S.O.B. (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = S.O.B.


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Origin = Osaka, Japan
Genre = Hardcore punk (early)
Grindcore/Thrashcore (mid)
Experimental hardcore (later)
Years_active = 1983 – present
Label = Selfish
Rise Above
Toy's Factory
Specialized Fact
Toshiba EMI
Virgin Japan
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Current_members = Naoto
Oseki
Kawataka
Yasue
Ito
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S.O.B., also known as SxOxBx, is an early, seminal hardcore punk and grindcore band from Japan.

Biography

S.O.B. are pioneers and precursors of grindcore and thrashcore. The group debuted in 1986 with the single "Leave Me Alone". In 1990, S.O.B. found international recognition with their split 7" EP with British band Napalm Death, who are also pioneers of this genre with bands like Terrorizer and mostly Repulsion.

In July of 1989, S.O.B. met Napalm Death during a Japanese tour, and Napalm Death's members Shane Embury and Lee Dorrian played on the record "Thrash Night", an EP released by Dorrian's label Rise Above. In the same year, the band held a session for John Peel's Radio program on BBC.

In June of 1995, after the release of "Vicious World", Tottsuan, the band's lead vocalist, committed suicide by jumping onto railroad tracks as a train was moving. Soon after, Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth took Tottsuan's place during live S.O.B. performances, but in 1996, the band announced that Tottsuan had been replaced by Naoto, bassist of Rise from the Dead.

In 2003, S.O.B. made a comeback with the release of "Still Grind Attitude" and a series of re-recorded classics with their most current vocalist Itsushi. They still exist today but are only actively known in Japan. While they still exist today, old school fans of the band criticize the band for "selling out", participating in fashion conventions, playing with mainstream pop-affiliated band, and changing their sound gradually into "mainstream hardcore."

Trivia

*Their band name is an acronym for Sabotage Organized Barbarian. Many people also see the name as Symphonies Of Brutality or Sounds Of Brutality.
*Their album "Gate Of Doom" is S.O.B.'s most death metal influenced album, something not seen on any other S.O.B. albums. Influences on that album draw from many death-related artists like Morbid Angel, Brutal Truth, Carcass and later Napalm Death. Their older albums, like "Don't Be Swindle", shows completely different influences ranging from most notably Siege, The Misfits, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies and many other hardcore punk related bands.
*A compilation album "Poison Junky" released around 1995 on Sony Records forayed S.O.B. into the mainstream.
*S.O.B.'s only U.S. performance was in July 1995 at the Irving Plaza in New York City.
*The 1999 album "Dub Grind" was the only full length studio album to feature new singer Naoto. The album is also the first to present a much more experimental S.O.B., incorporating more sound effects than usual on an S.O.B. album as well as a more mainstream-friendly sound.

Group members

Current members

*Oooga Booga - President
*Oseki - Vice President
*Trout Sniffer - Treasurer
*Yasue - Manager
*KTM SX125 - Assistant

Former members

*Yoshitomo "Tottsuan" Suzuki - (Committed suicide in 1995)
*Naoto -(1985-1989), (1996-2000)

Guest members

*Kevin Sharp
*Shane Embury
*Lee Dorrian

Films

*"What's The Truth" (1990) Rise Above Records (Europe), Selfish Records (Japan)
*"Gate Of Doom" (1993) Toy's Factory
*"Vicious World" (1994) Toy's Factory
*"Dub Grind" (1999) Specialized Affect
*"Still Grind Attitude" (2003) Toshiba-EMI

External links

* [http://www.sound.co.jp/~grind/j-underground/sob/ Biography fan site]
* [http://www.vampire-magazine.com/bands/sob/info/3626_band_information_sob.html Vampire Magazine listing]