Sick of It All - Wikiwand

Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City.^[1]^[2] The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick of It All is considered a major part of the New York hardcore scene,^[3] and by 2020, the band had sold at least half a million records worldwide.^[4]

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Sick of It All
Sick of It All at Reload Festival 2018
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hardcore punk tough guy hardcore
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Revelation, Relativity, East West, Elektra, Fat Wreck Chords, Abacus, Century Media, Woah Dad!

Members	Lou Koller Pete Koller Armand Majidi Craig Setari

Past members	Rich Cipriano Max Capshaw Eric Komst Eddie Coen

Website	sickofitall.com

Though their 1989 debut album Blood, Sweat and No Tears was a moderate success, Sick of It All did not achieve commercial success until later albums. After the release of their second album Just Look Around in 1992, East West Records saw the band's potential and signed them in 1993. Sick of It All's third and major label debut album, Scratch the Surface, was released in 1994 to critical acclaim and included the singles "Scratch the Surface" and "Step Down". They released one more album on East West, 1997's Built to Last, before signing with Fat Wreck Chords in 1998, which released the band's next three studio albums. They signed to Abacus Records afterwards, a subsidiary of Century Media. This label released their eighth studio album Death to Tyrants in 2006 to positive reviews (Abacus eventually went out of business, though Sick of It All would remain on Century Media, which released the band's next three albums). Sick of It All's latest album, Wake the Sleeping Dragon!, was released in 2018.

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History

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Early career (1986–1992)

Formed in 1986,^[5]^[6] the members met while attending Francis Lewis High School in Queens, New York City,^[7] the band was formed by Lou Koller on bass and vocals, Pete Koller on guitar and David Lamb on drums. The Koller brothers originally intended for their first band to be named General Chaos, however Lamb proposed calling the band Sick of All, with the intent to abbreviate it to S.O.A. Lou pointed out that another band existed with that name and decided to expand the name to Sick of It All. After recruiting bassist Mark McNeely, the band played their first show on Saturday May 17, 1986, just a month after they formed, at the Right Track Inn in Long Island, supporting Youth of Today, Straight Ahead and Crippled Youth. After this performance, Lamb and McNeely left the band, leading to the brothers hiring Rich Cipriano as bassist and Armand Majidi as a "fill-in" drummer. This lineup also played its first show at the Right Track.^[8] The band recorded the Sick of It All demo in 1987 and the band began to play Sunday afternoon matinees at renowned venue CBGB's, and soon after released a self-titled 7" on Revelation Records (which was later re-issued on the tenth anniversary of its release, in 1997).

In 1988, Sick of It All signed to Relativity Records and recorded their first full-length, Blood, Sweat and No Tears, which was released in 1989. The album was met with positive reception and is viewed as a classic in the hardcore genre, Chris Ingham of Metal Hammer called it a "blueprint" for New York hardcore in the 1980s.^[9] Whilst Joachim Hiller of Ox-Fanzine said it "heralded a generational shift in NYHC, establishing the tone for the 1990s and the growing popularity of the genre."^[10] Sick of it all supported the album with a North American tour alongside Bad Brains, Leeway, D.R.I. and Agnostic Front. In 1991 they released a studio/live EP We Stand Alone. They then took part in the New Titans on the Bloc tour with Sepultura, Sacred Reich and Napalm Death.^[11] Their second studio album Just Look Around the following year in 1992. In 1993 they released their first live album titled Live in a World Full of Hate which was recorded during a show in New Jersey.^[12]

Rising popularity (1993–1997)

Sick of It All released their record Scratch the Surface on major label EastWest Records. They also recorded a video for "Step Down" and the title track "Scratch The Surface". The record was the first recorded with long-time friend and former Straight Ahead, Rest in Pieces, Youth of Today and Agnostic Front bass player Craig Setari, who had replaced Rich Cipriano, in early 1993. Scratch the Surface became the band’s first album to chart debuting at number 67 in Germany,^[13] and received generally favorable reviews upon its release. In The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock (1997), Ira Robbins described the album as "a blast of unreconstructed hardcore in a time and a place where such a thing was once impossible to imagine".^[14] Scratch the Surface is retrospectively described as a classic album,^[15] and in 2012 it was inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame.^[16] That same year in a interview with Decibel Pete said that he considered Scratch the Surface to be Sick of It All's most important album as it "pushed [the band] up into the higher realm" of songwriting and popularity, whilst Majidi saw it as the band's "quintissential album [...] that we are always forced to try to top."^[17] The song “Step Down” also gained a play time on MTV.^[18]

The album also helped boost their popularity worldwide and according to Mike Hill of Vice, Scratch the Surface "took NYHC worldwide" and turned Sick of It All into "the closest the hardcore scene has to a household name."^[19] With the success of Scratch the Surface it allowed the band to tour worldwide, and In 1995 they made their first appearance on the warped tour.^[20]

