| Sodom (band) |
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Information AboutSodom (band) |
Sodom is a German Thrash Metal band formed in 1982 . They are considered one of the three biggest german thrash metal bands — the other two are Kreator and Destruction . HISTORY Sodom's original line-up consisted of Tom Angelripper , Bloody Monster and Aggressor. The band was initially formed by Tom as a desperate attempt to get out of having to work in coal mines in his home town of Gelsenkirchen. Taking inspiration from bands such as Motörhead , Tank , Venom and Accept (as well as being in the mines, which Tom put in an interview as "the closest you can get to hell without being in war"), they released two demos which led to a record deal with Steamhammer (none of which were recorded with Bloody Monster, who was replaced by Chris Witchunter). Aggressor left the band shortly before releasing the ''In the Sign of Evil'' EP (generally regarded as an important early Black Metal release), and was replaced by Grave Violator, who did not last long himself, following the recording of 'In the Sign of Evil'. They then went and recorded 2 different versions of 'Obsessed By Cruelty', their 1986 full length, which had a very muddy 'underground' production. It was their next guitarist Frank Blackfire who would lead the band to be taken more seriously, with a more stable, though no less heavy musical direction. With the release of the ''Expurse Of Sodomy'' EP the critics were soon to realize that this band was no joke and the more convincing song writing of the 3 song EP was a taste of things to come. Their breakthrough album ''Persecution Mania'' was released. Sodom gained a new sense of purpose with consistent and dynamic song writing. Frank had convinced Tom to quit writing about satanic lyrical themes and focus instead on the topics of war and battle, both of which fascinated Tom. A live album ''Mortal Way of Live'' followed. The next album made Sodom famous: ''Agent Orange,'' released in 1989 . This album managed to sell 100,000 copies in Germany alone and even scored number #36 on the german music charts!! Again, a new guitarist was to be found as Blackfire also left the band to join Kreator. The replacement was found in Michael Hoffmann, formerly of fellow thrashers Assassin. In this line-up the ''Better Off Dead'' album was released in 1990. During the South American tour however, Hoffman decided to stay in Brazil and therefore was forced to quit. His replacement was found in Andy Brings and a new album was recorded, titled '' Tapping The Vein '', which had a more death metal sound than before. This proved to be the last album with the drummer Witchhunter who was kicked out of the band. Atomic Steif formerly of both Holy Moses & Living Death found his way behind the drum kit. This line-up now, recorded the next album, ''Get What You Deserve''. Out were the death metal influences, in came the punk influences. '' Get What You Deserve '' had an arguably Grotesque album cover and many fans were disappointed with the new direction. Also, this marked the beginning of less international visibility for Sodom as thrash lost its commercial viability for the remainder of the 1990s. At this time Angelripper also started a solo career doing metal impressions of drinking songs, German Schlagers and even Xmassy Carols . Another live album was recorded of the tour in support of this album called ''Marooned - Live''. In the same vein as the previous album, ''Masquerade in Blood'' was released in 1995. Again another guitarist was to be found. The new axeman was Strahli, but he did not stay very long with the band, as he was arrested & imprisoned on drug related matters & has since been to be difficult to locate, due to most probably being homeless. Atomic Steif also left and again Angelripper needed to search for new members. These were found in Bernemann on guitars and Bobby Schottkowski on drums.This line-up has stabilized the band significantly and is still current. The album '' 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 its predecessor 'M-16''. The title was chosen as Angelripper explained because every band needs a self-titled album. The album was however delayed because the DVD ''Lords of Depravity'' took more time to compose than initially thought. In 2007, Sodom's websmaster Toto revealed that Sodom planned to release a new album in September of 2007. The name of the album is The Final Sign Of Evil . It is to be a complete rerecording of the original In The Sign of Evil EP as well as seven bonus tracks that were intended to be on the album that were to come of it. It also features the lineup of Angelripper, Witchunter, and Grave Violator on the recording. Another DVD, "Lords of Depravity PT II" is also in the works. MEMBERS Current members
Former members
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