Smother Magazine Band Spotlight: Stormtroopers of Death
In fifteen years, they've released only two albums, "Speak English or Die" (Combat, 1985) and "Bigger than the Devil" (Nuclear Blast, 1999), yet they still maintain one of the biggest fanbases in Metal. They are Stormtroopers of Death. Featuring the musical talents of bassist Dan Lilker (ex-Brutal Truth, ex-Nuclear Assault) guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante (both of Anthrax) and the…throat of Billy Milano, S.O.D. set standards for extreme music fifteen years ago that have been followed since. Their honors in the Metal scene include arguably innovating the blast beat (Charlie plays these with more precision than any other drummer) and being one of the first bands to successfully fuse emerging sounds of Thrash and Hardcore. But let's not forget that under all that heaviness is a band that didn't take itself too seriously. 1999's "Bigger than the Devil" has hilarious moments such as the "King at the King/Evil is in" intro and "Celtic Frosted Flakes" that rival the humor of "Kill Yourself" and "Pussy Whipped" from so long ago. This spring, Nuclear Blast Records is re-issuing "Bigger than the Devil" with the addition of a few new songs and some live recordings. When asked about the rumors that this spring's tour will be the last time S.O.D. play together, Dan reminds us what such rumors have done for Ozzy's career. S.O.D.'s influence continues to work directly on Metal to this day and their time is not over—it transcends the trends and changes.
Current Releases:
Bigger than the Devil
Speak English or Die
Web site(s) to check out: