Sodom
Explore the band's historical lineups, musicians, and studio albums.
Active12 formations16 studio albums
Formation chronology
Newest first
Formation 12 of 12
Jan 23, 2020 – Present
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsFrom Jan 2020
- Frank GosdzikLead GuitarFrom Jan 2020
- Yorck SegatzRhythm GuitarFrom Jan 2020
- Toni MerkelDrumsFrom Jan 2020
Formation facts
- In January 2020 Husky left because changes at his day job left no room for Sodom. Frank recommended Toni Merkel, who had already played Sodom songs in Frank's solo band. Merkel auditioned and got the job; COVID then delayed the first live dates with him.
- Merkel is a Witchhunter fan. He studies old clips and tries to keep that imperfect, authentic feel while playing the parts more precisely — Tom has said those imperfections were part of the magic. The same lineup later hit a touring pause: doctors told Tom to slow down, and he refuses to announce a return date he cannot honor. He is still writing, and he has said he is sure he will come back — just not on a fake calendar.
Studio albums
- The Arsonist (Jun 2025)
- Genesis XIX (Nov 2020)
Formation 11 of 12
Jan 22, 2018 – Jan 13, 2020
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 2018 – Jan 2020
- Frank GosdzikLead GuitarJan 2018 – Jan 2020
- Yorck SegatzRhythm GuitarJan 2018 – Jan 2020
- Stefan "Husky" HüskensDrumsJan 2018 – Jan 2020
Formation facts
- Tom expanded Sodom to two guitars so the band could play arrangements a trio could not reproduce live — including Agent Orange-era material. Frank Blackfire came back, Yorck Segatz joined, and Stefan "Husky" Hüskens took the drum stool.
- They cancelled Full Metal Mountain because the new lineup had too little time to lock a set. Their first show as a quartet was Rock Hard Festival on 18 May 2018.
Formation 10 of 12
Dec 8, 2010 – Jan 5, 2018
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsDec 2010 – Jan 2018
- BernemannGuitarsDec 2010 – Jan 2018
- Makka FreiwaldDrumsDec 2010 – Jan 2018
Formation facts
- On 5 January 2018 Tom told Bernemann and Makka it was over. They later said the message arrived on WhatsApp, and that he had not heard the new songs they were writing. Tom said he wanted to start again with hungry players from his own circle.
Studio albums
- Decision Day (Aug 2016)
- Epitome of Torture (Apr 2013)
Formation 9 of 12
1996 – Nov 30, 2010
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1996 – Nov 2010
- BernemannGuitarsJan 1996 – Nov 2010
- Bobby SchottkowskiDrumsJan 1996 – Nov 2010
Formation facts
- Bernemann first met Tom in 1996 at Endzeit in Gelsenkirchen. Tom called Bobby about a jam and asked if he knew a guitarist; Bobby called Bernemann the same day. They met in a pub, then played in Tom's Essen room. The first song was the Exploited's "Beat the Bastards." It worked from the first moment.
Studio albums
- In War and Pieces (Nov 2010)
- Sodom (Apr 2006)
- M-16 (Oct 2001)
- Code Red (May 1999)
- 'Til Death Do Us Unite (Feb 1997)
Formation 8 of 12
1994 – 1995
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1994 – Jan 1995
- Dirk StrahlmeierGuitarsJan 1994 – Jan 1995
- Atomic SteifDrumsJan 1994 – Jan 1995
Studio albums
- Masquerade in Blood (Jun 1995)
Formation 7 of 12
1993 – 1994
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1993 – Jan 1994
- Andy BringsGuitarsJan 1993 – Jan 1994
- Atomic SteifDrumsJan 1993 – Jan 1994
Formation facts
- Witchhunter had lasted about a year with Andy; Atomic Steif arrived immediately after and, Andy said, was the missing piece. They cut Get What You Deserve fast and cheap — Tom later recalled Steif tracking drums in a day without guitars in his headphones, then one bass and one guitar pass per song.
Studio albums
- Get What You Deserve (Jan 1994)
Formation 6 of 12
Nov 1991 – 1992
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsNov 1991 – Jan 1992
- Andy BringsGuitarsNov 1991 – Jan 1992
- Chris WitchhunterDrumsNov 1991 – Jan 1992
Formation facts
- Tom later said he had to let Witchhunter go in 1992 because shows and studio dates were being cancelled. Witchhunter, looking back, accused Tom of growing money-hungry and skipping rehearsals. They never agreed on the story.