In 1997, they released their next record on the EastWest sister label Elektra, Built to Last which debuted at number 32 on the US Heatseekers charts.^[21] The record featured a number of live staples for the band, including "Us vs. Them", "Busted" and "Good Lookin' Out". Sick of It All toured with Napalm Death and Sepultura during the album cycle, while also making another appearance at that years warped tour.^[22] Entertainment Weekly wrote that with the album the band manages "to overcome the genre’s bark-and-lunge cliches simply because they’re so archetypal; these guys can actually make you feel the fury behind a song called 'Us Vs. Them'.”^[23] The album also marked the end of Sick of It All's contractual agreement with EastWest. That same year Revelation reissued their debut EP on both vinyl and CD to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

The Fat Wreck Chords years (1998–2004)

In 1998, Sick of It All signed to independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, owned and run by Fat Mike of NOFX. After releasing the "Potential for a Fall" single – for which another video was filmed, Call To Arms was released in February 1999 and debuted at number 84 on the German charts.^[13] This album was also met with positive reception with Kevin Ruggeri of Pitchfork stating “Call to Arms proves once again that Sick of It All are masters of their genre. For over a decade, they have consistently provided the best hardcore their genre has to offer, and with their promise to stick around considered, the future of the scene seems bright indeed.”^[24]

The 2000 follow-up Yours Truly was less critically acclaimed. Despite containing some of the band's favored live tracks, including "Blown Away", "The Bland Within", "District" and "America", some fans felt alienated by the album's progressive nature and in a recent interview^[when?], frontman Lou Koller claimed that the album's cover art probably contributed to its poor reception.^[25]^{[dead link]}

In 2001, Sick of It All released their home video The Story So Far, and a year later a live record was released as part of Fat Wreck Chords' Live in a Dive series. The album showcased tracks from Sick of It All's entire career up to that point in time. That same year they also took part in the Deconstruction Tour.

2003 saw Sick of It All released their seventh studio album: Life on the Ropes. Kurt Morris of AllMusic wrote “Even after more than 15 years, Sick of It All's Life on the Ropes finds the band as heavy, fast, and fun as ever while still allowing plenty of room for some thoughtful lyrics.”^[26] They then embarked on the first leg of the “Vans Off the Wall" tour alongside The Unseen and Avenged Sevenfold.^[27] In 2004, the band also released an album of B-sides, covers and rare tracks entitled Outtakes for the Outcast.

Death to Tyrants (2005–2007)

In early 2005, Sick of It All signed to Abacus Recordings to record the follow-up to Fat Wreck Chords' Life on the Ropes. The new album, titled Death to Tyrants, was released on April 18, 2006. AllMusic wrote with this album “Sick of It All continues to breathe life into an often oversaturated and stale hardcore scene.^[28] That same year they headlined the Persistence Tour alongside other hardcore bands such as Madball and Terror.^[29] The group played their 20th anniversary show at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City on September 17, 2006.^[30]

The band toured with AFI and The Dear & Departed in early 2007.

A tribute to the band, titled Our Impact Will Be Felt, was released on April 24, 2007, and includes covers from artists such as Bane, Bleeding Through, the Bouncing Souls, Ignite, Comeback Kid, Hatebreed, Himsa, Madball, Most Precious Blood, Napalm Death, Pennywise, Rise Against, Sepultura, Stretch Arm Strong, the Suicide Machines, Unearth, and Walls of Jericho.

Based on a True Story (2008–2013)

Following a worldwide tour in support of Death to Tyrants, Sick of It All began working on new material for their next album. In an August 2009 interview with singer Lou Koller, he revealed that the band would begin recording their new album in November for a 2010 release.^[31] Based on a True Story, the first Sick of It All album in four years, was released on April 20, 2010.^[32] The album debuted at number 30 on the US Heatseekers Chart along with charting in several European countries.^[33] Gregory of AllMusic wrote “While Sick of It All may not be reinventing the wheel, they are showing that they’re still making the same high quality wheel they’ve always made.”^[34] They toured the UK with AFI and Dear & Departed in April 2010.

