Stormtroopers Of Death - Rise Of The Infidels (2007)

Metal/hardcore pioneers S.O.D. will release Rise Of The Infidels, on August 21, 2007. It is an extended EP (perhaps the longest in the music biz) with four unreleased S.O.D. songs, plus a live concert from Seattle is included. One of the crucial bands in the musical chain linking hardcore punk with metal, the Stormtroopers of Death - known as S.O.D. - were actually intended to be a one-off side project, done as a lark.
Rise Of The Infidels is the fourth and final release by crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death. The album is described as an "extended EP", although the running length – closer to an hour than the usual 20 minutes of an EP – makes it longer than most EPs.
According to singer Milano (the EP) will finally be the last of S.O.D., laying to rest rumours of a S.O.D. re-union. The EP will contain four unreleased tracks; "Stand Up And Fight, Java Amigo, United And Strong and Ready To Fight". Three of these tracks have, however, been released previously; "Stand Up And Fight" and "Java Amigo" were released on the New York's Hardest Vol.3 compilation, whereas "United And Strong" can be found on the japanese version of Live At Budokan. To further complicate matters, "Stand Up And Fight" was called Pathmark Song on the New York compilation. "Ready To Fight" is a cover song originally by Negative Approach. "United and Strong" is a cover song originally by Agnostic Front.

For a band who released so preciously few albums during their on-again/off-again lifespan (two full-length studio sets), there has certainly been an exceedingly high number of live CDs and DVDs issued over the years from S.O.D. But truth be told, the group – who was one of the first to merge hardcore and metal – was certainly one of the most brutally heavy live acts in all of rock history, as evidenced by the 2007 live CD Rise of the Infidels. What sets this release apart from the earlier ones is that four previously unreleased studio tracks kick off the album – two venom-filled originals that are certainly worthy of the S.O.D. name ("Stand Up and Fight" and "Java Amigo"), as well as two hardcore covers (Agnostic Front's "United and Strong" and Negative Approach's "Ready to Fight"). And although the live tracks (recorded in Seattle) sound like soundboard recordings, the ferociousness of such classics as "March of the S.O.D.," "Sgt. D and the S.O.D.", "Milano Mosh", and "Speak English or Die", which kick off the live portion one after another in quick succession cannot be subdued. And no S.O.D. show would be complete without a handful of gloriously distasteful "Ballad Of…" songs, and this time out, Jim Morrison, INXS, Frank Sinatra, and Freddie Mercury, as well as two of Seattle's hometown heroes – Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana – all are bestowed this "honor". Raw and unapologetic, Rise of the Infidels sticks out like a sore thumb among all the finely tuned gobbledygook that passes itself off as heavy metal in the early 21st century. Just the way Sgt D. likes it.

~ Greg Prato, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Stand Up And Fight
02. Java Amigo
03. United And Strong
04. Ready To Fight
05. Ballad Of Nirvana / March Of The S.O.D.
06. Sgt. D And The S.O.D.
07. Kill Yourself
08. Milano Mosh
09. Speak English Or Die
10. Fuck The Middle East
11. Douche Crew
12. Ballad Of Jimi Hendrix
13. Ballad Of Jim Morrison
14. Ballad Of Inxs
15. Ballad Of Frank Sinatra
16. Ballad Of Nirvana
17. Ballad Of Freddy Mercury
18. Cromatic Death
19. Fist Banging Mania
20. No Turning Back
21. Milk
22. Pussywhipped
23. Freddy Krueger
24. United Forces

Tracks 5-24 recorded live at the Fenix, Seattle, WA.

• Billy Milano – vocals
• Scott Ian – guitars, vocals
• Dan Lilker – bass, vocals
• Charlie Benante – drums

Released: August 21, 2007
Label: Megaforce Records
Catalog No.: 1055-2