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Sick of It All | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sick of It All at Reload Festival 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Lou Koller Pete Koller Armand Majidi Craig Setari |
| Past members | Rich Cipriano Max Capshaw Eric Komst Eddie Coen |
| Website | sickofitall |
Sick of It All is an Americanhardcore punk band formed in 1986 inQueens, New York City.[1][2] The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, andCraig Setari on bass. Sick of It All is considered a major part of theNew York hardcore scene,[3] and by 2020, the band had sold at least half a million records worldwide.[4]
Though their 1989 debut albumBlood, Sweat and No Tears was a moderate success, Sick of It All did not achieve commercial success until later albums. After the release of their second albumJust Look Around in 1992,East West Records saw the band's potential and signed them in 1993. Sick of It All's third and major label debut album,Scratch the Surface, was released in 1994 to critical acclaim and included the singles "Scratch the Surface" and "Step Down". They released one more album on East West, 1997'sBuilt to Last, before signing withFat Wreck Chords in 1998, which released the band's next three studio albums. They signed to Abacus Records afterwards, a subsidiary ofCentury Media. This label released their eighth studio albumDeath to Tyrants in 2006 to positive reviews (Abacus eventually went out of business, though Sick of It All would remain on Century Media, which released the band's next three albums). Sick of It All's latest album,Wake the Sleeping Dragon!, was released in 2018.
Formed in 1986,[5][6] the members met while attendingFrancis Lewis High School inQueens, New York City,[7] the band was formed by Lou Koller on bass and vocals, Pete Koller on guitar and David Lamb on drums. The Koller brothers originally intended for their first band to be named General Chaos, however Lamb proposed calling the band Sick of All, with the intent to abbreviate it to S.O.A. Lou pointed out thatanother band existed with that name and decided to expand the name to Sick of It All. After recruiting bassist Mark McNeely, the band played their first show on Saturday May 17, 1986, just a month after they formed, at the Right Track Inn inLong Island, supportingYouth of Today,Straight Ahead andCrippled Youth, the show was booked by future bandmateCraig Setari.[8] After this performance, Lamb and McNeely left the band, leading to the brothers hiring Rich Cipriano as bassist and Armand Majidi as a "fill-in" drummer. This lineup also played its first show at the Right Track.[9] The band recorded theSick of It Alldemo in 1987 and the band began to play Sunday afternoon matinees at renowned venueCBGB's, and soon after released a self-titled 7" onRevelation Records (which was later re-issued on the tenth anniversary of its release, in 1997).
Revelation had also expressed interest in releasing Sick of It All's debut album but told the band they would have to wait a year as they were planning to releasean album byGorilla Biscuits.[10] So instead Sick of It All signed toRelativity Records in 1988, the band's deal with Relativity was to last for seven albums; Lou said they signed as they thought they would disband after their first. "We were kids [...] we didn't think we'd be doing this forever."[11] They then recorded their first full-length,Blood, Sweat and No Tears, which was released in 1989. The album was a surprise success, selling over 100,000 copies, and being met with positive reception and is viewed as a classic in the hardcore genre, Chris Ingham ofMetal Hammer called it a "blueprint" for New York hardcore in the 1980s.[12] Whilst Joachim Hiller ofOx-Fanzine said it "heralded a generational shift in NYHC, establishing the tone for the 1990s and the growing popularity of the genre."[13] The band embarked on their first national tour in support of the album, as both a headliner and supporting act forBad Brains,[14] joining halfway through Bad Brains'Quickness tour withLeeway,[15] and touring the West Coast of the United States with both bands for two weeks. Thereafter, Majidi left Sick of It All to focus on his other band Rest in Pieces, and Max Capshaw was recruited as his replacement.[3] On September 15, 1989, Sick of It All performed a showcase withKilling Time andNuclear Assault at the Sundance inBay Shore, after which they embarked on a headlining tour of the North Eastern United States in the fall of 1989.[16] The band also filmed a music video for "Injustice System". Lou was dissatisfied with the video, believing it was too censored and that Majidi should have been in it instead of Capshaw, since he performed on the record. Majidi ultimately returned to Sick of It All for a national tour withD.R.I.,[14] with Capshaw "[not working] out because he was too young", according to Lou.[17]
