Speak English or Die

Speak English or Die
Studio album by Stormtroopers of Death
Released	August 30th, 1985 1995 re-issue 2000 Platinum re-issue
Genre	Crossover thrash, thrash metal
Length	29:41
Label	Megaforce
Producer	Alex Perialas and Scott Ian
Stormtroopers of Death chronology
Crab Society North (1985) Speak English or Die (1985) Live at Budokan (1992)

Speak English or Die is the debut studio album by the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.), released in December 1985. After Anthrax finished recording Spreading the Disease, there was still some studio time left, so members Scott Ian and Charlie Benante called some friends, practiced some songs, and recorded it all within a week.

The album was re-released by Megaforce in August 1995 and a platinum edition of the album was released in February 2000. Speak English or Die has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.^[1] The album had some controversy due to the politically incorrect lyrics. Dan Lilker stated, "The lyrics were never intended to be serious, just to piss people off."^[2]

Parts of the songs, "March of the S.O.D." and "Sargent D and the S.O.D.", were used for commercial breaks of MTV's Headbanger's Ball in the early 1990s.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Punk News	[4]
Ultimate Guitar	[5]
Sputnik Music	[6]
Metal Archives	[7]

Speak English or Die was well received and is considered one of the greatest and most influential crossover thrash albums of all time.^[8] Allmusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5 and said, "S.O.D.'s Speak English or Die was an important record in the fusion of hardcore punk with thrash and speed metal".

In August 2014, Revolver placed Speak English or Die on its "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own" list.^[9]

Track listing

All tracks written by S.O.D.

1. "March of the S.O.D." – 1:27
2. "Sargent D and the S.O.D." – 2:23
3. "Kill Yourself" – 2:11
4. "Milano Mosh" – 1:32
5. "Speak English or Die" – 2:24
6. "United Forces" – 1:53
7. "Chromatic Death" – 0:43
8. "Pi Alpha Nu" – 1:09
9. "Anti-Procrastination Song" – 0:06
10. "What's that Noise" – 1:00
11. "Freddy Krueger" – 2:32
12. "Milk" – 1:54
13. "Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues" – 1:20
14. "Pussy Whipped" – 2:14
15. "Fist Banging Mania" – 2:04
16. "No Turning Back" – 0:52
17. "Fuck the Middle East" – 0:27
18. "Douche Crew" – 1:35
19. "Hey Gordy!" – 0:07
20. "Ballad of Jimi Hendrix" – 0:05
21. "Diamonds and Rust" (Extended Version) – 0:02

Bonus track listing

1992 re-issue bonus track

22. "Ram It Up" – 1:21

2000 re-issue bonus studio tracks

22. "Identity" – 2:50
23. "Go" – 1:07

2000 re-issue live bonus tracks recorded in Tokyo, 1999

24. "March of the S.O.D."/"Sargent D and the S.O.D." – 4:25
25. "Kill Yourself" – 4:08
26. "Milano Mosh" – 2:09
27. "Speak English or Die" – 4:31
28. "Fuck the Middle East"/"Douche Crew" – 3:11
29. "Not"/"Momo"/"Taint"/"The Camel Boy"/"Diamonds and Rust"/"Anti-Procrastination Song" – 1:24
30. "Milk" – 4:08
31. "United Forces pt.I" – 2:01
32. "United Forces pt.II" 2:05
33. "Ram It Up" (bonus studio track) – 1:21

Comparison with bootlegs from this era showed that the live tracks were recorded live at Club Citta in Kawasaki on 5 June 1999, except for United Forces part I & part II, that were recorded at Club Citta on 7 June 1999. S.O.D. also played on 8 June 1999 at Club Citta, completing a 3-night stint at the legendary venue.

Credits

• Billy Milano – Vocals
• Scott Ian – Guitars, backing vocals
• Dan Lilker – Bass, backing vocals
• Charlie Benante – Drums, guitar solo on "United Forces"

References