Sick of It All

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Sick of It All
Sick of It All - Reload Festival 2018 001 (cropped).jpg
Sick of It All at Reload Festival 2018
Background information
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
Years active1986–present
Labels Revelation, Relativity, East West, Elektra, Fat Wreck Chords, Abacus, Century Media, Woah Dad!
MembersLou Koller
Pete Koller
Armand Majidi
Craig Setari
Past membersRich Cipriano
Max Capshaw
Eric Komst
Eddie Coen
Website sickofitall.com

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]

Contents

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 All demo 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).

In 1988, Sick of It All signed to Relativity Records and recorded their first full-length, Blood, Sweat and No Tears , which was released in 1989. This was followed by the studio/live EP We Stand Alone (1991), and their second studio album Just Look Around (1992).

Rising popularity (1993–1997)

Sick of It All released their record Scratch the Surface on major label EastWest 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 Fat Wreck Chords years (1998–2004)

In 1998, Sick of It All signed to independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, owned and run by Fat Mike of NOFX. After releasing the "Potential for a Fall" single – for which another video was filmed, Call To Arms was released in February 1999.

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 Sick Of It All Pic04.jpg
Sick of It All on their 20th Anniversary Tour in 2006

In early 2005, Sick of It All signed to Abacus Recordings to record the follow-up to Fat Wreck Chords' Life on the Ropes . The new album, titled Death to Tyrants , was released on April 18, 2006. The band toured with AFI and The Dear & Departed in early 2007.

A tribute to the band, titled Our Impact Will Be Felt , was released on April 24, 2007, and includes covers from artists such as Bane, 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, and Walls of Jericho.

Based on a True Story (2008–2013)

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]

Musical style and influences

Sick of It All are a hardcore punk band, [18] being one of the first bands to push its sub-genre heavy hardcore. [19] Kerrang! described them as "the standard bearers for New York hardcore". [18]

They have cited influences including Agnostic Front, Reagan Youth, [20] the Exploited, [21] Discharge, GBH and Motörhead. Guitarist Pete Koller was influenced to play guitar in a band by the Plasmatics and Black Sabbath. [8]

Members

Current members

Former members

Timeline

Sick of It All

Discography

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

<i>Blood, Sweat and No Tears</i> 1989 studio album by Sick of It All

Blood, Sweat, and No Tears is the first full-length album by the American hardcore punk band Sick of it All, released on July 12, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Ly Chee</span> Hong Kong hardcore punk band

King Ly Chee is a hardcore band from Hong Kong.

<i>Scratch the Surface</i> 1994 studio album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>Sick of It All</i> (EP) 1987 EP by Sick of It All

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.

<i>Death to Tyrants</i> 2006 studio album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>One Voice</i> (Agnostic Front album) 1992 studio album by Agnostic Front

One Voice is the fourth full-length studio album from New York hardcore band Agnostic Front. It was released in 1992 on Relativity Records. It marks a three-year absence from recording – the last album was Live at CBGB in 1989 – after Roger Miret's term of imprisonment. However, the comeback was short-lived as after Last Warning, the band split up and did not record again until 1998.

<i>Call to Arms</i> (Sick of It All album) 1999 studio album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>Yours Truly</i> (Sick of It All album) 2000 studio album by Sick of It All

Yours Truly is an album by the American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was released in 2000 on Fat Wreck Chords.

<i>Live in a Dive</i> (Sick of It All album) 2002 live album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>Life on the Ropes</i> 2003 studio album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>Outtakes for the Outcast</i> 2004 compilation album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>Built to Last</i> (Sick of It All album) 1997 studio album by Sick of It All

Built to Last is a studio album by American band Sick of It All, released in 1997. Equal Vision Records held the exclusive rights to release it on vinyl.

<i>Loud Rocks</i> 2000 compilation album by various artists

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sick of It All discography</span>

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 37 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.

<i>Based on a True Story</i> (Sick of It All album) 2010 studio album by Sick of It All

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.

<i>When the Smoke Clears</i> (EP) 2016 EP by Sick of It All

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Setari</span> American bassist

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight Ahead (band)</span> American hardcore punk band

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.

<i>Wake the Sleeping Dragon!</i> 2018 studio album by Sick of It All

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Sunday Old School: Sick Of It All". Metal Underground. September 23, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Entry for Sick of It All". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  3. ↑ Kemper, Nick. "Sick of it All Biography". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  4. ↑ Crespo, Everynight Charley. "Everynight Charley's Manhattan Beat: The Magnetic Fields, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, Unmaker". The Aquarian Weekly . Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Sick Of It All". All Music. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Sick Of It All info". FaceBook Sick Of It All. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ Slattery, Denis (September 28, 2014). "Hardcore boro Band invents 'Sick' new meaning for Bronx". New York Daily News. p. 39.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Drew Stone, Lou Koller, Pete Koller (July 8, 2020). The NYHC Chronicles LIVE! Ep. #40 w/ The Koller Bros. & Howie Abrams (Video). Event occurs at 40m. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ "AsIce hardcore e-zine – Specials". Asice.net. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  10. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET – SICK OF IT ALL To Enter Studio In November". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  11. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET – SICK OF IT ALL To Release New Album In April". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Sick of it All - 11.4.11 - Interview". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Sick Of It All: UK Tour 2015". Tour advertisement. Kerrang! . No. 1551. January 17, 2015. p. 37.
  14. ↑ "News - Sick Of It All". sickofitall.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Sick of It All to release new EP, release single". Punknews.org. October 28, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  16. ↑ "An Interview With Sick Of It All: Burrowing Through The Boroughs". theaquarian.com . December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  17. ↑ "SICK OF IT ALL To Release 'Wake The Sleeping Dragon!' Album In November". Blabbermouth.net. August 16, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  18. 1 2 "WHAT HARDCORE HAS TAUGHT ME: SICK OF IT ALL'S LOU KOLLER". October 24, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Sick of It All Call to Arms (retro review) (1999)". November 18, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  20. ↑ Lipez, Zachary (July 16, 2014). "Sick of It All Say "The Good Old Days are Now"". Vice Media . Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  21. ↑ CARMAN, KEITH. "Sick of It All Based On A True Story". Exclaim! . Retrieved July 9, 2020.
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