Artist Name
Stormtroopers of Death
web link web link web link
heart icon off (0 users)
artist logo

Artist Image
artist thumb

Functions

transparent
Data Complete
percent bar 80%

Members
members icon 4 Male

Origin
flag New York

Genre
genre icon Thrash Metal

Style
style icon Metal

Mood
---

Born

born icon 1985

Active
calendar icon 1985 to dead icon 2007

Cutout
transparent

Alternate Name
S.O.D.

heart icon Most Loved Tracks
No loved tracks found...

youtube icon Music Video Links
No Music Videos Found...



Artist Biography
Available in: gb icon flag icon
Stormtroopers of Death (abbreviated to S.O.D.) were an American crossover thrash band formed in New York City in 1985. They are credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes referred to as crossover thrash. The band is also known for reuniting Anthrax members Scott Ian (guitars) and Charlie Benante (drums) with their former bassist Dan Lilker. The song "Chromatic Death" from their 1985 debut album, Speak English or Die, was the Headbanger's Ball intro anthem for many years.

The band were the source of some controversy due to their deliberately offensive lyrics. Scott Ian described the songs on Speak English Or Die as "ridiculous" and "just a big inside joke", adding: "Some people thought we were racist, and those people are stupid." Bassist Dan Lilker stated: "The lyrics were never intended to be serious, just to piss people off." The band had several periods of inactivity following their formation in 1985. According to singer Billy Milano, the 24-song extended play of live and unreleased material called Rise of the Infidels, released in August 2007 on Megaforce Records, "will finally be the last of S.O.D.," laying to rest rumors of another reunion.

After finishing his guitar tracks on the Anthrax album Spreading the Disease, Scott Ian would draw pictures of a character known as "Sargent D." The pictures would be accompanied by slogans such as "I'm not racist; I hate everyone" and "Speak English or Die," and Ian would write lyrics about the character. He decided to form a hardcore band based on Sargent D, so he recruited Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, ex-Anthrax bassist Dan Lilker, and Psychos bassist Billy Milano on vocals.

They recorded a 63-song demo called Crab Society North and set to work on an album for Johnny Zazula's Megaforce Records. The album, titled Speak English or Die, was recorded and mixed over three days and has since been hailed as a landmark album that was among the first to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal. They toured in support of the album in 1985, opening for Motörhead and The Plasmatics, among others. Their music served as the theme of the '80s incarnation of MTV's Headbangers Ball. They planned a follow-up titled USA For S.O.D.,, which was ultimately scrapped and never recorded.

After their tour ended, Lilker carried on with the band Nuclear Assault while Benante and Ian continued with Anthrax. Milano formed the spin-off band Method of Destruction, known as M.O.D. The band's first album U.S.A. for M.O.D., featured many lyrics written by Scott Ian, as well as an altered version of "Aren't You Hungry," an unrecorded S.O.D. song played during their 1985 tour.
wiki icon

Wide Thumb
wide thumb


Clearart
transparent

Fanart

fanart thumb

Banner
transparent icon

User Comments

transparent iconNo comments yet..


Status
unlocked icon Unlocked
Last Edit by Betzebu
26th Mar 2021

Socials
social icon transparent icon

Streaming
website icon unlocked iconwebsite icon unlocked icon

External Links
fanart.tv icon musicbrainz icon last.fm icon website icon unlocked iconwebsite icon unlocked iconamazon icon