Prior to touring withAgnostic Front in 1990, Cipriano and Majidi both left Sick of It All. The Koller brothers decided to continue the band, replacing both departed members with Eddie Coen and Eric Komst, respectively.[17] Both members appear alongside photos of the old lineup in the liner notes of theWe Stand Alone EP (1991), which Lou and Pete intended to show they were committed to continuing Sick of It All.[18] Coen left to joinCycle Sluts from Hell following the Agnostic Front tour, and Komst was later fired. They then took part in the New Titans on the Bloc tour withSepultura,Sacred Reich andNapalm Death.[19] By the time Sick of It All recorded their second albumJust Look Around (1992), Majidi and Cipriano had rejoined the band.[3] In 1993 they released their first live album titledLive in a World Full of Hate which was recorded during a show in New Jersey.[20]
Sick of It All released their recordScratch the Surface onmajor labelEastWest Records. They also recorded a video for "Step Down" and the title track "Scratch the Surface". The record was the first recorded with long-time friend and former Straight Ahead, Rest in Pieces,Youth of Today andAgnostic Front bass player Craig Setari, who had replaced Rich Cipriano, in early 1993.Scratch the Surface became the band’s first album to chart debuting at number 67 inGermany,[21] the "Scratch the Surface" video debuted onMTV'sHeadbangers Ball on December 10, 1994, whilst the "Step Down" video—in a feat described as "previously unimaginable" by Stephen Hill ofMetal Hammer UK—entered rotation onMTV.[22][23] The album is their highest performing album, selling over 250,000 copies and receiving generally positive reviews upon its release. InThe Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock (1997), Ira Robbins described the album as "a blast of unreconstructed hardcore in a time and a place where such a thing was once impossible to imagine".[24]Scratch the Surface is retrospectively described as a classic album,[25] and in 2012 it was inducted into theDecibel Hall of Fame.[26] That same year in a interview with Decibel Pete said that he consideredScratch the Surface to be Sick of It All's most important album as it "pushed [the band] up into the higher realm" of songwriting and popularity, whilst Majidi saw it as the band's "quintissential album [...] that we are always forced to try to top."[27]
Sick of It All embarked on a worldwide tour in support forScratch the Surface, touring North and South America, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand.[28] In October 1994, the band toured withStrife for two weeks. In November, they supportedHelmet andQuicksand across the United States, before playing ten shows with Black Train Jack in December. In January 1995, Sick of It All toured Europe and played four shows in the United Kingdom supported by Strife and Understand, before returning to the United States for a headlining tour withKorn, Orange 9MM and Trial that lasted until March 1995.[29] The album helped boost their popularity worldwide and according to Mike Hill ofVice,Scratch the Surface "tookNYHC worldwide" and turned Sick of It All into "the closest the hardcore scene has to a household name."[30] With the success ofScratch the Surface it allowed the band to tour worldwide, and In 1995 took part in the first installment of thewarped tour.[31]
In 1997, they released their next record on the EastWest sister label Elektra,Built to Last which debuted at number 32 on the USHeatseekers charts.[32] The record featured a number of live staples for the band, including "Us vs. Them", "Busted" and "Good Lookin' Out". Sick of It All toured withNapalm Death andSepultura during the album cycle, while also making another appearance at that years warped tour.[33]Entertainment Weekly wrote that with the album the band manages "to overcome the genre’s bark-and-lunge cliches simply because they’re so archetypal; these guys can actually make you feel the fury behind a song called 'Us Vs. Them'.”[34] The album also marked the end of Sick of It All's contractual agreement with EastWest. That same year Revelation reissued their debut EP on both vinyl and CD to commemorate its 10th anniversary.
