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# The Spirits That I Called: An Interview with Tom Angelripper (Sodom)
- URL: https://www.thisdayinmetal.com/the-spirits-that-i-called-an-interview-with-tom-angelripper-sodom/
- Published: 2025-06-09T16:36:45.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-09T16:36:45.000Z
- Author: Ed Hackimer
- Tags: Interviews, #interviews, Tom Angelripper, Sodom, Euronymous

So the story goes, **Tom “Angelripper**” **Such** started **Sodom** as a last ditch effort to escape a life of working in the coal mines in Germany in 1981, naming the band after black metal forefathers **Venom**’s “A Thousand Days in Sodom.” After replacing the group’s original drummer with **Christian “Witchhunter” Dudek**, who brought a new level of songwriting experience to the band, **Sodom** produced two demos which eventually led to a record deal with **Steamhammer** in 1985\. One of those demos would become 1985’s *In the Sign of Evil* EP, which along with the 1986’s full-length *Obsessed by Cruelty*, would become cornerstone albums for the up-and-coming musicians that would dominate the controversial second wave of black metal that emerged in the early 1990s in Norway.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/e2/dbe2ac7e-62ef-4b13-917a-63221a045127/content/images/2025/05/sodom-z-live-rock-fest-2019-1.jpg)

When **Frank “Blackfire” Gosdzik** joined the band in 1987 for *Persecution Mania*, the band’s lyrical trajectory steered more towards common thrash topics, delivering the political and war-themed lyrics that are now a hallmark of the band. Aided by better production, the band would put out a string of releases that solidified them as one of the Big Four of Teutonic thrash. When **Blackfire** left the band for **Kreator** after 1989’s classic *Agent Orange*, **Sodom** would continue to evolve and produce high quality material through the band’s unique blend of black, thrash and even death metal, most notably on 1992’s *Tapping the Vein.* The following decades would lead to myriad of records, a brief reunion with **Witchhunter** to re-record *In the Sign of Evil* shortly before his unfortunate passing, and **Blackfire** rejoining the band in 2018 on a permanent basis.

Now, after influencing innumerable bands in those same genres, **Sodom** is preparing to release their 17th studio album *The Arsonist* through **Steamhammer/SPV,** the same label that signed them so many years ago, on June 27th. The lyrical themes of the album remain firmly in **Sodom’s** stronghold, describing the horrors of war from the human perspective of being forced to fight for another’s cause. There are two tracks on the album, however, which deal with losses experienced by **Sodom’s** frontman and primary lyricist. “A.W.T.F.” is a tribute to departed **Tank** lead singer **Algy Ward**, whom **Angelripper** described as “the greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time.” The track “Witchhunter” appropriately serves as both a memoriam and cautionary tale about his former drummer and dear friend, who died of complications from alcohol abuse in 2008\. 

Ahead of the release of *The Arsonist*, I had a chance to speak **Tom**, the only original member of the band remaining, about a number of topics, including:

- the writing process for *The Arsonist,* the inspiration for new songs and lyrics on the record, his unique vocal style and disdain for comparisons to **Tom Araya**, and how he decides which style of singing will suit his lyrics best.
- a discussion of **Algy Ward** and stories from touring with **Tank,** memories of **Withhunter,** how the tribute to him is not meant to glorify his actions, the lyric video tribute created for **Dudek** by former **Sodom** guitarist **Andy Brinks,** and how **Tom** feels he’s ever present when **Sodom** perform.
- **Tom’s** feelings on *Obsessed by Cruelty* influencing the Norwegian black metal scene, the album’s poor production value and tuning issues, how it influenced **Mayhem** and **Burzum,** memories of **Euronymous*,*** and plans for a reissue of the album.
- the differences in recording **Sodom’s** first and second albums, the transition from occult lyrical themes to more political material on *Persecution Mania*, his reflections on over 40 years in the metal world, and a thank you to **Sodom** fans worldwide.

You can view the entire interview **HERE:**

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**Tom** was a pleasure to speak with and expressed gratitude to his fans worldwide at the end of the interview, who will surely be ecstatic to listen to the new material **Sodom** have created on *The Arsonist.* You can pre-order the new album at the link below.

[Preorder Sodom's "The Arsonist" Here](https://sodomband.lnk.to/TTVWE?ref=thisdayinmetal.com)

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c433499-5364-4472-a8fa-24b43f5460af_800x533.jpeg)

**Sodom** have two festival appearances lined up in Europe this summer. Stay tuned to their [website](https://www.sodomized.info/?ref=thisdayinmetal.com) and social media channels for any further information on support dates for *The Arsonist.*