the feeling of being trapped in this intense and destructive relationship.
As the lyrics progress, the singer becomes more consumed by their lust and desire, using the word "prurience" to describe their actions towards their partner. Yet in the midst of this, their sadness disappears, highlighting the addictive nature of this relationship. The partner is described as a willing and tempting girl, with "greedy eyes", drawing the singer back in despite the harm it may bring.
The final lines of the song take a dark turn, when the singer suggests that the "leader in [their] haggard dreams" hands them a gun. This could be interpreted as a reference to the partner leading the singer towards a violent end, or as the singer being tormented by their own thoughts and delusions.
Line by Line Meaning
Your touch is like a snakebite kiss
Your touch is dangerous and harmful, like a venomous bite
Your love is like a boon
Your love is a benefit or blessing
A leader in my haggard dreams
In my exhausted and worn out state, you are the dominating figure in my dreams
Emotions of a fool
I am foolishly caught up in my emotions
No way out
I am trapped and cannot escape from this situation
I'm spoiling you with my prurience
I am indulging and satisfying your sexual desire with my own lustful thoughts
My sadness disappears
My feelings of sadness or grief go away in your presence
The way you told me beside stories
The stories you told me while lying beside me
Still pleasant to my ears
Those stories are still enjoyable and pleasing to me
A willing and addictive girl
You are eager and willing to engage in sexual activity, and it is a habit or addiction for you
Wide open legs so tempting
You are enticing me with your sexually suggestive posture
The gleaming of her greedy eyes
Your eyes are filled with lust and you crave more
Seduced me to come back
You have enticed me to return to you and our sexual encounters
Your touch was like a snakebite kiss
Your touch was dangerous and harmful, like a venomous bite
Your love was like a boon
Your love was a benefit or blessing
The leader in my haggard dreams
You are still the dominating figure in my tired and exhausted dreams
He passes me the gun
You are giving me the power to end my trapped situation with a lethal weapon
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS SUCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Klas Johnsson
Til death do us unite is in my opinion Sodoms best album. The trashy and punky style fits them perfectly.
Paake
Easily the best song from this album with Frozen Screams. Sodom rules.
Raven / Fuck Antifa
Frozen Screams is one of my favorite Sodom songs in general, but I agree with that.
Funky freSh
so far, this album is better than expected o.o much better than Masquerade in Blood
Paake
I wouldn't compare, Masquarade is good in its own unique way.
Александр Кузьмин
Огонь!
🎩 KOMINIARZE
The greatest Thrash band all time
REDCORN666
WW3 music