Sodom will have a new look the next time that fans see them. Late last week, singer/bassist Tom Angelripper revealed that he had parted ways with longtime members Bernd “Bernemann” Kost and Markus “Makka” Freiwald and had planned to continue the group with "fresh and hungry musicians." Now Bernemann and Makka are sharing their side of the story in a social media statement of their own.

The pair shed more light on the divide, confirming that they had "slightly drifted apart" over time, with their conceptions of where the band was going musically and thoughts on touring prospects adding to the divergence. They state that they had been looking forward to working on a follow-up to to Decision Day with song ideas ready to go, but unfortunately they learned of their firing via WhatsApp without the vocalist even hearing what they had to present.

However, the pair have vowed to continue with music after being let go from Sodom and state that they will find a new band. You can read their full statement below.

Sodom break up!
Tom has already pointed it out in his statement that in fact we have slightly drifted apart from each other. Indeed our conceptions of respect and workload diverged even further. Also tour offers neglected by Tom disappointed us.
After its overwhelming reactions we were totally looking forward to creating a successor to “Decision Day” and have already recorded lots of song ideas. Unfortunately Tom did not share our enthusiasm, he terminated his cooperation with us via WhatsApp even without listening to any of the new material.
Of course it is not easy for us to leave Sodom - the band that have become such a huge part of our lives and that we totally identify with. But, we will not stop doing what we love - together we will found a new band and we will see a way forward.
Within our hearts we will remain Sodom even if Tom is not with us any longer.
...And now a few words to you. Words from musicians to their friends and families. Since we have already received tons of nice and encouraging words from all of you we want to take the opportunity to say thank you to each one of you.
Everybody who saw us during the past couple of years also saw that we were 100% into what we were doing and that our behaviour had always been as authentic as your reactions had been genuine and filled with affection. Your feedback throughout all those years and your uplifting words now make us feel proud.
This is all we can ask for - thank you so much!
Bernemann & Makka

As for the new look Sodom, Tom Angelripper revealed in his statement that the plan is to honor their upcoming dates in April, at which point he'll reveal his new bandmates at the Full Metal Mountain. The singer says he has yet to decide whether the band will remain a trio or expand to include additional musicians and that it's his desire to start on a new album as soon as possible.

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