- In 2007 Tom, Grave Violator, and Witchhunter went back into a small studio to finish Sign of Evil-era songs that had never been properly recorded. Witchhunter's health already limited what they could do. He died on 8 September 2008.
- Andy Brings joined in November 1991 while he was still in school. He had barely gotten past demo tapes with his own bands. Suddenly he was in a working professional group, finishing his Abitur on the side.
Studio albums
- Tapping the Vein (Aug 1992)
Formation 5 of 12
Oct 1989 – Nov 1991
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsOct 1989 – Nov 1991
- Michael HoffmannGuitarsOct 1989 – Nov 1991
- Chris WitchhunterDrumsOct 1989 – Nov 1991
Formation facts
- After Better Off Dead, Hoffmann's Sodom years ended with a move to Brazil. He settled in Salvador and worked as an engineer and producer rather than returning as the band's guitarist.
Studio albums
- Better Off Dead (Oct 1990)
Formation 4 of 12
1986 – Jul 1989
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1986 – Jul 1989
- Frank GosdzikGuitarsJan 1986 – Jul 1989
- Chris WitchhunterDrumsJan 1986 – Jul 1989
Formation facts
- Frank had never used a stage name. Tom made him take one anyway — as Frank later put it, he had to get a stupid name like them. When he left, he tried to drop Blackfire. The nickname stuck anyway.
- After they recorded Agent Orange, Frank said he could no longer stand playing with the others. He had been hanging around with Mille, whose band needed a guitarist, and he walked from Sodom's breakthrough into Kreator.
Studio albums
- Agent Orange (Jun 1989)
- Persecution Mania (Dec 1987)
Formation 3 of 12
1985 – 1986
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1985 – Jan 1986
- Michael WulfGuitarsJan 1985 – Jan 1986
- Chris WitchhunterDrumsJan 1985 – Jan 1986
Formation facts
- They had to record Obsessed by Cruelty twice. A label representative heard the Berlin tapes and said the sound was unreleasable — worse than the EP. The band recut the album in Hilpoltstein. Different editions later put different performances into shops.
- Darkness guitarist Uwe Christoffers was in the studio as backup because Tom and Witchhunter were not sure Michael Wulf would finish the record. Christoffers had written "After the Deluge" at their rehearsal place. Wulf was not happy about the insurance policy.
- SPV wanted a dry, professional recut in Hilpoltstein. Tom stayed on good terms with the guesthouse landlady, who left a crate of beer in the room. They hid the bottles inside a dummy Marshall cabinet so the producer would not see them.
- Kreator's Ventor still pictures the red Simca with "Sodom" painted on the hood, Witchhunter hanging out the window shouting the latest sales number — "3,000!" — while Tom drove.
Studio albums
- Obsessed by Cruelty (May 1986)
Formation 2 of 12
1984 – Jan 1985
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1984 – Jan 1985
- Josef "Grave Violator" DominicGuitarsJan 1984 – Jan 1985
- Chris WitchhunterDrumsJan 1984 – Jan 1985
Formation facts
- Steamhammer sent them to Berlin for what was supposed to be a full album — their first real studio. They partied; producer Horst Müller barely seemed to be producing. Grave Violator remembered him bursting out laughing "What vocals?" when Tom asked how the singing was going. An SPV employee halted the full-album plan. What survived was the In the Sign of Evil EP.
- After his guitar tracks, the label saved money by putting Grave Violator on a ride home with Helloween, who had just played Berlin. He was into the really hard stuff and wanted nothing to do with those "posers." He later recalled a very, very frosty atmosphere on that bus.
- Rock Hard tore the EP apart. Tom later laughed that nothing better could happen to them than scoring one point. They were not trying to be good in the conventional sense — they wanted to be the hardest band in Germany, and they thought they had pulled it off.
Formation 1 of 12
1983 – 1984
Members
- Tom AngelripperBass, VocalsJan 1983 – Jan 1984
- Frank "Aggressor" TerstegenGuitarsJan 1983 – Jan 1984
- Chris WitchhunterDrumsJan 1983 – Jan 1984
Formation facts
- Tom has said he wanted a short name people would remember. His mother used to walk into his bedroom and tell him it looked like Sodom and Gomorrah. Venom was the spark that made them want a band of their own — not a claim that they simply borrowed a song title.
- Their first demos were barely recordings. A friend offered a rehearsal room; they put the instruments through a small PA, pointed two microphones at the noise, and hit record on a tape deck. They had never been in a real studio. The original masters later vanished, and only a handful of copies ever circulated.