S.O.D.


Speak English Or Die

United States Country of Origin: United States

Speak English Or Die
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Type: Full-Length
Release Date: August 30th, 1985
Genre: Crossover, Hardcore, Thrash
1. March Of The S.O.D.
2. Sargent "D" & The S.O.D.
3. Kill Yourself
4. Milano Mosh
5. Speak English Or Die
6. United Forces
7. Chromatic Death
8. Pi Alpha Nu
9. Anti-Procrastination Song
10. What's That Noise
11. Freddy Krueger
12. Milk
13. Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues
14. Pussy Whipped
15. Fist Banging Mania
16. No Turning Back
17. Fuck The Middle East
18. Douche Crew
19. Hey Gordy!
20. Ballad Of Jimi Hendrix
21. Diamonds And Rust (Extended Version)


Review by Dominik on July 5, 2025.

Ah, “Speak English or Die”, the politically incorrect, (black) humor dripping thrash juggernaut that burst onto the scene in 1985. A controversial, chaotic explosion of hardcore punk and thrash metal. A one could say outright absurdity, where the line between humor and hostility blurs into oblivion. But what if, for once, we take this infamous album at face value? No satire, no winks, no nudges—just pure, straightforward analysis, as if every snarling and provoking lyric and every skull-crushing riff is meant in the most literal, dead-serious way. What if? I will try to deliver.

Musically, S.O.D. keeps it simple, raw, and most of the time relentlessly, even ridiculously fast (“Milk”). Scott Ian clearly didn’t get the memo that you’re supposed to play more than four chords in a song. His riffs are an exercise in minimalism but deployed like a cruise missile with no intention of stopping. If you’re looking for complexity, progressiveness, or nuance, look elsewhere; if you want to be sonically whiplashed, you’ve come to the right place. And Charlie Benante’s drumming? It’s more like a controlled demolition than a beat. He seems to detonate rhythms and, with his double bass blasts, is providing the momentum to drive every track. Together with Danny Lilker, who is playing his bass through the chaos, adding weight and groove to the speed, they ensure a rock-solid foundation.

And then there´s Billy Milano. He acts as the band’s vocalist and ugly bouncer. His delivery is like a drill sergeant on a three-day bender, barking commands with the intensity of someone who’s personally offended by the very concept of “nuance” and “correctness”. He roars and snarls through the album like someone ready to start a riot. If we take him at face value—what I am supposed to do in this review—, we’re being yelled at by a man with a grudge against everything: from the lack of milk in his fridge to world politics. The lyrics? Let´s say they´re direct. They’re straightforward and aggressive, with track titles like "Kill Yourself" and "Fuck the Middle East" delivering their message with all the delicacy of a grenade and the subtlety of a brick through a window. Of course, they would be hilarious, but remember that we are reviewing them with the utmost seriousness. Taken literally, this album represents a worldview where every problem can be solved with violence and volume, and diplomacy is replaced by pure aggression, with zero regard for your feelings.

And then there are the "songs" that flash by in mere seconds, like "Diamonds and Rust (extended version)" (an ironic, sorry, dead-serious two-second blink) or "Anti-Procrastination Song," which clocks in at an abundance of five seconds. Before this, we only saw such musical brevity on Napalm Death’s infamous work “Scum” (here "You Suffer"). These short bursts are a signature and proof of S.O.D.'s no-nonsense, punch-in-the-face approach—thrash and hardcore punk boiled down to their most basic, primal forms. And despite the brevity of “longer” tracks (some lasting indeed longer than it takes me to drink a bottle of beer), S.O.D. still manages to throw in one blistering solo in “United Forces”. All of this is probably why this album has endured—there’s not a second that doesn’t feel essential, even if that “essential” bit is just another blast of nihilistic crossover/thrash fury or senseless “What´s That Noise?”.

Continuing on a serious (goes without saying) note, “Speak English or Die” stands as a singular moment in metal history. Something this outrageous, this deliberately offensive, and yet so musically tight hasn’t been replicated since or at least not very often. The landscape of music and social discourse has changed, some would say drastically, and frankly, an album like this could never see the light of day in today’s world of political correctness and cultural sensitivities. S.O.D. themselves failed to capture the magic a second time, with their later effort paling in comparison (what probably still is an understatement). It turns out, not even they could replicate their own audacity, which is why “Speak English or Die” stands as both a product of its time and an untouchable thrash relic.

Rating: 10 out of 10 because this isn’t just an album—it’s a fast, furious, and unrepentant declaration that will likely never be replicated. It’s loud, crude, and as irreverent as the zeitgeist that birthed it. It doesn’t just speak English—it yells it in your face, and then kicks you in the teeth for good measure.

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Review by Felix on July 26, 2020.

It’s the final day of 1985. A seventeen years old snotty head (me) wants to pick up his metal brother, because they intend to drive together to a New Year’s Eve party. By the way, it’s a pretty crude one with an enormous surplus of boys, but in the absence of better opportunities, they accept their destiny manfully. However, before they start, the “brother” presents his newest vinyl achievement: Speak English or Die.

