SODOM – Andy Brings to RockOverdose: “Get What You Deserve” Is the Soul of Sodom

Three decades later, Get What You Deserve by SODOM returns revitalized with a new remix, highlighting the guitars and the authenticity of an album that remains indelible. The deluxe expanded reissues are set to be released on February 27, 2026.

On this occasion, we had the opportunity to speak with one of its key contributors, guitarist Andy Brings, who played a decisive role in shaping Sodom’s sound during a particularly creative yet turbulent period for the band. In an honest and revealing conversation, Andy reflects on his memories from his years of participation, talks about the challenges, tensions, creativity and the legacy that era left behind — an era that, three decades later, continues to inspire and divide thrash metal fans.

Questions: Angelos Katsouras
Interview: Katerina Mitika

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RockOverdose: First of all, we would like to know what it is like to talk about your time in Sodom after more than 30 years, with fans still mentioning your name as an important part of their evolution, even though you only participated in two albums.

Andy Brings: That makes me happy and proud, because it has been over 30 years since I am not in the band, but I have collaborated with Tom from time to time throughout all these years. When I was fired from Sodom, it was very traumatic and I did not leave on good terms, so it was a difficult period, but, you know, 32 years is a very long time, and sometimes it takes time to heal, but now everything is good. Tom and I are friends and we work closely together, and receiving all the love and recognition from the fans for my time with the band and for what we are doing now with the reissues of Tapping the Vein and Get What You Deserve makes me very happy and proud. People do not forget, and sometimes you do not know that, because I was out of the band for such a long time and I have done so many different things since then. I had my own career outside of thrash metal and I was not thinking about it much. There were years when I left Sodom out of my biography, but now I connect everything and it is part of my journey. As I said, I am very happy. It is very fulfilling.

RockOverdose: We all face challenges in life and challenges exist to overcome them. It is very nice that you overcame it and came to an agreement with Tom and your friends now. Let us return to Get What You Deserve, which interests us at the moment. It had a big obstacle to overcome with Chris Witchhunter officially out of the band. How did you handle that situation as a young member at the time, seeing one of the two stable members of Sodom leave?

Andy Brings: Very good question. When I joined, Sodom was a big band and I was still in high school when I joined the band. So I finished school while I was in Sodom. During my first year, I finished high school. Tom and Chris were not getting along when I joined the band. They had been together almost 10 years and they were going in opposite directions with their lives and everything. The way they saw the band and Chris's playing was really getting worse. I am sorry to say it, but it was inevitable that we had to let Chris go. It was sad, but it was the only chance for the band to survive. So yes, I was in the band for one year, Chris leaves and he was the one who brought me into the band. He found me. And then a new drummer came, Atomic Steif, and suddenly I was no longer the new member. It was a crazy period. And think about it, I was less than three years in the band. And think about what we did in those three years. Now bands release albums every five, six, seven, sometimes ten years. But back then, in less than three years, we made two studio albums, one EP, one double live album and one VHS video. Plus the tours and songwriting. I cannot understand how we managed to do all that. But I was 22 when we wrote and recorded Get What You Deserve. Looking back, I was a kid. At 22 you are very, very young. And it was my second album with the band. When we did Tapping the Vein, I was 20. Crazy. But it was all organic and fresh. Atomic Steif came. He was really a missing piece of the puzzle. We had a strong work ethic. At the same time we had to rehearse for the live set, so we were in rehearsal every day. It was a very creative period, because you had nothing else to do. You did not have social media to take care of. You did not have reels to shoot. You were not responsible for managing and booking your band like it happens today. It was all about the music. And I think it shows. It really shows.

RockOverdose: It is officially confirmed that no one other than the mighty Atomic Steif could take Chris's place in the band. Tom described him as the German Dave Lombardo, and he did an amazing job on this album. What do you remember from his addition at that time? And how quickly did he adapt to your sound?

Andy Brings: Tom and Atomic knew each other. I was corresponding with Steif in the mid 80s, back then I had my own fanzine - I was 14 years old, and my mother was making photocopies at her work so I could sell it in record stores. I bought the demo of Violent Force from Atomic Steif, his first band. We were in contact, but we had never met. We were looking for a drummer, many demo tapes came. Many drummers wanted to be in Sodom, and we never played with anyone because no application was good. And then one day, our management told us that Atomic Steif called the office, said that he was interested in the job. Without even talking or playing with him, we said “that is the one”, because we just knew. He came with two or three songs prepared, and we knew that this was it! He was very good, extremely fast, precise. And he was a good person. Most of the time, he wanted to play with Holy Moses occasionally, so he never signed a contract. That created problems later for Tom. But his work in rehearsals was flawless. We were a wonderful band, a machine! It was awesome to play with him. It is very tragic that he died last year at 57 years old. Very tragic.

RockOverdose: Very young. Very sad.

Andy Brings: Yes, very young.

RockOverdose: May his soul rest.

Andy Brings: Yes. Rest in peace, Atomic Steif.

RockOverdose: This album was the most special at the time, as we saw Sodom experimenting with a more crossover sound. The thrash elements were still there, but while Tapping the Vein had more of a death metal feeling due to the intensity of the vocals, Get What You Deserve sounded more carefree. Was it an easy decision to move in that direction, or was Tom influenced by your roots in punk?