In 2011 Sick of It All toured in Australia with Rise Against to support their Endgame tour, along with a South American tour alongside Comeback Kid.^[35] Also In 2011, the band released "XXV Nonstop" on Century Media to celebrate the band's 25 year career, which was a selection of re-recorded songs from the band's discography. They played a special 25th anniversary show on March 26 at Webster Hall in New York City, Snapcase and Merauder opened for them.^[36]

They continued touring into 2012 and 2013 including a Summer tour in 2013, which included performances at big festivals such as Hellfest in France and Soundwave in Australia.^[37]^[38]

Last Act of Defiance and Wake the Sleeping Dragon! (2014–present)

In November 2011, singer Lou Koller revealed to AbsolutePunk writer Dre Okorley that Sick of It All had begun writing a follow-up to Based on a True Story. He stated: "Right now we're concentrating on writing our new record, inspired by the last two tours we've done with different bands. We have some really good lyrics and tons of songs done. We'll see what happens. We've just got a lotta good stuff coming up."^[39] The album, tilted Last Act of Defiance, was released on September 30, 2014. The album charted in multiple European countries with the highest being number 79 in Belgium.^[40] Trey of Sputnikmusic wrote “The Last Act of Defiance isn’t here to dazzle you with musicianship and diversity, it’s here to bludgeon in a way that only good hardcore can.”^[41]

Sick of It All toured all over the world in 2015 starting with a tour of Great Britain and Ireland from January to February.^[42] They then embarked on a short South America tour,^[43] a tour of Asia,^[44] and a Spring tour.^[45]

Sick of It All spent much of 2016 and 2017 celebrating their 30th anniversary with a worldwide tour.^[46] To coincide with this anniversary, the band released an EP of new material, When the Smoke Clears, on November 4, 2016.^[47] In 2017 they also toured the US as part of the Vans Warped Tour.^[48]

By December 2016, Sick of It All had begun working on their twelfth studio album,^[49] Wake the Sleeping Dragon!, which was released on November 2, 2018.^[50] The album debuted at number 17 on the US Heatseakers Charts, and number 31 in Germany.^[51] It was met with critical acclaim from critics, Stephen Hill of Metal Hammer wrote ‘They’ve never sounded better’^[52] Tom of Punknews added “Wake the Sleeping Dragon! is not sensitive, subtle, nuanced singer songwriter fare. It’s aggressive, angry and in your face. In other words, it’s exactly what hardcore should be.”^[53] The band then toured in support of the album.^[54]

In Early 2019 they embarked on the EMP Persistence Tour alongside Ignite and Walls of Jericho.^[55] In late 2019 the Sick Of It All embarked on the Dragon Fire tour alongside Comeback Kid, Cancer Bats and This Means War.^[56]

The band did not tour at all in 2020, however that same year both Pete and Lou released an autobiography they wrote together titled The Blood and Sweat: The Story of Sick of it All’s Koller Brothers.^[57] Sick of it all only played a handful of shows in 2021, however they made a full comeback to touring in 2022, with shows in the US and Europe along with co headlining tour with Agnostic Front.^[58] In 2023 they embarked on an co headlining tour alongside Life of Agony.^[59]

In June 2024, Sick of It All cancelled an upcoming European tour set to begin in July. Following the announcement, vocalist Lou Koller revealed his diagnosis with an esophageal tumor, which would require treatment over the course of the summer.^[60] In November of 2024 a benefit show was held in Support of Koller with many bands such as Life of Agony and Vision of Disorder playing at the show.^[61] Koller announced in May 2025 that he was "officially cancer free" and "excited to move forward and get Sick of It All back on track".^[62]

In August 2025, guitarist Craig Setari confirmed that new music from Sick of It All is in the works, and added that "the plan is in 2026, somewhere in the warm weather of 2026, to potentially play some shows, if everything goes like it's been going."^[63]^[64]

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Musical style and influences

Sick of It All is a hardcore punk band,^[65] being one of the first bands to push its sub-genre heavy hardcore.^[66] Kerrang! described them as "the standard bearers for New York hardcore".^[65] They have always grounded their lyrics in reality — dealing with community, politics, social issues, as well as frustration, anger, identity. They’re not fantasy / escapism, but reflection and often admonishment.^[67]

They have cited influences including Agnostic Front, Reagan Youth,^[68] the Exploited,^[69] Discharge, GBH and Motörhead. Guitarist Pete Koller was influenced to play guitar in a band by the Plasmatics and Black Sabbath.^[8]

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Legacy

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Sick of it All (alongside Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Madball and Warzone) have been credited as the Pioneers of New York Hardcore. The group are also credited with helping define what NYHC sounds like, specifically the tough guy hardcore sound that emerged from the scene,^[70] as well as how it operates not just musically, but also from a community standpoint.^[71]^[67] Vice described them as the "Titans of NYHC".^[19]

Their 1994 album Scratch the Surface is often viewed as one of the best hardcore albums of all time,^[72] and is often cited as a turning point, as it pushed NYHC to wider audiences and is seen as one of the most important records in the genre,^[73] and has been described as the “hardcore magnum opus”.^[74] In 2024, readers of Revolver voted the album as the second-greatest NYHC album of all time, behind the Cro-Mags' The Age of Quarrel (1986).^[75] Their debut album Blood, Sweat and No Tears has also been credited for popularizing the breakdown in hardcore.^[76] Kerrang! also said the record "helped change the definition of New York hardcore as the world knew it."^[77]