Review / Classic Album
Sick of it All
Self Titled

Sick Of It All are easily the longest consistently active New York Hardcore band in existence today (both the Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front have broken up and reformed, although a case might be made for Murphy’s Law but that is it), and this EP from Revelation is ground zero for the recorded works from this hallowed institution of a band (raise your hand if you have the famed Sick Of It All dragon tattoo); this is a piece of punk and hardcore history from one of its most esteemed practitioners.

This is EP is a document of a young and inexperienced version of Sick Of It All as it sounds like a group just stepping into the studio for the first time, and what might probably be the biggest difference between the band today and the band on this record is the sound of the vocals, which is eye opening in some ways as you can hear hints of the familiar growl that Lou Koller has become known for today in songs like “N.S” / My Revenge”; but Koller’s vocals sound most of the time much more like the rhythmic talking or yelling that some early hardcore bands did use, and songs like “Clobberin’ Time” (however brief it may be), “Pushed To Far”, and “Bullshit Justice” are evidence of the type of songwriting that Sick Of It All would go on to virtually perfect on later albums.

No matter that most of this EP (eight of the ten songs) ended up being re-recorded for the first Sick Of It All album (Blood, Sweat, and No Tears), this EP is a historical document of what this revered band started out sounding like; and some real classic songs from the band’s catalog did see their first appearances right here (hearing Sick Of It All do “Clobberin’ Time” and seeing the crowd reaction is still a sight to behold and “Bullshit Justice” is probably one of the first awesome songs from these guys), and while this EP might not be the starting point to show neophytes the best example of what the band does, it is still an important part of the band’s discography that show’s the flashes of humor and the real crunching hardcore that became such signature pieces of the personality of Sick Of It All.