In 1998, Sick of It All signed toindependent record labelFat Wreck Chords, owned and run byFat Mike ofNOFX. After releasing the "Potential for a Fall" single – for which another video was filmed,Call To Arms was released in February 1999 and debuted at number 84 on the German charts.[21] This album was also met with positive reception with Kevin RuggeriofPitchfork stating“Call to Arms proves once again that Sick of It All are masters of their genre. For over a decade, they have consistently provided the best hardcore their genre has to offer, and with their promise to stick around considered, the future of the scene seems bright indeed.”[35] The band then went on tour alongsideSlayer andMeshuggah.[36]
The 2000 follow-upYours Truly was less critically acclaimed. Despite containing some of the band's favored live tracks, including "Blown Away", "The Bland Within", "District" and "America", some fans felt alienated by the album's progressive nature and in a recent interview[when?], frontman Lou Koller claimed that the album's cover art probably contributed to its poor reception.[37][dead link]
In 2001, Sick of It All released their home videoThe Story So Far the documentary showed the bands career up to that point from their beginnings to their unexpected rise to fame, along with personal insight from band members.[38] A year later a live record was released as part ofFat Wreck Chords'Live in a Dive series. The album showcased tracks from Sick of It All's entire career up to that point in time. That same year they also took part in theDeconstruction Tour.
2003 saw Sick of It All released their seventh studio album:Life on the Ropes. Kurt Morris ofAllMusic wrote “Even after more than 15 years, Sick of It All's Life on the Ropes finds the band as heavy, fast, and fun as ever while still allowing plenty of room for some thoughtful lyrics.”[39] They then embarked on the first leg of the “Vans Off the Wall" tour alongsideThe Unseen andAvenged Sevenfold.[40] In 2004, the band also released an album ofB-sides, covers and rare tracks entitledOuttakes for the Outcast.
In early 2005, Sick of It All signed toAbacus Recordings to record the follow-up toFat Wreck Chords'Life on the Ropes. The new album, titledDeath to Tyrants, was released on April 18, 2006. AllMusic wrote with this album “Sick of It All continues to breathe life into an often oversaturated and stale hardcore scene.[41] That same year they headlined the Persistence Tour alongside other hardcore bands such asMadball andTerror.[42] The group played their 20th anniversary show at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City on September 17, 2006.[43]
The band toured withAFI and The Dear & Departed in early 2007.
A tribute to the band, titledOur Impact Will Be Felt, was released on April 24, 2007, and includes covers from artists such asBane,Bleeding Through,the Bouncing Souls,Ignite,Comeback Kid,Hatebreed,Himsa,Madball,Most Precious Blood,Napalm Death,Pennywise,Rise Against,Sepultura,Stretch Arm Strong,the Suicide Machines,Unearth, andWalls of Jericho.
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Following a worldwide tour in support ofDeath to Tyrants, Sick of It All began working on new material for their next album. In an August 2009 interview with singer Lou Koller, he revealed that the band would begin recording their new album in November for a 2010 release.[44]Based on a True Story, the first Sick of It All album in four years, was released on April 20, 2010.[45] The album debuted at number 30 on the US Heatseekers Chart along with charting in several European countries.[46] Gregory of AllMusic wrote “While Sick of It All may not be reinventing the wheel, they are showing that they’re still making the same high quality wheel they’ve always made.”[47] They toured the UK withAFI and Dear & Departed in April 2010.
