S.O.D. — Speak English or Die (review)

S.O.D. — Speak English or Die album cover

Album · 1985 · Crossover Thrash

5/5 · 2016-07-27
siLLy puPPy

Something incredible happened after the release of the movie Spinal Tap in 1984. It suddenly gave metal music the permission to not take shit so seriously. While many metal rockers would continue down the narcissistic path and end up supporting the makeup and hairspray world making me wish i could travel back to the 80s and buy stock in the cosmetic industry, a few brave souls had the gonads to try something way different for the time. The year 1985 saw the development of humor in metal music but also began the era of crossover thrash that took the best offerings of hardcore punk and mixed them with the newly burgeoning elements of thrash metal. While similar bands like Carnivore entered the arena, i would have to credit STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH aka S.O.D. as the most interesting band of this era of not only crossing over the thrash and punk elements musically but basically not giving a flying bleep about political correctness. SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE is their debut.

S.O.D. was an early splinter band from Anthrax where Ian Scott reunited with former “Fistful Of Metal” bassist and fellow Anthrax founder Dan Lilker along with another Anthrax entity, drummer Charlie Benante. The whole idea came from Scott Ian who after only one album with Anthrax was already chomping at the bit to express his less serious side where he could raise multiple middle fingers to the world and spit in the face of political correctness. It began as Scott’s doodlings of a character called “Sargent D” during the “Spreading The Disease” studio sessions where he would accompany his drawings with slogans like “I’m not racist, i hate everyone.” Keep in mind that this was the Reagan era in 1980s USA where faux conservatism was manufacturing all kinds of stupid nonsensical new paradigms of the religious right in their pursuit to sterilize all differences and to instill obsequious deference to the new power structure. Well fuck that!

This is the perfect antithesis to political correctness (today more than ever!) and guarantees to offend everybody if taken seriously in the least bit. In short, words can be weapons and don’t necessarily convey the reality of the true intent of the speaker. This album is all about deconstructing such verbal manipulations and creating a parallel faux universe where words construct a paradigm without any true meaning, so if you get all hoity toity and take this shit seriously then you are truly missing the point of the whole thing. Personally i don’t give a flying fuck about lyrics for the most part, at least in metal music and if i like the passion delivered in the music itself, that’s enough for me to get excited about. So fuck it all and bang your fucking heads, bitches.

This album is just brilliant. It somehow manages to incorporate all the principles of hardcore punk: shouted vocals, sloppy guitar riffs with bass and drums but thrashifies them with vengeance meaning guitar riffs are faster, drumbeats are faster and well, everything is faster! The punk meets metal elements have never fornicated as well as they do here and could possibly be prohibited under anti-beastiality laws in some states, but for me and my sickened brain, this is a cross genre ecstatic dance of the most opposing extreme musical genres dancing offering a musical truce in order to defeat a mutual enemy. Although i couldn’t swear to it, i would bet that this could qualify as an unholy sacramental listening experience endorsed by Jello Biafra, James Hetfield and Jesus anti-fucking-christ himself. For 1985 this must have come as a complete left field curve ball. Thrash music was merely in its nascency and suddenly already splintering off into a fireworks display of sonic pyrotechnics.

All i can say is that i truly dig this shit. S.O.D. nails the punk elements, marries it with thrash ferocity, injects the proper comedic politically derisory elements which have no true intended meaning but are designed to be as societally caustic as the distorted musical frenzy that has solely one goal in mind and that is to offend everyone except for, of course, the unoffendable! This is one of the fucking narliest metal albums ever to come out at any point in time. It is a short but sweet experience not even a half hour in length but manages to push all the proper dysphemistic societal buttons for the ages. This is relevant even in this day and age. With all the political hyperbole trying to create societal divisions, one has to appreciate a metal band that can just say FUCK OFF WORLD!

Quickie trivia: The track “Milano Mosh” was the theme track on MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball” in the 80s and 90s AND… well, that’s it really.

This album REALLY stands out amongst the competition. Every single element is perfect. This is a classic of the ages.

It is basically celebrates a “coming-of-age” mentality when you realize that the world is nothing more than fucked up mind control shit where everyone is trying to fuck with your mind and induct you into their cult but once you stop giving a serious flying fuck, everything is OK once again.

So go fuck yourselves and listen to this goddamn masterpiece already.

more than 2 years ago
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UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Yeah LOL :-)

Vim Fuego wrote:

more than 2 years ago

The humour definitely isn't for everyone. It made the 17 year old me laugh, and to be honest, it still makes the 43 year old me laugh too, I just don't do it in front of other people. Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues anyone?

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Personally i like an album that's not afraid to be goofy and childish and obnoxious. Call me immature. Lazy? It's punk rock meets metal. Punk is supposed to have that sloppy feel. I don't look too deep into this one. It's just an adolescent reaction to the poltical scene of the time and drags me back to the innosence of youth. Not for everyone of course :)

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Oh, I agree about not being rude to someone for no reason. To me, there's a difference between being a decent human being and "P.C.". I'm always respectful to others even if I disagree with their views on something, while I've noticed those who are really P.C. are the ones who get rude at people with different opinions. This is just what I've noticed.

Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

And hey, you can't say Scott Ian doesn't give a flying fuck about political correctness, walk up to his face and say something antisemetic and rude, and you'll see a different side of things.

Kingcrimsonprog wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Some of the riffs are good, but this is dull and half-baked for me. It just seems like lazy, uninteresting jokes, that no-one but the band would be interested in. I mean, 'Milk' ? That's not some righteous slap in the face of the easily offended...its just monty python silliness.
The band aren't some crusader for social justice, they're a bunch guys goofing off, having silly fun.

Also, political correctness in and of itself isn't a bad thing. Idiots taking it too far is a bad thing, but the basic idea of it, essentially don't be a bullying dick to people, is a pretty good idea. I agree that people shouldn't remove the sentence 'we'll have a gay old time' from Christmas tunes in case it looks homophobic, but I also think that just sticking a middle finger in someone's face (metaphorically) for no reason is just childish and obnoxious...
Well, at least the first two songs have some seriously great music.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Yep, nothing has really changed has it? :-(

Vim Fuego wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Some of the lyrics still seem so relevant today... Fuck the Middle East...

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I love this album too, and its middle finger to political correctness is great. It's really a needed listen these days.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I love this one :-). I can still remember the day my Brother brought home the vinyl and we were floored by how heavy and then fast and humourous the album is. A gem.