Sodom

The band was founded in 1982 by Tom Angelripper (vocals, bass), Aggressor (guitar) and Chris Witchhunter (drums). They are the leaders of the German thrash metal scene alongside Kreator, Tankard and Destruction. After numerous guitarist changes in the band, Sodom finally released their first studio album, Obsessed By Cruelty, in 1986. It is a thrash metal work with elements that would influence black metal bands. This album was not very well received by the critics, who described the band as a "carbon copy of Venom, with not very inventive lyrics that would quickly fall into oblivion". The band's second studio album, Persecution Mania, was better received, mainly because the album is more in classic thrash metal, and because the music overall has more maturity than its predecessor.