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 | S.O.D.Speak English Or Die [re-issue]2004 Megaforce ![S.O.D. - Speak English Or Die [re-issue] (Cover Artwork)](/images/covers/sod-speak_english_or_die.jpg)
 Review by: FortyMinutesWest See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on September 14th 2004 It’s S.O.D. I could really leave it at that, but unlike this band, I suppose this review needs an intro. In the mid-80’s members of Anthrax decided that they wanted to start a band that played fast, if somewhat simple music. With this in mind, and armed with tons of sarcasm, they founded Stormtroopers of Death, or S.O.D. What just started out as a fun project ended up producing Speak English Or Die, an extremely influential album that helped further blur the line between hardcore and metal. Even though they came around a few years after D.R.I., S.O.D. helped further bridge the gap. Although you can still find this in stores, Megaforce decided to re-issue it on some sweet looking blood red vinyl. The first time I heard this band was about six years ago, my friend’s brother was heavily into metal, and he acted as if this album was the gospel. I hadn’t heard anything about S.O.D. before that point, but he assured me that it was more intense than any of the bands I was currently listening to. With this in mind, he lent me a tape. Yes, that’s right, a tape. So, after do a little searching, a came across my old walkman, and finally got a chance to hear this band. He was right, it was intense, and I finally understood what he had been raving about. While S.O.D.’s sound was rooted in metal, it also had decidedly hardcore undertones. The songs were short and to the point, but they hit hard. The song that really stood out for me was “Milk,” which just blew me away. No song on here reaches the three-minute mark, but they make good use of the time they have. Aside from the obvious influence they caused by blending metal and hardcore, S.O.D. was also one of the first bands to use blast beats. This is a fact, although often disputed, that has endeared the band to many a fan of fast music. .
S.O.D. was off and on for many years, playing shows here and there, but tensions from within have pretty much killed any chance of them reuniting. Most notable is the dispute between Billy Milano and Scott Ian, which was sparked by VH1, of all things. Still, Speak English or Die left an undeniable mark on music, and is still appreciated by many to this day, which is pretty impressive for a band that basically started out as a way to kill some time. If you like hardcore or metal at all, you really need to own this, whether it’s on CD, vinyl, cassette, 8-track, whatever; pick this up.
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QUIERO DESCARGAR MUSICA DE SOD, MI CORREO ES neo20055676@yahoo "Obviously MOD and SOD used satire and irony to ridicule fascist and racist morons. I remember when there was all this controversy because people took the first-person lyrics at face value - do you find that's still the case, or has the world become even more sensitive and PC? Could "Speak English or Die" be released today without you getting firebombed? damn, fuck that nazi crap, stupid lyrics, in the song speak eglish or die, they say something about real jobs, like if playing on a band was a real job, stupid hail hitler mofos. same with slayer fucking republican nazis. heard this album a long time ago and was f***ing impressed...bought a copy of the album and now luv it even more...a true collector's piece...... heard this album a long time ago and was f***ing impressed...bought a copy of the album and now luv it even more...a true collector's piece...... Hi...i have heard this album a long time ago and loved it...I bought a copy of it last year and now like it even more...it is a Collector's item trust me guyz...U wont find a bunch of guyz having fun while playing like SOD..... I can't wait to get a new copy of this album. My tape shit the bed a few years ago from to use and I have been trying to find downloads ever since. Everyone should give this a listen and go mosh. Racist crap that was somehow "funny" back in the eighties. mmmmm...Boston Hardcore.... I saw SOD with skinlab (and unfortunately crowbar) on Halloween about 4 or 5 years ago and it was fucking amazing, while anthrax continued to delve deeper into hip hop SOD kept it real with the hardcore metal shit! No one really needs a review of this album though, if you have any respect for metal at all you've had this album for years already. I'm marchin' like the SOD to get some Goddamned Milk. my bad about the re-issue version. megaforce is known for some chintzy re-issues though. the vio-lence "oppressing the masses/torture tactics" cd is so lame. You're thinking of the platinum version that was released in 2000. This is vinyl only, and yes, the artwork is in color. first of all, this review kind of stinks since it doesn't mention anything about the re-issued version itself. condensed version: 2 extra studio tracks and a live set, lame artwork with no color. reading thgatcomment just made me want to say Cryptic Slaughter kicks ass. I'll have to agree that crossover sucks. It was an attempt to cash in on hardcore-influenced metal, because Metallica and Slayer were so big. I think Gang Green was totally different. They (like so many other Boston bands) went more classic rock influenced, and totally sucked. This is one of the few good albums to come out of it, though, along with Cryptic Slaughter's first two albums. Which makes me wonder why Extreme Noise Terror, Doom, and Nausea (three of the first crust bands) aren't considered "crossover". Because they were actually good? "Well if you look at the politics of Anthrax and Nuclear Assault, you'd know that these guys were joking. You'd have to be an idiot to take something like "Fuck the Middle East" seriously..." Well, the people I knew who loved SOD weren't all that smart. I never got interested enough to look further into Anthrax or MOD (did that come before or after this?) etc. Besides, crossover was a fucking virus that led to a ton of formerly great bands start sucking major donkey dick (COC, DRI, Afflicted, Gang Green). I always thought this record was very tongue-in-cheek. Well if you look at the politics of Anthrax and Nuclear Assault, you'd know that these guys were joking. You'd have to be an idiot to take something like "Fuck the Middle East" seriously... Yeah, I only knew of dumb metalheads and nazi skinheads who listened to SOD when this came out. I'm not so sure this is "sarcasm" as much as a reflection of the dumber side of 80s hair politics. didn't they do a re-union tour a couple of years ago? I love this album. Any of their other albums (I don't know how many they have...) compare? I've always been meaning to pick one up, but never got around to it because of the stupid $22.99, or up, price everywhere I see it... I remember my ex-boss freaking out when I asked him about S.O.D. one day....hmm, mighty good stuff. head automatica rules what the hell is a "blast beat?" The sound of sperm "blasting" out of your little penis as you "beat" off? LARM rules. Seein' Red is made up of ex-larm members and rules as well. Yep, this shit rules. Y'all should check out Holy Shit! from Wisconsin.....great '80's hardcore done right....and right now. Back in the day, the only people I ever saw listening to this were Nazis. this is a great fuckin album. i was just watching anthrax on uranium tonight and was reminded of this. i wondered if it was ever reviewed on this site, and here it is. That's why I said often disputed. I'm waiting for Billy Milano to say he invented blast beats. Also, Siege or Repulsion were the first to use blast beats, and if you want to get technical, the first ever use of them was with DRI (albeit, only for one song on their first album). Notable for being the most popular crossover album. Best thing ever to do with Anthrax, too. Also check our Larm, if you can. Hard finding their stuff, but they're just as important in the evolution of punk-thrash. Anything less than a 10 would be blasphemy. This is a damn fine record. |
