Sick Of It All

As torchbearers of this only true remaining worldwide musical underground, SICK OF IT ALL is the one band upon which every fan can depend. From Iceland to Japan, from Argentina to the UK, hardcore fans have remained under the commercial radar for two decades. Whether deliberately shunned or accidentally overlooked by the mainstream, these hundreds of thousands of kids live for something that cannot be fabricated or target-marketed to them: lyrics that capture their alienation, music that channels their rage, and the emotional release provided only by the most energetic and communal of live shows.

SICK OF IT ALL’s latest sonic conquest comes in the form of a collection of B-sides and rarities titled Outtakes For The Outcast. These 15 tracks have been compiled over the years and make up some of their best songs and hardest to find material; covetous record collectors be damned! Outtakes For The Outcast is the band’s fifth full length for the San Francisco based indie-punk label, Fat Wreck Chords. In addition to their classic full lengths like Scratch the Surface and Blood, Sweat, and No Tears, SOIA have four other records on Fat: Call to Arms, Yours Truly, Live In A Dive, and Life On The Ropes. Eight full lengths in all, and a catalog that has influenced numerous bands from all genres of underground music.

While SICK OF IT ALL’s transition from indie label to bigger indie to major and back again has been the subject of heated debate in the worldwide HC forum, the band has always had the last word. Putting its collective nose to the grindstone and touring non-stop around the world, the band has blazed new ground for hardcore figuratively and literally: Refining and expanding the genre for nearly a decade and a half, playing the first ever hardcore shows and some of the most obscure corners of the world, and often becoming the first true hardcore band to crack the Top 100 and play the major festivals of many a foreign territory. It’s only fitting for SICK OF IT ALL to now be releasing their best stuff on an indie label with roots as deep as their own.

But for SICK OF IT ALL, it’s not all about retrospective records, because the band is still riding high from their latest studio material: Life On The Ropes. For the making of this full length SICK OF IT ALL switched things up by tracking and producing the new record by themselves. This is an unprecedented occurrence in SICK OF IT ALL’s long recording career and has them getting back to the Do-It-Yourself ethic that first endeared fans years ago. After countless hours spent in the studio and with years of road-tested musicianship under their belts, SOIA has all the necessary tools to produce their own material. And in a continued effort to make this album even more noteworthy, SICK OF IT ALL enlisted the guest vocals of the great John Joseph on the song “Paper Tiger”. This is indeed a landmark as John Joseph is the Godfather of the New York hardcore scene and was the original frontman of the seminal NYHC band the Cro-Mags. SICK OF IT ALL pulled all the stops for this record and the listener can tell that on this album SOIA is expanding their skills and their sound.

Between Outtakes For The Outcast, Life On The Ropes, and their colossal U.S. tour they just wrapped up with the band Terror, things don’t seem to be slowing down for the scene’s most storied veterans. This band is relentless and you can always count on them for intense live shows and powerful records…stay tuned!