SSD

The Kids Will Have Their Say (1982)

Rob Melville

SS Decontrol, SSD, Society System Decontrol, or whatever else you refer to them as, were a hardcore punk band from Boston formed around '81 that morphed into a shitty metal band around '84. Prior to their venture into metal, SSD played some of the best hardcore during their time.

Released in '82 as a joint album on their own X-Claim and Ian MacKaye's Dischord Records, The Kids Will Have Their Say is a long out-of-print gem in hardcore punk. The album charges through 18 tracks in only 20 minutes, slowing down only for the slow dirges, "How Much Art?" and "Police Beat", both of which feature very heavy basslines. The opening track, "Boiling Point" introduces the quick and fierce music that continues on over the album. The second song, "Fight Them" is the only song prior to "How Much Art?" that is over a minute, and still maintains the same speedy hardcore played on the other songs.

Chris Foley's frantic drumming shines on the whole album, and as his furious hits of every drum piece mix with Springa's deep and burly vocals, they share a certain level of intensity, while Al Barile's and Jaime Sciarappa's competent but fast guitar work help drive through the rest of the album. As previously mentioned, most of the album is under-a-minute hardcore music, except for the album's two slow songs. "How Much Art?" is the only track over three minutes; it's very slow paced, and features Springa screaming throughout the whole song as the rest of the members trudge through, playing their instruments. "Police Beat" is the only other slower paced song, featuring searing lyrics and vocals and an intro bassline courtesy of Jaime.

The major downside of the album is the poor recording quality it suffers from, though Sam argues it gives the album character. Other than the poor recording quality, the album is a very intense look at what the hardcore punk scene started as. And even though the band ventured into metal territory and released sub-par albums, The Kids Will Have Their Say outshines those releases and proves that SSD were, at one point, one of the best bands.

Co-written with Sam Francois