S.O.D.'s Speak English or Die was an important record in the fusion of hardcore punk with thrash and speed metal, making even more explicit the connections that Anthrax's music implied. The tone of the music is crushingly loud, fast, and aggressive, but not at all serious -- the record is filled with goofy, macho humor, some of which holds up well (i.e., the three-second "Anti-Procrastination Song," an ode to "Milk") and some of which is quite racist and sexist. However, the music blasts by at such a frenetic pace (22 tracks in under half an hour) that the more offensive lyrics are often incomprehensible, so some may find them easier to ignore. Still, it's the loud-fast-rules music that made an impact, and mosh fans will quickly understand why.~ Steve Huey
Professional Reviews
CMJ (3/20/00, p.28) - "...every bit the ferocious, scorched-earth call-to-arms that it was when it first came out....the epitome of the old strength-in-numbers saw, uniting various subgenres of heavy, aggresive music...into a record whose ability to incite mosh pits remains intact..."