In 2011 Sick of It All toured in Australia withRise Against to support theirEndgame tour, along with a South American tour alongside Comeback Kid.[48] Also In 2011, the band released "XXV Nonstop" on Century Media to celebrate the band's 25 year career, which was a selection of re-recorded songs from the band's discography. They played a special 25th anniversary show on March 26 at Webster Hall in New York City,Snapcase andMerauder opened for them.[49]
They continued touring into 2012 and 2013 including a Summer tour in 2013, which included performances at big festivals such asHellfest in France andSoundwave in Australia.[50][51]
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In November 2011, singer Lou Koller revealed toAbsolutePunk writer Dre Okorley that Sick of It All had begun writing a follow-up toBased on a True Story. He stated: "Right now we're concentrating on writing our new record, inspired by the last two tours we've done with different bands. We have some really good lyrics and tons of songs done. We'll see what happens. We've just got a lotta good stuff coming up."[52] The album, tiltedLast Act of Defiance, was released on September 30, 2014. The album charted in multiple European countries with the highest being number 79 inBelgium.[53] Trey ofSputnikmusic wrote “The Last Act of Defiance isn’t here to dazzle you with musicianship and diversity, it’s here to bludgeon in a way that only good hardcore can.”[54] That same year the celebrated their albumsScratch the Surface andBlood, Sweat, and No Tears playing both in their entireties at the Fun Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.[55]
Sick of It All toured all over the world in 2015 starting with a tour of Great Britain and Ireland from January to February.[56] They then embarked on a short South America tour,[57] a tour of Asia,[58] and a Spring tour.[59] On September 13, 2015 the band played a special show at Surf Pavillon inConey Island, during a celebration event for the 1979 filmThe Warriors.[60]
Sick of It All spent much of 2016 and 2017 celebrating their 30th anniversary with a worldwide tour.[61] To coincide with this anniversary, the band released an EP of new material,When the Smoke Clears, on November 4, 2016.[62] In 2017 they also toured the US as part of theVans Warped Tour.[63]
By December 2016, Sick of It All had begun working on their twelfth studio album,[64]Wake the Sleeping Dragon!, which was released on November 2, 2018.[65] The album debuted at number 17 on the US Heatseakers Charts, and number 31 in Germany.[66] It was met with critical acclaim from critics, Stephen Hill ofMetal Hammer wrote 'They've never sounded better'[67] Tom of Punknews added “Wake the Sleeping Dragon! is not sensitive, subtle, nuanced singer songwriter fare. It’s aggressive, angry and in your face. In other words, it’s exactly what hardcore should be.”[68] The band then toured in support of the album.[69]
In early 2019 they embarked on the EMP Persistence Tour alongsideIgnite andWalls of Jericho.[70] In late 2019 the Sick Of It All embarked on the Dragon Fire tour alongside Comeback Kid,Cancer Bats and This Means War.[71]
The band did not tour at all in 2020, however that same year both Pete and Lou released an autobiography they wrote together titledThe Blood and Sweat: The Story of Sick of it All’s Koller Brothers.[72] The book goes over the two brother's entire lives from childhood to their time in the band, it also featured commentary from other band members past and present.[73]Decibel claimed the book is “One the best books ever written about hardcore”.[74] Sick of it All only played a handful of shows in 2021, however they made a full comeback to touring in 2022, with shows in the US and Europe along with co headlining tour with Agnostic Front.[75] In 2023 they embarked on an co headlining tour alongsideLife of Agony.[76]
In June 2024, Sick of It All cancelled an upcoming European tour set to begin in July. Following the announcement, vocalist Lou Koller revealed his diagnosis with an esophageal tumor, which would require treatment over the course of the summer.[77] In November of 2024 a benefit show was held in Support of Koller with many bands such as Life of Agony,Municipal Waste,Crown of Thornz andVision of Disorder playing at the show.[78] Koller announced in May 2025 that he was "officially cancer free" and "excited to move forward and get Sick of It All back on track".[79]
In August 2025, guitaristCraig Setari confirmed that new music from Sick of It All is in the works, and added that "the plan is in 2026, somewhere in the warm weather of 2026, to potentially play some shows, if everything goes like it's been going."[80][81] However near the end of September Lou Koller announced that the cancer had returned.[82]
Sick of It All is ahardcore punk band,[83] being one of the first bands to push its sub-genreheavy hardcore.[84]Kerrang! described them as "the standard bearers forNew York hardcore".[83] They have always grounded their lyrics in reality — dealing with community, politics, social issues, as well as frustration, anger, identity. They’re not fantasy / escapism, but reflection and often admonishment.[85]
When asked about the bands lyrics lead singer Lou Koller stated:[86]
“When I write lyrics, and it might be left of center but I try to keep it general so that people will actually try to relate to it. And when someone who maybe has opposing views relates to that song then maybe it starts a dialogue.”
