THOMAS "ANGELRIPPER" SUCH Discusses Why SODOM Is Slowing Down Touring

For more than four decades, Sodom has been a cornerstone of German thrash metal, and frontman Thomas "Angelripper" Such has led the charge with tireless commitment. But as he recently shared in a new interview with RapidMetalFire, the grind of touring life has finally caught up with him, and he's choosing to step back.

"I think you know the story of [Slayer's] Tom Araya. Maybe you heard something about it. I think he's got the same problems, like [issues with his] neck [when performing live]. He couldn't more headbang. I can headbang. It's not so massive… But that is not the reason why. The reason why is I want to spend more time with other things. I want to spend more time with my family. I need more time going for my hunting district. I want to spend time doing nothing," he shared (as transcribed by Blabbermouth)

It is not a farewell, but a reprioritization. Beyond his role as frontman, Angelripper also manages the band, a full-time responsibility that leaves little room for personal space.

"If you are a professional musician — I'm also the manager of the band — you are busy every day. There is no time to breathe. There is no time to relax. I like to spend the time on stage. I like to spend the time making music, but I hate wast[ing] time on airports or hotels."

Turning 62 has brought a new awareness of time, and what it's worth. While financial realities remain, they're no longer the only concern.

"If you're getting 62 like me, you say, 'Okay, I need money to make my [living] from [playing] music.' I know — money is a very important thing. But there is something you cannot buy with money: the freedom," he said. "And that's what I told to my boys, to my group. I told them, I think two years ago, 'In this year, I wanna slow down the things a little bit,' because I can't do nothing, because I'm still working on re-releases. The only difference is I have my home office. That's the only thing. But I can tell you, I have no plan what to do. I have no plan how long I'm gonna rest. I have no plan when I restart the band, so I don't wanna live without any plans in the next times. I can't tell people I want to come back in '27 or '28, maybe '26 — I don't tell the people. When I think I wanna come back, I go."

Despite this step back, interest in Sodom remains strong. According to Angelripper, promoters are still actively reaching out.

"I receive a lot of booking requests… I get some offers from this [and that] festival. I get some offers for making a tour with Heaven Shall Burn. They were interested in maybe a Sodom tour. I get a thousand of requests [for] the ‘Big Four' [of German thrash metal: Kreator, Destruction, Sodom and Tankard] worldwide. That is not a problem… People are still interested. It's not something bad because we have no success. I can book tours every day over the year, if I want. That is another thing. Sodom is still — we are still very much a success, I think. People are really interested in coming [to see us]… So that is not the problem. I know that people wanna see Sodom."

But the desire to live fully, and freely, has become more urgent: "I love my fans, but I also love myself. I also love my family. I also love my old friends. Now it's time to stop [and] just [concentrate on] doing other things. That's very easy. I'm still healthy. I'm able to do it. I'm still creative. Maybe the day will come I don't know what to do, I'm not more creative, I cannot write lyrics, I cannot play bass. Then it's gone. It's just a break. But I don't know how long it takes."

Meanwhile, we won't have to wait too long for new material. Sodom's next album, The Arsonist, is scheduled for release on June 27 via SPV/Steamhammer.