Five Records That Changed My Life, Part 37: Tom Angelripper
Tom Angelripper is the vocalist, bassist and main songwriter for the German thrash metal band Sodom which he founded in 1981. Roppongi Rocks boss Stefan Nilsson checked in with Tom to find out what five albums changed his life.
Rainbow ”Rising” (1976)
“The first love, the first motorcycle, the first full intoxication and then the first, self-financed, ‘long-playing record’. That was Rainbow’s ‘Rising’. There are too many memories with this album for me to ever forget this great music and all the memories that go with it. The intro of ‘Tarot Woman’ and the title alone, give me goosebumps all over my body. I recently also indulged the deluxe edition with the different mixes… Madness!”
Venom “Welcome to Hell” (1981)
“This is my all-time fave. I bought it back in 1981 in an import record store here in my hometown. The owner, Scotty, travelled to England every month to get some records that were not released in Germany at the time. One day I got a phone call from Scotty and he told me about this album. I could not wait to hold it in my hands. Back at home I listened to this album for the first time on my father’s Hi-Fi stereo and I was so impressed with the powerful and Satanic songs. No band did that before. Oh yes, this album was the initial spark for a completely new genre. Without Venom, this kind of metal would go in another direction. They were the pioneers. They created something new and mystical. It inspired me so much to come up with the idea to form my own band.”
Tank “Filth Hounds of Hades” (1982)
“An album that still arouses a lot of emotions in me to this day. Before this album, I got the maxi single ‘Don’t Walk Away’, which was released shortly before the tour with Motörhead. The front cover was designed with a sticker that read ‘The Heavy Metal Shock’. Such a slogan was enough for me to buy it without any doubt. This inimitable mixture of the Motörhead sound of days gone by and the unmistakable and rough punk attitude exactly matched my taste. I just love every track, there are no slacks.”
Motörhead “Iron Fist” (1982)
“I had waited a long time since the successful masterpiece ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980). Every day I drove my Zündapp to our local record store, Music Melody Shop, to see if ‘Iron Fist’ had been delivered. One day I got a phone call and finally I held it in my hands! At home I was so fascinated by the spectacular band photo on the inner sleeve. And when the first bass notes from the opener whizzed through my teenage room, it was all over for me. Decades later I was finally able to find the official trailer for ‘Iron Fist’ on the Internet, which was not originally intended to be released.”
Slayer “Hell Awaits” (1985)
“My God, what worries we got when this monster was put on the record player. After the spectacular debut album, stylistically altered and arranged in a higher quality, they laid a milestone with this second album that is still one of the coolest thrash records of all time. I am really grateful to the Lord for the grace of my early birth so that I could witness all of this in real time. And this Slayer album is definitely one of the great moments of my life.”
