In a new interview with A&P-Reacts, bassist/vocalist Thomas “Angelripper” Such of German thrash metal veterans SODOM spoke about the long-talked-about possibility of a “German Big Four” tour — featuring KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, SODOM and TANKARD — finally becoming a reality. He said: “I think if you talk about ‘Big Four’ of German thrash metal, SODOM is always number two in this ranking or whatever. I think KREATOR, it’s completely different; KREATOR is on a different planet. We talk to Mille (Petrozza, KREATOR frontman) sometimes; I talk to Schmier from DESTRUCTION all the time; we’re talking about touring or making a couple of shows. I think KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD, they’ve gone their own way. And it would be really complicated to book shows or touring with this ‘Big Four’, because of different record companies, different publishers, booking agencies, whatever. I don’t think so.

“Yeah, I think KREATOR has been getting more commercial in the last years,” Thomas continued. “They’re getting bigger live shows. That’s what we don’t want. We just wanna keep the band on the floor, on the ground. I think the band is important and not the screens that you have on stage or pyrotechnics, whatever. We also play in smaller clubs. I like playing in smaller clubs. I like to be closer to the fans, get more contact to the fans. But we played in Mexico two weeks ago; it was the ‘Big Four’ (of German thrash metal) — the Mexico Metal Fest. If there is a promoter that wants all the four bands, we go; that is not a problem. But touring, it seems to be getting really hard, to plan this.”

Pressed about whether he is still holding out hope that a “German Big Four” tour could happen one day, even if it’s just for a limited number of shows, Angelripper said: “Maybe a couple of shows around the world. KREATOR is touring, we are touring, DESTRUCTION is touring. Maybe we find a weekend, we can do a bigger show in Germany or America, whatever. I think this package will be good for four or five thousand people, I think… Maybe more. Maybe if you go to America, especially where people are waiting for SODOM all the time, we will sell it out, definitely. And if there’s a promoter that wants to book all the four bands, we go. But we also talked to Mille, and I think Mille, he’s not really interested — in my opinion — to do this. Schmier is a very good friend of mine, and also Gerre (Andreas Geremia) from TANKARD. We’re always talking about this. Somebody has to take it in the hand; somebody has to try to arrange something. And then we go… A promoter has to say, ‘I wanna have the ‘Big Four’ bands. I wanna have KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, SODOM and TANKARD,’ whatever. And we go.”