Sodom (band)
German thrash metal band
Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1982. They have gone through various line-up changes, with bassist/vocalist Tom Angelripper the only constant member. The band is currently composed of Angelripper, guitarists Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (who was a member of Sodom from 1987 to 1989 and rejoined in 2018) and Yorck Segatz, and drummer Toni Merkel. Sodom has been referred to as one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal, along with Kreator, Destruction and Tankard. Sodom heavily influenced the German black metal scene, and is regarded as a pioneer of death metal. Referred to as the most Venom-blackened of German "Three Kings" (Destruction and Kreator being the other two), Sodom further merged thrash and death metal into a "wicked and decadent sound."
Sodom has released sixteen studio albums, three live albums, two compilation albums and seven EPs. They achieved their first commercial success with their third studio album, Agent Orange (1989), which was one of the first thrash metal albums to enter the German album charts, where it reached number 36. Their most recent studio album, The Arsonist, was released on 27 June 2025. Sodom is one of the best-selling thrash metal acts of all time, having sold over two million records.
History
Early years and transition from black metal to thrash metal (1982–1989)
Sodom was formed in 1982, with their original line-up consisting of Tom "Angelripper" Such, Bloody Monster, Arius "Blasphemer", and Aggressor.
“Sodom (band)” enters the record as german thrash metal band. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sodom, band and German can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Sodom (band)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Sodom, band and German provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q156523. VIAF identifies the subject as 156946137. The Library of Congress control number is no98016505. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1982, 1987, 1989 and 2018.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sodom (band)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sodom (band) primary sources, Sodom (band) archive and Sodom research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sodom (band)”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sodom (band)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.