Album
The Arsonist
The Arsonist is the seventeenth studio album from Sodom, the German thrash metal band, released in June 2025 on AVALON. It follows Genesis XIX from 2020 and arrives almost forty years after their debut album, Obsessed by Cruelty, appeared in 1986. That is a long stretch of making records, and this one keeps the band's thrash tradition going.
The album also looks back at the band's own history and its friends. "Witchhunter" is a tribute to Christian "Witchhunter" Dudek, Sodom's original drummer, whose nickname gives the song its title. "A.W.T.F." is dedicated to Algy Ward, the original frontman of Tank. Those two songs make this a record for listeners who enjoy the personal threads running through heavy metal, as well as those following Sodom's long run of albums since the mid-1980s.
The Arsonist: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 48:47Tracklist
- 1The Arsonist1:02
- 2Battle of Harvest MoonFrank Blackfire and Tom Angelripper4:12
- 3Trigger DisciplineToni Merkel and Tom Angelripper3:52
- 4The Spirits That I CalledToni Merkel and Tom Angelripper2:57
- 5WitchhunterToni Merkel and Tom Angelripper3:13
- 6ScavengerYorck Segatz and Tom Angelripper4:01
- 7Gun Without GroomToni Merkel and Tom Angelripper4:43
- 8TaphephobiaToni Merkel and Tom Angelripper3:42
- 9Sane InsanityYorck Segatz and Tom Angelripper4:03
- 10A.W.T.F.Toni Merkel and Tom Angelripper3:57
- 11Twilight VoidFrank Blackfire and Tom Angelripper4:44
- 12Obliteration of the AeonsYorck Segatz and Tom Angelripper3:53
- 13Return to God in PartsYorck Segatz and Tom Angelripper4:28
- Produced by
- Toni Merkel
- Recorded
- 2024–2025
- Labels
- AVALON, Steamhammer
- Length
- 48:47
Line-up
- Tom Angelripper · electric bass guitar, lead vocals
- Frank Blackfire · electric guitar
- Toni Merkel · drums (drum set)
- Yorck Segatz · electric guitar
Singles
- “Trigger Discipline” · 9 April 2025
- “Witchhunter” · 7 May 2025
- “Taphephobia” · 4 June 2025
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| German Albums · 2025 | 4 |
| Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · 2025 | 4 |
| Austrian Albums · 2025 | 7 |
| Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · 2025 | 12 |
| Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) · 2025 | 14 |
| Japanese Western Albums (Oricon) · 2025 | 14 |
| Swiss Albums · 2025 | 14 |
| Poland 2 · 2025 | 35 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) · 2025 | 40 |
| Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan) · 2025 | 69 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
41.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
379
ListenBrainz listeners
17k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
1.4k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 27 June
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More from Sodom
Full discography →
In the Sign of Evil
1984
Obsessed by Cruelty
1986
Expurse of Sodomy
1987
Persecution Mania
1987
Mortal Way of Live
1988
Agent Orange
1989
Ausgebombt
1989
Better Off Dead
1990
The Saw Is the Law
1991
Tapping the Vein
1992
Aber bitte mit Sahne!
1993
Get What You Deserve
1994
Marooned: Live
1994
Masquerade in Blood
1995
Ten Black Years: Best Of
1996
’Til Death Do Us Unite
1997
Code Red
1999
M‐16
2001
One Night in Bangkok
2003
Sodom
2006
The Final Sign of Evil
2007
In War and Pieces
2010
30 Years Sodomized: 1982–2012
2012
Epitome of Torture
2013
Hellion Rising / Water Boarding
2014
Sacred Warpath
2014
Decision Day
2016
Partisan
2018
Out of the Frontline Trench
2019
Genesis XIX
2020
Bombenhagel
2021
1982
2023
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How we know the release date wikipedia 2025-06-27 vs 2025-06-25 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 25 June 2025 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 27 June 2025 | |
| Deezer | 27 June 2025 |
5 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June 2025 | JP | AVALON | 4527516024307 | original |
| 25 June 2025 | JP | AVALON | 4527516024314 | original |
| 27 June 2025 | — | Steamhammer | other | |
| 27 June 2025 | XW | Steamhammer | 4001617107195 | other |
| 27 June 2025 | DE | Steamhammer | 886922574726 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 3520×3120 | rejected |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |