Man, I don't even have the words to express how much I love Speak English or Die, it is easily one of my favorite albums of all time in any genre. Not only is that album brilliant in every way, but for me it is also a time portal back to my grandma's house in 1985. I can almost smell the cigarette smoke stained wood paneling in her guest room when I think about sitting on her floor listening to SOD on her record player with headphones (she had no idea what I was listening to)..I remember trying to learn the riffs by playing along while pugged into my piece of shit Peavy 10 watt amp and thinking how in the fuck do I get a guitar tone like that!!..Seriously, that guitar tone kills!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- That album is a musical kick in the teeth and l love it for that. I didn't get into this one until my early 20's but man did this album have a huge impact on me. This album still remains the blueprint for killer crossover and has aged so well. Well, some of the humor may not fly as well but the tunes hold up.

S.O.D. was my point of no return into metal when I was in 9th grade. I think the guys were having a blast making silly songs out of inside jokes with the first album, and that is what made it so great. And the greatness just happened. You can't plan that kind of fun, so the second album fell short.

Being an old guy, I remember buying this when came out!! EVERYONE thought it was funny as hell!! There is NO WAY this would fly today!! I also went to the now-infamous Destruction/Cro-Mags tour where the crowds would devolve into full-on brawls!!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Damn! I didn't get into S.O.D. until my 20's but when I did I looked up all the stuff about them and it was a pretty wild history. By the time I started hitting shows I think the beef between the hardcore fans and metal fans had died down but I had no idea shit was so tense back then. Fucking wild, man.

Hope you guys got the mandatory case of beer to go with that listening session!!!! (Mickey's Grenades!)

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Miller had to drive home otherwise we might have lol

I was fortunate enough to catch S.O.D. live at a tiny bar in Dallas when they toured Bigger Than the Devil. Killer!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Yeah, I doubt I'll ever get a chance to see them give how much bad blood there still is there but I can live vicariously through all the live footage I guess. That's awesome you got to see them, man.

They only played a handful of shows in 1985. They played the one off show at The Ritz in 1992, a one off show in 1994 at a bday party in LA. A handful of shows in 1997. They put out Bigger Than the Devil in 1999 and finally did a tour 1999-2000. Seasoning the Obese EP came out after Bigger. They played their last show a month before 9/11 at Trash of the Titans (Chuck Billy Benefit) on August 11, 2001. They released their last EP in 2007 which was just 2 left over songs, 2 songs that appeared on comp albums and a live show.

Speaking of DRI, they were doing blast beats and 15 second songs a good few years before SOD, although at the time they were still purely punk. I would also argue that DRI had a (maybe almost) similar reach in influence as SOD. There's an old interview with Slayer from that year, 1985, where Lombardo is wearing a DRI shirt and even says they are an influence for playing fast.

Hell yeah the debut S.O.D. will always be a classic and it's cool seeing that Bigger than the devil is also being talked about. Bigger than the devil I think is quite underrated.

@MusicOfDestruction

Жыл бұрын

I know right ben? What a sick fucking band!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Speak English or Die is in my opinion the foundation of crossover. It essentially threw a stick of dynamite into the metal scene in general and you can still feel the power of that explosion today. Bigger Than the Devil was decent but it's a bit rougher and I think they kinda dicked around too much with the goofier tracks on that one. There's some legit banger on that album for sure.

S.O.D. is such a great crossover thrash band that didn't put out a lot of albums, but what they did put out was for the most part really good. Speak English or Die is a legendary crossover thrash album filled to the brim with tongue-n-cheek dark humor and fast, aggressive riffs and drumming. Bigger Than the Devil, while not as good as Speak English or Die was still a decent groove influenced album.

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- As much as I would have loved for them to put out more I think this band's output was solid and to even have one album that is considered a hallmark of the genre is a statement in itself. Speak English or Die is still every bit as awesome as it was in '85 and while Bigger Than the Devil didn't really live up to the debut's standards it was still pretty decent.

@robsteries

Жыл бұрын

the same you say, mate!

Speak English was recorded in 4 days. I love Bigger Than the Devil about the same. Both albums are amazing!!!

I love SOD they’ve always been in my TOP 5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

It's so cool and refreshing to hear Carnivore and S.O.D. metioned in the same sentence!!!!!!!!!

The Best..the classics…the kind of stuff that cannot be released now without cancellation most importantly for me personally. The band responsible for getting metal heads into punk and hardcore, The Biggest Respect ✊🏿 🤘🏽

@Gregbaltzer

Жыл бұрын

Agree to a point. I think Discharge got metalheads into Hardcore Punk before SOD, but SOD helped a lot. United Forces was/is a unification anthem. Personally I never understood the hate from the 2 camps.

@jamesgwarrior1981

Жыл бұрын

@@Gregbaltzer well yea everything Uk 82. But I feel that’s a bit more advanced. Like GBH, Exploited, Anti Nowhere Leage, Discharge. Scott melded the Nyhc sound that honestly they probably wouldn’t ever claim Uk was inspiration! With the exception of maybe Sham 69. Or The Ruts.

@Gregbaltzer

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesgwarrior1981 Hard to say, but Anthrax do a great cover of Protest and Survive. Scott should have been a vocalist for a hardcore side project. One band I always wanted to get into was English Dogs, but their stuff is hard to collect. I could be wrong, but I always felt Black Flag's- My War was the first American Hardcore/Metal crossover album. But it's not a Crossover Thrash album like SOD, DRI, or Suicidal Tendencies. They took Hardcore and slowed it down to Black Sabbath's doom metal riffs

@jamesgwarrior1981

Жыл бұрын

@@Gregbaltzer yup read my mind. Love the English Dogs. One of the most important crossover bands ever…

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Yeah, this is definitely a product of the era that it came out in but I do love the cynical/ dark humor and I know they were just joking. People often dismiss the context though which is important. Their impact on metal can't be understated though. Speak English or Die is the birth of crossover in my mind and I love that shit so they get all the hails in the world from me for that.

Thinking of the demo “blip” tape… you fellas ever hear of a compilation album titled “Short Music for Short People”? I think Fat Wrecked Cords put it together…

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH! HOLY SHIT! What an awesome crossover thrash band. I love them

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- We've been wanting to do this one for awhile but it was tough finding time with all the other shit we were doing. This was a lot of fun to go back and jam.

I'm old, Speak English Or Die was Huge for me and my circle of friends in mid to late 80s. I still have my original Live at Budokan VHS(proudly on display in my music room). Me and my friends wore out that VHS. Bigger Than the Devil is a hard listen even though I've owned it 20+ years. Raise your sword? Wtf? Is that? Love the show!!!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I didn't get Speak English or Die until I was in my Early 20's but it hit immediately when got it. I still have my Live at Budokan CD but I never got any of the video stuff. I may have to keep my eye out for that shit if I see it. I think Bigger is decent but there's a lot of fat to trim off it and the songs didn't always gel well.

@wc1994

Жыл бұрын

You need to watch Live at Budokan... Huge Billy Milano starts the show wearing a wrestling mask, smoking a cigar while standing on an Amp and does a 10+ foot stage dive on the crowd. Then he's smashing people in the head with his microphone... Classic!!!

Live video of SOD’s entire NYC 1992 concert is free here on KZread under “Live at Budokan”

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I've watched certain cuts from it. The live version of Kill Yourself from that chow is fucking amazing!

Hi! Thanks a bunch for doing S.O.D! For me, I found them round '94-95 which was really late. But living in Sweden before the internet days, you took what you could get and be happy... still I loved "Speak English or Die" instantly but mostly for the intensity and the humour and the missing piece of the puzzle. I was deep into thrash and death metal and crossover and even some hardcore stuff but had missed the link between them which turned out to be SOD. I also really liked "Bigger than the Devil" when it came out. Eventhough I had high hopes for it that wasn't reached I still liked it, especially Evil is in, Charlie Don't Cheat, The song that don't go fast, Celtic frosted flakes and the title track of course... great fun! I really liked the chunky production on this one especially Ian's guitar. I remember I really tried to get that sound myself (not succeding...). "Bigger..." could've been a lot better if it had been more focused. I do like that they didn't try to sound like they did before. Comeback albums that is just the same as the old ones but not as good... I really don't see the point of that unless you're Ac/Dc of course. Cheers!

March of the S.O.D omg what a fuckin riff!!💥🤘 One of my favourite riffs ever!!..Scott Ian said it was the best riffs he's ever wrote and I agree 💯

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Talk about a riff with bad intentions. It comes out of the gate ready to snap necks. If Scott didn't love that riff monster of a riff I'd be scratching my head on that one lol.

There was an odd trend at my secondary school (this is 35+ years ago) where all the hip kids were sewing S.O.D. back patches of their jackets without knowing the band. I tried to tell them, but who ever trusted a greasy Slayer/Napalm Death/Misfits fan back then...

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Sounds like you had an outbreak of "poserhea" in your school lol.

This was one band I could never understand, but totally respect the impact they had on music. This band is a Jackson Pollock. Artists appreciate their work. I just hate punk. You can call it hardcore, metalcore, ect. It's punk. It comes from that tree. When the music comes from attitude and not the notes it's punk. When it comes from both its metal.

So, if Speak English or Die only gets 4 1/2 ⭐️ s, what does the album need to earn 5/5 ⭐️ s?

S.O.D. Speak English Or Die is an incredible album. Essential listening especially to anyone that is interested in checking out Crossover Thrash. Personally, Crossover is one of my favorite musical genres. Bands like S.O.D., D.R.I., Cro-Mags and Suicidal Tendencies among others. 🤘

Sergent D is Coming and Your on His List!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I volunteer for that list lol

SOD’s t-shirt sold at the 1992 NYC concert is a must-see…if you type in a search engine “SOD - Sgt. D's Last Stand” there’s a shirt that on the back says “SGT D’s Last Stand Stormin The Ritz 1992”…the front of it is Sgt D as the only one standing while other metal characters like Vic Rattlehead are laying on the ground

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I just looked it up. Dude, if I could even find a boot version of that shirt I'd snag it for sure. That's badass.

DRI baby!!

Killer DRI t-shirt.

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! It felt appropriate for this one.

@SuperStrik9

Жыл бұрын

@@thrallsofmetal What's your favorite D.R.I. album? For me it's Thrash Zone with Crossover as a very close second. 4 Of A Kind is third. I agree with the OP killer shirt. D.R.I.'s logo is one of the best.

It's morning here and I want some milk!

Good review for one of the classic album in thrash heyday maybe you can review the wehmarcht album one of the underrated crossover band

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I'm honestly not as familiar with that band but I'll look into them for sure.

I have, and love, both of these albums, and I have all the DVDs. I haven't listened to them in forever though. I just started collecting M.O.D. again, after I sold them years ago. I'm not the biggest MOD fan, but I love crossover Thrash. I wish Scott and Charlie would patch things up with Billy though.

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I have the full lengths and Live at the Budokan but I still need to find the DVDs if I can. I do need to get some M.O.D. in my collection in general. Yeah, it still seems like there's lots of bad blood between those dudes which is unfortunate because I think they have it in them to do another bad ass album again. Time will tell but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

What do you guys think of their song “Fuck the middle east” ? I didn’t hear you guys mention it at all personally one of my favorites from speak English or die

Way to start the year!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Been sitting on this Retro Review idea for awhile and I figured it was time to finally record it. Glad you dug it, man!

awesome review

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!

@heavymetalmusicofdestructi3430

Жыл бұрын

@@thrallsofmetal welcome 🙂🤘

Have you guys made any videos about your guys experience in bands ? Or have any tips for bands?

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Honestly, we haven't. I'm not a musician myself so I don't know how much advice I could offer outside of keep at it and keep that love for the music close to your heart.

I haven't listened to those albums in a long long long time. Probably in 99 since they did the bigger than the D.

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Bigger Than the Devil was a decent album but Speak English or Die is the clear winner of the 2. That's the one to really go back to in my opinion.

I love Speak English or Die. Bigger Than the Devil not so much. Strangely enough, I think the guys went PC which was against the whole point.

Aww hell yeah, cannot for the S.O.D. part, been meaning to listen to that for a while now because despite the subpar audio quality, the music I've heard seems to rip.

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- They have remasters of Speak English or Die now. I think they did that with the 30th anniversary editions the Megaforce put out. The music is amazing regardless though.

