German thrash metal band Sodom is paying tribute to their late drummer, Christian Dudek, also known as Witchhunter, with a new music video for their song Witchhunter. Teh track is featured on their upcoming album, The Arsonist, set to release June 27, 2025, through SPV/Steamhammer.

A Tribute Decades in the Making

Frontman Thomas Angelripper Such discussed the inspiration behind the tribute in an interview,explaining that Witchhunter’s presence has always been felt,especially during the re-recording of older material for the 40 Years At War album. Witchhunter, this guy’s always present, and especially when we recorded the ’40 Years’ album; we re-recorded all the stuff. We get more into the old material.

Such emphasized the personal connection he shared with Witchhunter: You have to realize Witchhunter was my best friend in this times. He was my drinking buddy in the beginning of the ’80s – ’82 – and Witchhunter and me, we ran the band. so he’s always present. And when I start writing lyrics about him, I don’t wanna describe him as a big hero.

The Complex Reality of Witchhunter

While acknowledging Witchhunter’s impact on the metal scene, Such also shed light on the drummer’s personal struggles. Witchhunter was always a very funny person. We were always laughing about everything, but I know his inner conflicts he was fighting with. He [had] problems with his girlfriend, he [had] problems with alcohol abuse, he [had] problems with his mother, family problems. But he never told me. He never spoke about it. He was always a funny guy… [But] Witchhunter was a completely diffrent person than you realized he was.

Such elaborated on the challenges Witchhunter faced, notably his battle with alcohol abuse. The people say, ‘Oh, Witchhunter’s always funny.’ Yeah, as he’s always drunk. That is the reason why he’s always funny. And I know him. I don’t wanna tell the truth about Witchhunter, because of the alcohol abuse was over the last decades. And so I never said Witchhunter was the best drummer, he was the best drinker, he was the best lover. He was always a man full of problems.

A Troubled End and a Lasting Regret

Such revealed that his relationship with Witchhunter became strained before the drummer’s death, especially during the recording of The Final Sign Of Evil. Yeah,we recorded ‘The Final Sign Of Evil’ [album together].That was the last thing we did. And that was a mess. He was not able to play the drums in one take, like Toni or whatever. He was completely drunk. And then after recording this album, he dropped [out of] complete contact to me and all the others in the scene. That was the last time I saw him. And then a couple of years later I got a message. We were in South America on tour, [and I was told] Witchhunter died. That’s it. And I know where he’s buried. Sometimes I visit him.

Such also admitted to the role he played in Witchhunter’s downward spiral. he was full of aggression, because I kicked him out of the band. And that was a big problem. I kicked him out of the band, or we – that was Andy Brings and me – and then he starts drinking more and more. And he always had a dream to form [his] own band, WITCHHUNTER, and he never got it, because he couldn’t play anymore. He was drunk completely the whole day, so he [could] never find any other musicians who wanted to work with him. Very tragic.

Concluding with a cautionary message, Angelripper stated, What I can tell you don’t take drugs and don’t drink so much. I [lost] so many friends. I [lost] a lot of other guitarists and friends around the music scene by alcohol.

The Arsonist: A Collaborative Effort

the Arsonist features contributions from all four Sodom members: Thomas Such, Frank Blackfire (guitar), York Segatz (guitar), and Toni Merkel (drums). The album promises to be a powerful addition to Sodom’s discography.

Previous Releases

• The first single from the album, Trigger Discipline, was released in early April.
• sodom released an EP, 1982, in November 2023.
• Their 40th-anniversary album,40 Years At War – The Greatest Hell Of Sodom,was released in october 2022,featuring re-recorded tracks from their previous albums.
• Sodom’s last studio album, Genesis XIX, came out in November 2020.