Andy Brings: Both. Tom always loved punk rock, like Discharge or The Exploited. And I have roots in both metal and punk. I am not a virtuoso, but I was listening to everything when I was a kid: Motley Crue, Slayer, Minor Threat, D.R.I., Bad Brains. If I liked something, I liked it, regardless of genre. For me, the best guitarist of all time is Johnny Ramone. I love Yngwie Malmsteen too, but I cannot do what Yngwie does. But I can do what Johnny Ramone does. So I found common ground with Tom. In Tapping the Vein the songs were often long, with many parts in one song, and we got tired of that. We wanted the songs to be raw, short, in your face, without many parts or solos. I do not have a “guitar ego”, I am happy for every solo that I do not have to play. Solos keep me from going crazy on stage. It was all about adrenaline, raw, dirty metal. The band were the “angels with dirty faces”.

RockOverdose: You have stated that it was your favorite album from Sodom. What made it so special for you beyond your participation?

Andy Brings: It was a very polarizing album, difficult even for Sodom fans. But we loved it. We wanted to go one step further, to shout “eat this!”. It is also the favorite album of Tom Ripper, despite the 14–17 albums he made after. It has the soul and the feeling of what influenced Sodom in the beginning. A kind of “time capsule” made only by the three of us at that period. The fans who love it love it very much, and those who struggled with it back then, maybe they will love it now with my new remix version, which highlights the guitars more.

RockOverdose: It was the album that made a breakthrough for producer Wolfgang Stach. What was his main role and how was he chosen?

Andy Brings: We chose him because he was cheap at that time. Tapping the Vein was expensive, we had to watch the money. We went to a small studio with an unknown producer, Wolfgang. But he did an excellent job, he understood our vision and let us create. After 30 years we worked together again on the new album of my band Double Crush Syndrome. He has made a big career in Germany, like with Guano Apes and the hit “Open Your Eyes”. He was an important part of the process.

RockOverdose: How did your experience on Sodom albums help you later as a producer? What advice would you give to new producers?

Andy Brings: I was always fascinated by studio work, but I was a musician first. I learned to record and produce, but I see myself as a coach or director, not as a technician. My advice: listen to your favorite albums again and again, try to understand what each song needs and let it speak. Do not overproduce, do not add layers just to show off. Perfect is overrated.

RockOverdose: What is your opinion about the use of AI in music?

Andy Brings: It can be useful as a tool, but I do not use it. I want my ideas to be mine. In rock ‘n’ roll, art is above all personal and real. I feel that rock ‘n’ roll still has the power to overcome such trends.

RockOverdose: The album cover changed several times. How did you decide on the final one?

Andy Brings: The original was the drawing of the man tearing the mask from his face. Then we preferred a photo, so the drawing was used for T-shirts. The hotel cover was a photo, without Photoshop. The record label did not want it for the stores. Now, with the reissue, the album has three covers: the original, the hotel and the band photo.

RockOverdose: It is heard that there are plans for Masquerade in Blood to receive in the future the same treatment as Tapping the Vein and Get What You Deserve. The question is divided into three parts. Is it true that it will be reissued in a similar “mega package”? What do you think about its production? I always found it weak and that it does not do justice to the band’s legacy. Would you participate in a new revisiting? If yes, what would you try to improve? If not, what would you advise Tom?

Andy Brings: There is no discussion about that. I have never heard anything like that. It is new to me, so I know nothing. I do not think it is planned in the immediate future. I have not heard it completely. When it was released, I was not interested. It was the first album after they fired me. I listened to it only briefly and I thought: “Bad… very bad. They deserve it.”

RockOverdose: It is logical to feel sad about the situation.

Andy Brings: Yes, but objectively it is bad. The sound is not good. If you consider that Get What You Deserve is raw, then what can you say about that? I may know one or two songs. If they asked me to work on it, I would have to see the original tapes and see what exists. If the multitracks exist, maybe we can discover a good album inside the chaos.

RockOverdose: We know that Sodom are taking a break from live shows so that Tom can rest. Has it been discussed that you might participate in some anniversary appearance on stage for the reissue of these albums?

Andy Brings: I was on tour with the band at the end of 2024. After the release of Tapping the Vein, we played every night a set from that album as a triple formation (Tom, Tony, me). Anything else is only speculation. There are no discussions. I do not know when or if Tom will return.

RockOverdose: We would like you to tell us what you are doing lately, for those who have lost your news…

Andy Brings: After Sodom, I had the bands Tracylords and PowerGod. Then I had a solo career with German songs. Since 2013 I have my band Double Crush Syndrome. Recently we recorded the third album with Wolfgang Stach, which will be released in the summer. We tour, we play with Doro and Forerunner in June. I also produce films. In 2018 I had a film in cinemas and now I am preparing a new one. I always have many projects at the same time. I do not have other hobbies, I wake up and think rock ‘n’ roll, I work and sleep with rock ‘n’ roll. This is what I love: to create, to work and to give something to the world.

RockOverdose: It was a great honor to host you. What would you like to say to the Greek fans who have not seen you? And how would you like Sodom to be remembered when their story closes, including your presence?

Andy Brings: To the Greek fans who have not seen me: I have never come to Greece, which is sad. I would very much like to come and play with my band or anything else. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people. How would I like Sodom to be remembered? Warmly. It was my beginning. I am proud that Tom and I fully reconciled and became friends, creating a great team. I hope that we made the fans happy.

RockOverdose: Yes, we very much want to see you in Greece. Thank you very much! We wish you all the best!

Andy Brings: Goodbye.

On behalf of RockOverdose,

Interview: Katerina Mitika

Questions: Angelos Katsouras

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