Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, 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, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick of It All is considered a major part of the New York hardcore scene,[3] and by 2020, the band had sold at least half a million records worldwide.[4]
Though their 1989 debut album Blood, 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 album Just 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's Built to Last, before signing with Fat Wreck Chords in 1998, which released the band's next three studio albums. They signed to Abacus Records afterwards, a subsidiary of Century Media. This label released their eighth studio album Death 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.
History
Early career (1986–1992)
Formed in 1986,[5][6] the members met while attending Francis Lewis High School in Queens, 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 that another 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 in Long Island, supporting Youth of Today, Straight Ahead and Crippled Youth. 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.[8] The band recorded the Sick of It Alldemo in 1987 and the band began to play Sunday afternoon matinees at renowned venue CBGB's, and soon after released a self-titled 7" on Revelation Records (which was later re-issued on the tenth anniversary of its release, in 1997).
Sick of It All released their record Scratch the Surface on major 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 and Agnostic Front bass player Craig Setari, who had replaced Rich Cipriano, in early 1993.
The fair success of Scratch the Surface allowed the band to tour worldwide. In 1997, they released their next record on the EastWest sister label Elektra, Built to Last. This record featured a number of live staples for the band, including "Us vs. Them", "Busted" and "Good Lookin' Out". Sick of It All toured with Napalm Death and Sepultura during the album cycle. The album also marked the end of Sick of It All's contractual agreement with EastWest.
The 2000 follow-up Yours 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, frontman Lou Koller claimed that the album's cover art probably contributed to its poor reception.[9]
In 2001, Sick of It All released their home video The Story So Far, and a year later a live record was released as part of Fat 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.
2003 saw Sick of It All release their seventh studio album: Life on the Ropes. In 2004, the band also released an album of B-sides, covers and rare tracks entitled Outtakes for the Outcast, which contains some Sick of It All recordings.
Death to Tyrants (2005–2007)
Sick of It All on their 20th Anniversary Tour in 2006
Following a worldwide tour in support of Death 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.[10]Based on a True Story, the first Sick of It All album in four years, was released on April 20, 2010.[11] Sick of It All also toured in Australia with Rise Against to support their Endgame tour in 2011. They also toured the UK with AFI and Dear & Departed in April 2010.
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.
Last Act of Defiance and Wake the Sleeping Dragon! (2014–present)
In November 2011, singer Lou Koller revealed to AbsolutePunk writer Dre Okorley that Sick of It All had begun writing a follow-up to Based 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."[12] The album, tilted Last Act of Defiance, was released on September 30, 2014.
Sick of It All toured Great Britain and Ireland from January to February 2015.[13]
Sick of It All spent much of 2016 celebrating their 30th anniversary with a worldwide tour.[14] To coincide with this anniversary, the band released an EP of new material, When the Smoke Clears, on November 4, 2016.[15]
By December 2016, Sick of It All had begun working on their twelfth studio album,[16]Wake the Sleeping Dragon!, which was released on November 2, 2018.[17]
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.[18]
Blood, Sweat, and No Tears is the first full-length album by the American hardcore punk band Sick of it All, released in 1989.
King Ly Chee is a hardcore band from Hong Kong.
Scratch the Surface is the third studio album by American hardcore band Sick of It All, released in 1994. It was the band's first major label recording on East West Records, their first venture away from an indie label.
Sick of It All is the first 7-inch EP recording by New York hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was the third-ever release via Revelation Records.
H2O is the first album released by American hardcore punk band H2O. It was released on June 25, 1996. The CD was recorded and mixed in three days. H2O did a video for "Family Tree" in the fall of 1996.
Death to Tyrants is the eighth album by American hardcore punk band Sick of It All, released on April 18, 2006. On this record, the band introduced a much heavier and stronger sound. This was the first Sick of It All album not released on Fat Wreck Chords since 1997's Built to Last.
Call to Arms is the fifth full-length studio album from American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was the band's first full-length release on Fat Wreck Chords and follows the 1998 EP, Potential for a Fall.
Yours Truly is an album by the American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was released in 2000 on Fat Wreck Chords.
Live in a Dive is a recording of live material from the New York City hardcore punk band, Sick of It All. It is part of a Fat Wreck Chords series of Live in a Dive albums, this one being released in August, 2002.
Life on the Ropes is a studio album from American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. Released in September 2003, it was the band's final album of new material on Fat Wreck Chords until 2018's Wake the Sleeping Dragon! The album features guest backing vocals from, among others, John Joseph of Cro-Mags.
Outtakes for the Outcast is a compilation album by New York City hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It contains unreleased original songs, B-sides, and cover versions. It was the last album released by the band on Fat Wreck Chords before their move to Abacus Recordings.
Built to Last is the fourth studio album by American band Sick of It All, released in 1997. Equal Vision Records held the exclusive rights to release it on vinyl.
Loud Rocks is a rap rock compilation album by American hip hop record label Loud Records, composed of remixes, covers and collaborations between rock and hip hop music artists. It was released on September 5, 2000 in four editions: one with explicit lyrics, a clean version, a Japanese and a Canadian version.
Sick of It All: The Story So Far is a 2001 American documentary film about the punk band Sick of It All. It was directed by Brant Sersen.
Sick of It All is a New York hardcore band formed in 1986 and currently consists of brothers Lou Koller (vocals) and Pete Koller (guitar), Armand Majidi (drums) and Craig Setari. In the 38 years since its inception, the band has released twelve studio albums, two live recordings, two compilation albums, two EPs, six singles and one documentary film.
Based on a True Story is the ninth studio album by New York hardcore band Sick of It All. It was released on April 20, 2010, on the band's new label Century Media Records. It was the band's first album in four years, following the release of Death to Tyrants in 2006, the longest gap between albums in Sick of It All's career. Based on a True Story was also available as an extremely limited German import-only version that was packaged with a DVD titled New York Vs. London. The DVD, which was recorded, edited, and produced by Universal Warning Records, features a 5-camera shoot of 3 songs from a sold-out show in New York City from January 2008 – and a 3-camera shoot from a sold-out 2008 show in London. There is also a 15-minute European tour documentary that glues the program together.
When the Smoke Clears is an EP by the American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was released on 4 November 2016 by Century Media Records on both 10" vinyl and CD. Each album also includes a coffee table book. The album celebrates the 30 year anniversary of the band.
Craig Setari is an American musician who is the bass player of the hardcore punk band Sick of It All. He has also worked with many other hardcore bands, including Youth of Today, Straight Ahead, Rest in Pieces, Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags. Alongside Dan Lilker, he recorded the Noise for Noise's Sake demo tape under the name Crab Society. This demo tape inspired Lilker's band S.O.D. to record their 1985 demo album titled Crab Society North.
Straight Ahead was an American straight edge hardcore punk band formed in Queens, New York City in 1984 by drummer and vocalist Tommy Carroll, guitarist Gordon Ancis and bassist Tony Marc Shimkin.
Wake the Sleeping Dragon! is the twelfth full-length album by American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was released on November 2, 2018 by Fat Wreck Chords in the United States and in Canada and by Century Media Records in Europe. Wake the Sleeping Dragon! is the band's first release on Fat Wreck Chords in 15 years.
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