They have cited influences includingAgnostic Front,Reagan Youth,[87]Murphys Law,[88]the Exploited,[89]Discharge,GBH andMotörhead. Guitarist Pete Koller was influenced to play guitar in a band bythe Plasmatics andBlack Sabbath.[9]
Sick of It All'emascot is dragon, unlike other band mascots it does not have an official name, and has appeared on the cover art of 7 of their 11 studio albums. Its first appearance unintentionally came on their first everself-titled 1987 EP. Lou Koller has stated the logo was inspired by a drawing the band seen in a flash sheet by tattoo artistGreg Irons. Koller added:[90]
"It was when one of our friends was joining the Marines, and he was, like, 17 or 18, and we all decided to get a tattoo together because we had this crew who always hung out together. I think it was Pete [Koller] who redesigned the dragon for us, and it just happened to be in the photo of our first seven inch. It was a photo of my tattoo of it and then it just got associated with us from then on."
Sick of it All are know to put on high energy live performances, guitarist Pete Koller is know for high-kicking and his guitar-spinningTasmanian devil impression, his brother Lou's gravel-throated, along with audience interaction and stage dives.Metal Hammer commented on the bands live performances stating "Sick of It All makeSlayer look inconsistent and makeHatebreed sound likeBlink 182. They’re the best true hardcore band of all time."[91]
Some have also credited the band with inventing the "wall of death" (also known as the "Braveheart") in which the crowd would split into two sides and charge the other at the start of selected songs.[92] However, in 2019, lead singer Lou Koller confirmed the band did not invent the idea but they did help bring it back.[93][94]
Sick of it All (alongsideAgnostic Front,Cro-Mags,Madball andWarzone) have been described as a pioneeringNew York Hardcore band.[citation needed] The group are also credited with helping define what NYHC sounds like, specifically thetough guy hardcore sound that emerged from the scene,[95] as well as how it operates not just musically, but also from a community standpoint.[96][85]Vice described them as the "Titans of NYHC".[30] In a 2025 poll held byAlternative Press Magazine Sick of it All was voted the greatest NYHC hardcore band of all time. The publication added "SOIA truly represent the heart of NYHC, throwing energy, intention, and integrity into everything they do."[97]
Their 1994 albumScratch the Surface is often viewed as one of the best hardcore albums of all time,[98] and is often cited as a turning point, as it pushed NYHC to wider audiences and is seen as one of the most important records in the genre,[99] and has been described as the "hardcoremagnum opus".[100]Hit Parader named it the greatest hardcore album of all time in 2007,[101] In 2024, readers ofRevolver voted the album as the second-greatest NYHC album of all time, behind theCro-Mags'The Age of Quarrel (1986).[102] Their debut albumBlood, Sweat and No Tears has also been credited for popularizing thebreakdown in hardcore.[103]Kerrang! also said the record "helped change the definition of New York hardcore as the world knew it."[104]
Bands such asMadball,Earth Crisis,[105]Hatebreed,Kill Your Idols,[106]XTRMST,AFI,[107]Dropkick Murphys,Converge,Mutoid Man,[96]Redemption 87,Bleeding Through,Rise Against,[108]Life of Agony,Killswitch Engage,[109]Refused andMovielife,[110] have all cited the band as a influence.
| Year | Work/nommine | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989[111] | Blood, Sweat and No Tears | Best Heavy Metal album | Nominated |
Decibel Hall of Fame
| Year | Work/nommine | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012[26] | Scratch the Surface | Decibel Hall of Fame | Inducted |
Metalstorm awards
| Year | Work/nommine | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010[112] | Based on a True Story | The Best Hardcore / Metalcore / Deathcore Album | Nominated |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}:|last= has generic name (help)Breakdown is considered one of the first "tough guy" bands to come out of New York. When Breakdown started playing, the Sick of It All demo had just come out a few months earlier. Sheer Terror was still slogging it out with demos, trying to make a name for themselves. The Krakdown demo had just come out, along with Leeway'sEnforcer demo, plus Rest in Pieces and stuff like that. Some of the original NYHC bands were slowly disappearing, like Major Conflict, Reagan Youth, and Antidote. Around 1986 and 1987 a whole new wave of bands emerged that were influenced by the original New York bands but added something different.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link){{cite web}}:|last1= has generic name (help)
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