German thrash metal legend Tom Angelripper has never been one to sugarcoat reality, and in a new interview with This Day In Metal, the SODOM frontman once again spoke candidly about why the band has significantly slowed down its touring activities — especially when it comes to the United States.
At 63, Angelripper says his priorities have shifted. After decades of relentless road life, he’s choosing time, health, and family over airports and backstage waiting rooms.
“I have two kids. My daughter is 31, and my son is 28. So now I could spend more time with them and doing other things,” Tom explained. While touring is on pause, he’s far from inactive: working on BMG re-releases, writing new lyrics, and already sketching ideas for future SODOM material.
“You never can stop it. The only thing I stop is touring and all that stuff.”
That decision hasn’t been an easy one. SODOM’s latest album, The Arsonist (2025), hasn’t received proper tour support — something Angelripper openly regrets.
“To make this decision to stop is always uncomfortable,” he said. “It’s never a good time to stop. But nowadays, I enjoy my free time.”
Even though he acknowledges the financial hit — especially skipping dozens of German festivals — Angelripper is blunt about not caring anymore.
“I know that we are gonna lose a lot of money… but I don’t care,” he said. “I’m 63 years old. I have to calm down a little bit doing other things.”
The physical toll of constant travel is a major factor. While his doctor says he’s in good shape, the warning was clear: slow down.
“But I don’t wanna waste so much time for traveling around. Sitting on airports and hotels, backstage. If you are at my age, you think about the next years, what you’re gonna do.”
One of the biggest obstacles — and a growing frustration for international artists — is the cost and complexity of touring the United States. Angelripper didn’t hold back.
“Visa, especially to go to the U.S., America., it’s so much paperwork to do,” he said. The problem isn’t just bureaucracy, but cost.
“It’s $2,000 [for] each person to get the working papers — for the band and also for the crew as well.”
And unlike American bands touring Europe, foreign acts don’t get a free pass.
“But American bands come to Germany or Europe [and they] just need a passport. They don’t need any visa stuff.”
Despite all this, Angelripper is careful to stress that this isn’t a permanent goodbye. He compares his situation to SLAYER’s Tom Araya — stepping back without closing the door entirely.
“No, no, no,” he said when asked about retirement. Still, he admits the realities of modern touring make half-measures impossible.
“But I cannot tell my band we just do five shows in a year. It’s not enough.”
For now, SODOM’s future remains deliberately open-ended.
“But now it’s gone for a while, and I have no plans, what to do.”
For fans hoping for a full-scale comeback tour, that uncertainty may sting. But for Angelripper, after four decades of thrash warfare, choosing when not to play might be the most metal decision of all.
