Band:	Stormtroopers Of Death
Album:	Speak English Or Die
Style:	Punk, Hardcore, Crossover thrash metal
Release date:	August 30, 1985
Guest review by:	deadone

01. March Of The S.O.D.
02. Sargent D & The S.O.D.
03. Kill Yourself
04. Milano Mosh
05. Speak English Or Die
06. United Forces
07. Chromatic Death
08. Pi Alpha Nu
09. 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]
22. Identity [platinum edition bonus]
23. Go [platinum edition bonus]
24. March Of The S.O.D./Sgt. D & The S.O.D. [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
25. Kill Yourself [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
26. Milano Mosh [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
27. Speak English Or Die [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
28. Fuck The Middle East/Douche Crew [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
29. Not/Momo/Taint/The Camel Boy/Diamonds And Rust/Anti-Procrastination Song [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
30. Milk [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
31. United Forces (Pt. I) [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
32. United Forces (Pt. II) [Live in Tokyo in 1999] [platinum edition bonus]
33. Ram It Up [1995 re-release bonus] [platinum edition bonus]

There are few albums in metaldom that are such violent fun as Stormtroopers Of Death's seminal Speak English Or Die. This is crossover at its finest with all the key ingredients merged into one awesome little thrashy soup.

As is to be expected from a hardcore-thrash hybrid the music is simple. Big fat groovy riffs compete with ridiculously fast sections to create a fun and moshy experience. There are no real solos either but then solos would not really fit into this sort of music.

As to be expected Benante's drumming is top notch and completely unrestrained compared to his work in Anthrax. Liker and Ian are in their natural element as well.

The songs generally stand out with a fair bit of variation between them. Sometimes the groovy riffs do merge into one another but this does not detract from the album. Overall song length is extremely short with some being mere blasts lasting a couple of seconds.

Production is simple but effective. After all it was apparently recorded in three days! But then one doesn't listen to 1980s crossover if they want to listen to something that is well produced.

Vocally this is Billy Milano's finest performance and one he would never replicate again either on later Stormtroopers Of Death releases or his own band, Method Of Destruction. His hardcore growls sound authentically pissed off, spewing out ridiculous lyrics often at breakneck speeds.

The lyrics themselves are highly amusing. They are nearly all universally offensive with topics ranging from immigration ("Speak English or Die") to international politics ("Fuck The Middle East") to women's menstruation cycles (the hilarious "Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues") to running out of milk ("Milk"). They should not be taken seriously. Indeed one of the key elements of crossover was often politically incorrect yet humorous lyrics designed to offend those who came across them.

In many ways Speak English or Die encapsulates the raw and volatile excitement of the early thrash movement. It also takes us back to a time when metal did not take itself too seriously. Whilst this might not appeal to more serious minded metallers, for the rest of us this is as good as it gets when it comes to a thrashtastic good time.