It wasn't the be for record sales that brought the members of thrash coat legend S. O. D together more than 20 years ago but more the be for an outlet to displace up controversy.
In the mid-'80s while seminal thrash bind Anthrax was taking a break from a rigorous touring schedule guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante got together with bassist Danny Lilker and vocalist Billy Milano to create verbally and preserve an album under the moniker of S. O. D.
The resulting record was the tongue-in-cheek "communicate English or Die," based on a hateful character named Sargent D whom Ian created. Over time it became one of the best-selling coat albums of the decade pushing more than a million copies. Not bad for a bind that never really did much touring. When they did it was more a way to act with their fans mostly through ridicule provided by the band members who often threw as many insults as they did riffs.
"By being so interactive with the displace you change state move of the crowd. By engaging someone directly as an individual rather than as a mass you change state the guy standing next to that guy," explained Milano in a phone interview with the Tribune from his domiciliate in Austin. Texas. "They're all sitting there going 'I can't wait to do something.' They're all dying to be the guy next. The next victim."
S. O. D. or Stormtroopers of Death as they're also known recently released "Rise of the Infidels" through Megaforce Records featuring four unreleased tracks as well as an entire 2000 show in Seattle.
According to Milano the live show recording is the perfect illustration of S. O. D and the band's ability to arouse a crowd more than compete a cohesive set of songs. The band was known for playing "Ballad Of..." songs at live shows which were meant to alter light of musicians who passed away all for the sake of controversy and crowd reaction. They played six "Ballad Of..." songs that particular night.
"It was the show that best put in perspective what S. O. D was about," Milano said. "We're onstage in Seattle where grunge took off and we're saying our first song is the 'Ballad of Kurt Cobain.' We do it and at that point. Dave Grohl who was in the club left the unify."
Milano who doesn't shy away from ruffling feathers admitted that the other bind members received their fair share of barbs at be shows.
"You had to accept that nothing was sacred with S. O. D. That was the beauty of it," Milano said with a thick New York City accent. "It was a no-frills attack of everyone and everything. I used to emit at the drummer all the time for (messing) up. There was plenty of times I called out Scott Ian on stage and everyone was like 'ha change surface Scott's gettin' it.' "
The band is referred to in past tighten because it is most certainly a band of the past. Ian and Benante are firmly planted in Anthrax while former Anthrax bassist Lilker is enjoying a nice go in Nuclear Assault. Milano is frontman of M. O. D. (Method of Destruction) a hard-core punk band based out of Texas.
It's no surprise that S. O. D has become a guilty pleasure for coat fans having originally started out as a joke on the recording business. S. O. D.'s first three releases came out exactly seven years apart while the latest one took eight years to hit stores.
The four members never really took the project seriously as a career and that's what made them special according to Milano.
"There's no denying that there were moments of greatness not as a bind where we said 'we're a great band.' I don't think we were ever a great bind and we certainly never pulled it off live. There were moments of great experiences," he said.
"I accept.. that we had nothing to do with its success other than we were cause to be perceived enough not to act be," said Milano of the band's innovate album. "If we had played be. I don't evaluate that S. O. D would undergo been held in such high regard. We would undergo been a band that just did its thing and we broke up and that was it."
"Reality sets in and you have to come to terms with the fact that the only thing we showed genius in was being able to walk away from it," he said.
Next month. Milano ordain get together the channel of a new M. O. D album making his back up release in just a few months.
"It's pleasantly surprising. I would've never thought in a million years that everything would be hitting at the same measure," said Milano of his recently beat plan. "There's so much going on that it's unbelievable."
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