SKATER: BRYCE KANIGHTS
Sick of All
Of
New York's Sick Of It All do a damn good
job of living up to their name. Leaders of the
so-called "Alleyway Sound" (a tag shared by
ultra-tough NYC hardcores Raw Deal and
Rest in Pieces), Sick Of It All is hardcore at
its hardest. It's a hammerdown thrash bar-
rage brimming with the explosive intensity
that once made hardcore so vital.
"We're based on reality, and other bands
are based on fantasy," says lead screamer
Lou Koller. "A lot of other bands jump on
bandwagons or trends, and we don't have
any of that. People come to see us for our
music, not to play out some noble fantasy"
"We first got into hardcore because it was
a lot more real than the heavy metal we had
been listening to," interrupts drummer
Arman, who also sings for Rest in Pieces.
"Then, everybody started getting into all
these cliques like straight-edge, skinhead or
whatever. We want people to wake up and
not follow everybody else's trends."
Lou and his brother, guitarist Pete Koller,
formed the band after months of jamming
with outfits that never seemed to go any
where. After going through a number of
drummers and bassists, the band's roster
solidified in late '85 with bassist Rich and
drummer Arman.
"We were sick of people who were so half-
assed about being in a band and we thought
the name Sick Of It All was pretty appro-
priate," smirks Pete. The band rapidly gain-
ed popularity through numerous CBGB's
hardcore matinees. Crowds loved their unre-
strained, vivacious attack and high-energy
live shows. However, it wasn't until the spring
Story by Mike Gitter Photos by J.J. Gonson
of '88 that the band came to national pro-
minence through their widely distributed 7"
Ep on Relevation Records.
"New York is the hot spot for hardcore
these days," Arman exclaims proudly. "All
the bands in New York work hard, and I think
they're finally getting what they deserve.
Record companies are beginning to sign
bands like us and Raw Deal."
New York is in its hardcore heyday, with
new bands cropping up weekly. One-time
scene leaders like Agnostic Front, Murphy's
Law and the Cro-Mags are being edged out
by rookie club-packers, including Gorilla
Biscuits, Bold, YDL, Krakdown and Prong.
"Record companies are saying that hard-
core now is like hip-hop two years ago," says
Pete. "They think hardcore's going to be the
next hip-hop because it's totally street level,
and kids can relate to that. It's always get-
ting bigger. The crowds at CBGB's have
grown from two or three hundred a couple
years ago to a point where they have to turn
that many people away because the place
is sold out."
Blasts of anger and ferocity in songs such
as "Pete's Sake" and "The Deal" prove that
Sick Of It All aren't afraid to criticize the hypo-
crisy of the scene around them. "When we
try to set up shows with a lot of positive
bands, certain members don't want to play
with us because they don't like our lyrics and
the fact that we are reality," says Lou.
us
"The reason they don't want to play with
is that we'll destroy them no matter when
or where," boasts Pete. "That's just the fact."
"Songs like 'The Deal' are about how all
these bands said 'screw big business' and
now they're all backed by big labels," says
Lou. "Even our own label, Revelation, did
that to us by putting out the New York Hard-
core: The Way It Is compilation with the back-
ing of Important Records. They had us sign
contracts that state that we get no money
from it, and all we were supposed to get is
a box of 25 records! You can't have those
double standards when you're dealing with
people. It's wrong."
Constantly criticized for their harsh out-
look, Sick Of It All don't mind lashing back
at those who doubt their brutal honesty.
"People have always said that our lyrics are
too negative and that we hate for the sake
of hating," says Lou. "You've got to look at
how depressing it can get, all the way from
what you see on the news to getting up every
morning, working all day long in a rug fac-
tory where it's ninety-five degrees and see-
ing your boss get into a brand new Cadillac
at the end of the day, laughing about how
there won't be any raises this month. You tell
me you aren't going to be a little angry. It
makes me furious!"
"I think that edge of anger is important to
what we're about," says Arman, "and that
comes out onstage in total power."
Their motto, "It's Clobberin' Time!" (check
your Fantastic Four comics) says it all. These
four New Yorkers unleash hardcore brutal-
ity with aggression to spare, playing it hard
and angry, yet with a definite sense of pur-
pose...Fun! Charging like a mad bull, they
don't forget to smile as they shake off the
rigors of living in the hardest city on Earth.