Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. Along with the bands Kreator, Destruction and Tankard, Sodom is considered one of the "The Big Teutonic Four" of Teutonic thrash metal. While three bands (except Tankard) created a sound that would influence death metal and black metal, Sodom's early music style would greatly influence many late-1980s and early-1990s black metal bands more than others.
To date, Sodom has released fourteen studio albums, three live albums, two compilation albums and six EPs. They achieved their first commercial success with their third studio album Agent Orange (1989), which was the first thrash metal album to enter the German album charts, where it reached number 36. Sodom remains one of the best-selling thrash metal acts of all time, having sold over one million records.