Sodom’s ‘Angelripper’ Says Paid Meet and Greets Have “Nothing to Do with Metal”
It’s hard out there for a band looking to expand their reach, gain new fans, and make a living out on the road, that’s pretty well established. One area where bands are trying to make ends meet is by charging fans to attend a pre- or post-show meet-and-greet. Depending on the band in question, VIP tickets could come with a pretty hefty price tag just for the chance to briefly interact with a musician and maybe get a photo or something signed. And while many fans find that cost worth it, Sodom frontman Thomas “Angelripper” Such apparently takes umbrage with that practice.
During a recent interview with RapidMetalFire (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Such said that the German thrash metal band he helped start back in 1982 was “the only metal band who would never make money with signing sessions or photo sessions.” And while I’m sure that’s not entirely accurate, he said the band would never follow that trend.
“I hate it. I don’t want it. We had it when we played with Keartor at the ‘Klash Of The Ruhrpott’ festival [at Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany in July 2024], with Destruction and Tankard. They did it. If they’re gonna do a signing session, [fans] have to pay for it.
“In my opinion, it’s not my way. When I do a signing session, I do it for free. I don’t want money from it. Or I stay in a hotel, whatever. But I never came up with the idea of taking money for a signing session or taking money for a stage walk. You know what is a stage walk? People pay money to get on the stage. I’d say, ‘Okay, here’s a drum kit. Here’s the guitar amp. Here’s a backline.’
“I hate it. This has nothing to do with metal. Some bands sell backstage tickets, so [fans] get the chance to say hello to the musician or get a plaque or whatever, and pay 500 euros, whatever. With KISS, they’re gonna do it. And if you get one one photo with KISS, you pay $2,000, and [they] to go the next [fan]. This has nothing to do with heavy metal. This is not what I have learned in the metal scene.”
Speaking from his own experience in Sodom, Angelripper said it’s always been the band’s M.O. to stick around as much as they can after a show to hang out with fans, whether that’s just shooting the shit, taking photos, or signing autographs.
“We’re gonna stay till the last one [gets what he or she wants]. Sometimes we just have half an hour, an hour [to sign stuff and take pictures]… [Sometimes] there [are] hundreds of people coming for signing sessions, for autographs, make a picture, and we say, ‘Okay, make a picture, go,’ because we wanna get everyone this autograph in the end, but I never take money for it. That’s stupid.”
“The people, they’re gonna buy the tickets, they’re gonna buy the new album, they pay the price, and they don’t need to pay [me] when I sign [something] or make a handy picture [with them]. We wanna give something back. That is very important. Sodom is the only metal band who would never make money with signing sessions or photo sessions.”