A few minutes later we were sitting in front of the speakers and in my face was exactly the same crazy grin that the brother already had shown when welcoming me. Three letters hit me like hammer blows: S.O.D.! I had never heard of this acronym before, but already the name of the band sounded extremely brutal. These seemingly crazy dudes offered the most outrageous mix of hardcore, metal and political incorrectness ever. Of course, my school English was not good enough to understand the entire lyrics, but the few comprehensible lines indicated rather delicate issues, to say the least. Not to mention song titles such as 'Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues', 'Pussy Whipped' or (comparatively lame) 'Kill Yourself' (but despite its pretty trite title absolutely fanatic and outstanding). In short: today the release of an album with such shit-on-you-poetry would be the end of the career for each and every combo. Fascists, racists, misogynists, or simply assholes, this would be the harmless part of the reaction of the worldwide metal media. But back in 1985, the German RockHard magazine, traditionally located on the left side of the political spectrum, was of the opinion that the lyrics dealt with “interesting things”. Okay, rhymes with tits/shit/clits are surely “interesting”, no doubt at all. The same applies for “You’re just a poser douchbag, faggots, dickless, hacks… we’ll shove the spikes right up their holes”. So incredibly interesting! Yet due to whatever reason, even Ian Stuart, a well-established person of the mainstream business, never had to justify himself for this bullshit. The question is: why? How the hell could this happen?

…and the answer is that there are not many albums with a unique selling point, but Speak English or Die is one of them. Never before and never again one could discover such a perfect liaison of ultra-vehement yet unbelievably effective riffs ('Milano Mosh', 'Freddie Krueger', many more) and biting sarcasm. Better still: despite their brutality, each and every riff conveys a mischievous smile as well – and the lyrics are so blatantly antisocial that nobody with just one working brain cell could take them seriously. Not even a seventeen years old snotty head! From this follows that the full-length is one of the best entertainers the metal world has ever seen. I admit that my first thought was: 21 cuts in 29 minutes? This must be shit. And I was right – and totally wrong at the same time. Although everything is very basic and generic, the songs get the listener by the balls immediately. The guitar work deserves no other attribute than “excellent”. It provides the nearly not-improvable combination of ruthlessness and catchiness. Nine, no, ten out of ten riffs take the shortest way into the listener’s long-term memory. Once you have heard the (completely primitive) riffs of the first two tracks, you will never forget them again. Pure sonic gold!

And that’s just the beginning. S.O.D. also flaunt with inimitable choruses that keep sticking in the tortured brain immediately. The somersaulting 'Kill Yourself', the merciless 'Pussy Whipped' and in particular the stomping 'United Forces' must be highlighted here. Not to mention 'Douche Crew' with its catchy background vocals. Additionally, one finds songs that sound like the precursor of Nuclear Assault’s declaration of love to the Vatican (“Hang the Pope”). Of course, Dan Lilker, probably the biggest and hardest working noise-lover of all times, is the human link between these two legendary formations and his four strings mark a prominent factor here. His bass is not just there as well, it delivers some very cool moments. With the aesthetics of a weapon of mass destruction, the ironic aggression of S.O.D. unfolds and due to the outstanding, very powerful production, all instruments shine in full glory (by the way, how many snare drums were killed during the recording of the completely mad 'Milk'?). In addition, Milano’s voice also shapes the sound. He has this authentic loutishness one cannot buy and as if this were not enough, his totally sick princess-vocals in the verses of 'Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues' are the epitome of insanity. The lyrics of his later outputs proved that fat Billy’s political attitude and his general mindset are questionable, to express it politely. But let’s evaluate Speak English or Die without regarding later evolutions. It is furious as hell; it makes fun and even the miniature “songs” add value to it. For example, the two seconds of 'Diamonds and Rust (Extended Version)' will make you grin, grin or grin. Maybe it’s a less crooked grin than mine back in 1985, but these nuances are not crucial here.

You want to know the only problem of Speak English or Die? It was simply too good. Thus, this classic share the destiny of Terrorizer’s debut. These both big bangs left no room for further releases, because everything, absolutely everything was ultimately said and done with these two records. On the other hand, this means nothing else than both albums were perfect, because they embodied exactly what they were intended to be. Speak English or Die was this well-known once-in-a-lifetime record, even though it took a certain time to realize the perfection of the noisy song collection. (A very special form of perfection, indeed.) S.O.D. offered nothing less than the ultimate hardcore / metal bastard and they did it with a great sense of very… hm… “individual” humor (that wasn’t understood in Quebec, but that’s another story). My “brother” and I also needed a dose of pretty special humor in order to survive not only the party on New Year’s Eve 1985 (my personal Sargent “D” day), but also a bicycle accident on the way to it. In hindsight, I am sure it was no coincidence that I listened to S.O.D.’s debut exactly on this evening for the first time.

Rating: 10 out of 10

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