TOM ANGELRIPPER Readies For SODOM's Touring Hiatus: 'I'll Miss The Stage. I'll Miss The Band'

By David E. Gehlke

SODOM bassist/vocalist Tom "Angelripper" Such certainly knows how to make good use of an album press cycle. The legendary German thrashers are on the run-up to the release of their 17th studio album, "The Arsonist", a long player that found the band recording drums live on tape, harkening back to their halcyon days when drummer and co-founding member Christian "Witchhunter" Dudek played with such reckless abandon that there was no choice but to keep his mistakes. (For what it's worth, this only added to the charm of SODOM's early recordings.) Instead of leading with that or the unheralded skills of returning lead guitarist Frank Blackfire, Angelripper has turned the focus on his plans to step away from SODOM after 43 years.

Angelripper has not stated SODOM is over or that he'd never play live again. Instead, he's calling it a "break." It's certainly well deserved. SODOM never went on hiatus and has been steadily releasing studio albums and hitting the European touring circuit for decades. And according to the frontman, the demands of SODOM mean everything falls on his shoulders since the band functions without a manager. While Angelripper taking a break has made "The Arsonist" the secondary story, he was more than game to give BLABBERMOUTH.NET the scoop on its creation, among other items.

Blabbermouth: The first single for the new record is "Witchhunter". Do you think about Chris a lot? Do you miss him?

Tom: "I miss him a lot. He's always present. I remember when we did the 40th-anniversary album ['40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom'] and re-recorded the older material, we'd always talk about Witchhunter. Our drummer, Toni [Merkel], is a big fan. He said he enjoyed recording Witchhunter's parts and tried to combine them with modern drumming, but he's always present. Then, I came up with the idea of writing a song about him. He was my best friend in the beginning when we started the band in '82. We spent a lot of time together. Then, I remember when we recorded 'The Final Sign Of Evil' [in 2007]. He was really down. He had a lot of problems with alcohol. When I started writing a song about him, I didn't want to describe him as a hero. He had a big impact on the metal scene in the early '80s, but his life was so tragic. I started writing a song about him. We also had a song about Algy Ward of TANK ['A.W.T.F'], who was my favorite bassist and singer, along with Lemmy [Kilmister] from MOTÖRHEAD and Cronos [Conrad Lant] from VENOM. It's the same. He was a big hero, and he's gone. His life was also tragic because of drug and alcohol abuse. I've lost a lot of friends because of that."

Blabbermouth: Were you in touch with Chris before he passed in 2008?

Tom: "The last time I saw him was when we recorded 'The Final Sign Of Evil'. Then we had a break. I know his mother; he was still living with his mother. I remember back then, we toured South America, and a good friend of mine sent me a message that Witchhunter had died. I know where he's buried. His mother also died; I think his complete family as well. He had an older sister who died. It's a shame, but he's always present, whether we play live or are recording. He's the spirit of SODOM. He formed the band with me."

Blabbermouth: You recorded "The Arsonist" live. Since so few bands are doing it this way, what led you down this road?

Tom: "Recording in a digital way is cheap. We can do it. A friend of Toni's is running a studio. We visited him, and I saw the tape machine and the big analog desk. I asked him, 'Are you still recording bands using tape?' He said yes. Then, I had the idea of recording drums with a tape machine. You have 24 tracks using tape, and we want to use all the tracks for the drum recording. I talked to Toni and asked if he could do it. I told him, 'You just have one chance. The tape is running, and if you have an issue or mistake in the song, you have to restart.' Toni, he's a brave drummer. He said, 'I'll need one take.' We recorded different versions of the songs, and then we decided which songs were best when we started mixing. It was great. I don't know if there is a big difference between recording on tape and digital. In my opinion, there is a significant difference between mixing the drums and adding samples to them, which a lot of bands do. They're putting snare samples or trigger signal effects on the bass drums or adding something to the toms. I hate it! [Laughs] Then we got a completely natural drum sound, which I really prefer. I prefer the drum sounds from the '80s when the drums sound like drums. Some bands have a special drum sound, and it's kind of a trademark, like VENOM. It's their trademark, the big drum sound. The only problem is, in the end, everything is digital. If you press it on CD or do a master of the album, the engineer says, 'In the end, we have to compress the whole file.' Before we mastered the songs, the guitars were positioned left and right, very far from the drums. You get a wide-open production. Most people listen to music on a smartphone. You have to compress it to be able to hear the guitars on a smartphone. I don't listen to it on the phone. I have my high-fidelity amplifier at home. When I listen to music, I want to have the best sound possible. We did it. I spent the money on it; it was expensive. I want to have organic, authentic drums. We recorded the guitars on a computer, but we used microphones in front of the speakers, like a live show. I know a lot of guitarists use Kemper amps and profiling amps. It's okay. It's not something I want."

Blabbermouth: Did this bring any memories back of watching a guy like Harris Johns cut the tape in front of you? A lot of musicians get nervous watching an engineer do that.

Tom: "I remember! When we did 'Better Off Dead', we forgot a chorus. [Laughs] And Harris started cutting the tape. It's one-inch tape. He started cutting [makes cutting noise] and cut the part. [Laughs] That was really special. It's the way it is. That's the way of recording. I remember the first digital recording for us was in the mid-'90s. More people started recording digitally. We did 'Masquerade In Blood' on a Yamaha digital mixing desk. It sounded great, but if I get the chance to record on tape, I'll do it! I can pay for it. It's a great experience. Also, it's a studio. The band is sitting in the studio recording. When Toni recorded the drums, the band was sitting there in the control room, drinking beer, like in the '80s. Nowadays, people record albums without being face-to-face. The guitarist sends the files to the drummer, then the drummer sends the file to the bassist. That's how they put together an album. It works, but it's not the way I want to do it."