Amazing band! Wish they were still around. Nevertheless, I love them \m/ \m/

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Agreed and double agreed on that one, man!

D.R.I. first crossover

Long live sergeant d !!!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Hell yeah!

I fully agree with Miller and Nick about S.O.D. GREAT JOB guys

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!

@MusicOfDestruction

Жыл бұрын

@@thrallsofmetal Youre welcome bro

A little lazy with the facts here......that said, they could've toured on Speak English, covers, including early M.O.D. and Anthrax tracks forever, and never recorded another album. Not much at all memorable about bigger now, or in 00 when it came out. Could've been an e.p. if the filler were left out. Chasing $. Hopefully Dan made some money, he deserves more than he's got out of metal. A pioneer, true. S.E.O.D. is a classic that stands on it's own, with no need for labels. Alex Perialas produced the shit outa that album.

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Since we were doing 2 albums and lightly covering their other stuff I didn't want to get to overly on on this one. Hell they could have found a few more "ballads" to sing live just for fun to fill out their stet. Bigger has it's moments but I think they just over did it. It's too long for what it is and there's a fair amount of filler on it. I think labeling it "crossover" is still important because it's probably the most important album in the subgenre. I forgot to mention Alex by name but he did a killer job on Speak English or Die though.

Do you guys have a five year plan or not, man?

Nice vid! I know a lot of ppl rave about this but it just does nothing for me at all. Just too much crossover & not enough straight thrash for my taste! I love Anthrax tho! 🤘🏼

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I think this band gets a lot of love for being not only killer but also pioneers of crossover in general. My love of Anthrax is deeper honestly but I do love this band.

I have seen the artwork for Bigger Than the Devil! It is *CRINGY!* That artwork is a spoof of Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden with the font on the left side along with the Devil puppet!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- Number of the Beast? I don't follow.

@robertsparling917

Жыл бұрын

@@thrallsofmetal Look at the album cover for Bigger Than the Devil! It has the font from that album for the title along with the Devil puppet!

@michaelkarlsson5966

Жыл бұрын

Yes! And it's intentional and very fun! Iron Maiden are puppets for the Devil, but who's behind the Devil if not Sargent D! So it means that Sargeant D and SOD are bigger than the devil AND bigger than Iron Maiden, of course! It's such a fun idea! 😀👍

NASUM 😊?

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- We definitely want to do that one eventually for sure.

Alot of prejudice, n hate, lets not sugar quote, but oh well….. i think metal culture n “ brotherhood” is more united now, with the raised of Latino American metal bands, Europeans, Asians killer bands etc, that we have found some common ground, for the love of metal…..🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- It wasn't done maliciously and it was intended to be a joke. It's cynical/ dark humor. The members are from families that immigrated to the US (Italian and Jewish) so I don't think they were serious about any of this other than writing some killer tunes. The context is very important here. Metal is a global thing and I love it for that. I think it's awesome we can find metal on virtually every continent and the unity of the scene is awesome.

@michaelkarlsson5966

Жыл бұрын

No, not from the band. They are against such crap. SOD did what any society critical comedian would do which is to shove many narrow-minded people's weird opinions in their faces. Some get it and can laugh, others don't get it and are hurt by it.

Speak english or die was this iconic groundbreaking album FOR THE METAL KIDS. In the hardcore scene back then it was nothing so special... the mentioned dri and coc were already there doing this since 82 or 83... agnostic Front already had those riffs, discharge exploited etc. Those were influences on sod for sure The other way around thrash in general was an influence on upcoming crossover Bands. Not especially sod, those guys as great as they were just brought hardcore to the metal kids. But did they create sonething new? Not really. Dri ludichrist wehrmacht suicidal gang green if you want cro mags and agnostic Front started metalcore talking of breakdowns Sod, great band but not as influential on hc as you make em 😉

technicaity in my opinion is overrated.. Primitive riffs always reign supreme!

@thrallsofmetal

Жыл бұрын

Necrotic Nick- I like technical play but I'll take catchy, violent riffing over that most of the time. This album keeps it simple but aggressive and managed to make it catchy as hell.

@MusicOfDestruction

Жыл бұрын

@@thrallsofmetal Thats cool man. Im far more into the primitive riffs.