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SSD (band)

From Alfawiki
SSD
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1981
FounderAl Barile
Defunct1985
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts
,
United States
ProductsHardcore punk and heavy metal music

SSD (short for Society System Decontrol) was a hardcore punk band from Boston associated with the straight edge movement. Initially performing under the name SS Decontrol in the early 1980s, they issued two records before officially shortening their name to SSD. Under this moniker, they released two additional albums that incorporated a heavy metal influence. Throughout their existence, the group is most commonly identified simply as SSD.

History

The band was established by guitarist and songwriter Al Barile, who at the time worked as a machinist at the General Electric facility in Lynn, Massachusetts and was enrolled at Northeastern University. SSD started playing in modest venues around the Greater Boston region during the summer of 1981. They rapidly earned attention for their energetic live shows and the confrontational demeanor of their core audience, known as the Boston Crew.

The founding members included Al Barile on guitar, Springa (David Spring) handling vocals, Jaime Sciarappa on bass guitar, and Chris Foley behind the drums. Their first album, The Kids Will Have Their Say, was launched in 1982 on their self-operated X-Claim label. Ian MacKaye from Minor Threat endorsed them, with his Dischord label's emblem featured on the album’s back cover.

In 1983, Francois Levesque joined as a second guitarist, and they released the EP Get It Away, which is often considered their finest effort and a defining record for Boston’s straight-edge hardcore scene. Original pressings of both this EP and The Kids Will Have Their Say on X-Claim have become sought-after collector's items.

By the mid-1980s, SSD transitioned towards a heavier sound influenced by Heavy metal music, paralleling trends among other Boston hardcore bands. In 1984, they signed with Boston-based Modern Method Records and released the How We Rock EP, which merged their hardcore origins with metal characteristics such as extended guitar solos. Following this, they joined Homestead Records and unveiled the Break It Up LP in 1985, further embracing metal elements while moving away from their punk roots. The band dissolved in November of that year.

After SSD's breakup, Barile went on to form Gage; Sciarappa became part of Slapshot, while Springa contributed to Razorcaine and Die Blitzkinder. On February 5, 2025, SSD was honored with induction into the New England Music Hall of Fame. Al Barile passed away from rectal cancer on April 6, 2025, at age 63.

Scott Schinder characterized SSD as "the most significant hardcore band to originate from New England."

Discography

See also

External links

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