Blabbermouth: Harris and other guys from that era were like the fourth or fifth member of the band. It wasn't uncommon to find a producer like that associated with a band like yours.

Tom: "He really was the fourth band member. He was the first 'producer' we had. We recorded 'In the Sign Of Evil' with Horst Müller. He said, 'I'm just the engineer. I'll record you. I don't help you.' Nobody told us we had to tune the guitars before recording. [Laughs] Or play the drums in time! That makes these first records so special, especially in the black metal scene in Scandinavia. The cover artist who did the new album [Zbigniew Bielak] told me that 'Obsessed By Cruelty' is his favorite album. Like, 'This album is the holy grail.'"

Blabbermouth: Well, SODOM accidentally started a lot of black metal bands with that record.

Tom: "I remember the last time we played in Norway. Our drummer and guitarist Yorck [Segatz] was in the room where [early MAYHEM frontman] Dead [Per Yngve Ohlin] killed himself with a shotgun. There was a wooden house that was the rehearsal place for MAYHEM. He's in SODOM lore. He's a big fan of that album, But we talked about Harris when we got him for 'Persecution Mania'. He was the producer. He helped us out. He said, 'We have to check the lyrics. We have to put another guitar riff here. We have to check out the chorus lines here.' He produced the album. He also said, 'Tune your guitars. All the time.' That was the first time we worked with someone really interested in our music. It was interesting to make a good product in the end that the record company—they paid him. They wanted a good product. That made Harris a fourth band member. I'm still in contact with him. I hope I can work with him again."

Blabbermouth: You've been in the news a lot recently because you'd like to slow down. Are you creatively fulfilled? Do you have anything left to say as an artist?

Tom: "I'm somebody who has recorded so many albums. When I'm putting together all of my albums — SODOM, ONKEL TOM, DEZPERADOZ and so many side projects — I'm so proud of them. I remember I spent so much time on the music, especially after Covid. I'm 62 years old. I want to spend time onstage. I want to spend time with my band. That's what I live for, but I don't want to waste any time being on airplanes, in airports, or terrible hotels. Sometimes you have to play in Mexico. You do one festival show, and you're traveling for ten days. I'm so proud of the back catalog of my career. I did it. I have a lot of really good records out, but I've talked to my family and my doctor, and he said, 'You are in very good condition for your age. Now, you have to come down a little bit.' I don't want to talk about burnout syndrome. I need a break. I want to spend more time with my family, with my good old school friends, and with my passions. I'm a hunter. That's my big passion. I have so many things to do around my house. I talked to my band last year and told them, 'I want to slow down and make a cut.' They said, 'It's your decision. We are loyal to you. We understand what you mean.' Now, the time is right. I have two shows coming up, and I'll do all the promotion for the new album, then it's gone. I know the record company told me, 'Okay, you have a new record out. You have to promote it with live shows and festivals.' I know the timing is always uncomfortable for everyone involved in the production or the band. It's my private decision."

Blabbermouth: Have you ever had a break from SODOM?

Tom: "No! I know a lot of bands took a break and came back, but I'm working all the time, every day. SODOM is present every day, from morning until evening. It's my band. I have to work on the band all the time, but I still work on things like the back catalog. It went from SPV to BMG. We released 'Tapping The Vein' last year, and now we are talking about 'Get What You Deserve'. I'm working with [former SODOM guitarist] Andy Brings, doing the remix and scanning photos."

Blabbermouth: Do you foresee SODOM becoming more of a festival band in Europe and the States? There's always a demand for the band to play over here. You could do some one-offs.

Tom: "I don't know what will happen for America. We need to play there more. Our last shows were great. They were glorious. People have been waiting so long to get SODOM to America because other bands like KREATOR and DESTRUCTION go every year. I know. It's really hard. We have to get the papers, working sheets, and all this stuff. That is very expensive, even if you only get two or three shows. You have to get visas and passports, which are expensive. I know we have a big, strong fanbase in America, but I never think about coming back because I don't want to tell you I want to come back in April of next year. No. I don't want to put myself under pressure when I say, 'I want to come back.' I just want to relax, and we'll see what happens."

Blabbermouth: You mentioned visiting your doctor, and we talked about Chris and Algy. What has kept you healthy over the years?

Tom: "I never took drugs. I didn't want to. When we're talking about Witchhunter, he never took drugs. He just drank too much. I don't drink anymore. Sometimes, when I meet my friends on the weekend, I'll grab some beers. I still smoke cigarettes. Maybe it helps my voice. I don't know. I'm still in good shape. I try to eat healthily. I hunt my own meat and eat more vegetables. I'm trying to find a more relaxed life, but when you're on tour, you always have to deal with junk food. You always get your breakfast at McDonald's because you have no time. No one is cooking for you. At my age, you have to pay attention to what you eat and what you're going to do. I'm still healthy; I'm not on any medications. My doctor said, 'You have to slow down. We want to keep you this way.' I'm still in very good condition and capable of doing it, even while touring. Now, I need more time for other things. It's very simple. I know people are very sad: 'I'll never see SODOM again. You have a new album out. I want to hear some new songs during the live show.' Yes, I know. It's always a hard decision to make."

Blabbermouth: How are you expecting to feel after the last show you have coming up?

Tom: "We'll see. [Laughs] I know I will miss the stage. I'll miss the band. Standing onstage, doing records, rehearsing—it's something I really enjoy. It's not only this thing. People just see the band on the stage. They just get a new record and listen. They don't know how much work it takes to get it finished or touring. It's what a lot of people don't realize—how much work it is. I work really hard to get it finished. We have to release the master for the record company. We have to release the album. I'm putting everything together. I'm always that guy. I'm also the manager of the band. I'm not the booking agent, but I'm the manager. I think the time will never get boring after that show."