SSD (Society-System Decontrol) were a Straight Edge Hardcore band from Bost… Read Full Bio ↴SSD (Society-System Decontrol) were a Straight Edge Hardcore band from Boston. They released two records as SS Decontrol and then formally changed their name to SSD. As SSD they released two more records, these with a very hard rock influenced sound. However the group is often simply referred to, including all its periods, as SSD.

Formed by songwriter/guitarist Al Barile (then a machinist at the General Electric plant in Lynn, Massachusetts and a student at Northeastern University), SSD started performing at smaller venues throughout the greater Boston metropolitan area in the summer of 1981. The band quickly gained notoriety within the local music scene for intense performances charged and for the provocative antics of its core group of followers, the Boston Crew.

The original lineup was Al Barile on guitar, Springa (David Spring) on vocals, Jaime Sciarappa on bass and Chris Foley on drums. They released their debut EP The Kids Will Have Their Say on their own X-Claim label in 1982. Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat was a friend and supporter and his Dischord label's logo appeared on the back cover.

In 1983 they added second guitarist Francois Levesque and released Get it Away. This EP is widely regarded to be their best record. The X-Claim pressings of it and The Kids Will Have Their Say are both highly collectable.

Like many hardcore bands - particularly those in the Boston area - SSD, as they were now officially called, were heading in a heavy metal direction. In 1984 they signed to the Boston label Modern Method and released the How We Rock EP which was rooted in the hardcore sound but exhibited overt heavy metal characteristics, such as a relatively high number of lengthy guitar solos. After signing to Homestead they released the Break it Up LP in 1985. Their first (and only) full length LP, it had both feet planted in the metal genre, leaving behind all trappings of punk and hardcore.

SSD broke up in 1985.

Jaime Sciarappa went on to play bass with the Boston hardcore band Slapshot for a short time.

After the breakup Springa went on to front the short lived band Razorcaine and the comedy rock projects Die Blitzkinder (with The Slaves) and Springa as Tom Jones. His flamboyant persona and lounge lizard lifestyle during this time stood in marked contrast to the straight edge rhetoric of SS Decontrol. In the early 1990s he would move to Chicago to pursue comedy further with The Second City.

In 1991 Al Barile compiled Power for Taang! records. It spans SSD's entire career and is the only official release in print today. In the early 1990s he took up the bass guitar and he and Levesque formed the hardcore band Gage.

Boiling Point
SSD Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've kept it bottled up for years
Instead of fighting or shedding tears
Now it's time to let go
My boiling point's about to show
I don't know if I'll lose control
Of my mind, my body, or soul
Boiling Point
Boiling Over

Boiling Point

Now it's over

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to SSD's song Boiling Point depict a person who has kept their emotions and frustrations bottled up inside them for years. Instead of confronting and dealing with their issues, they have repressed them, unwilling to fight or shed tears. However, the singer realizes that it is now time to let go, and their boiling point is about to show. They do not know if they will lose control of their mind, body, or soul when they finally unleash their pent-up emotions.

The repetition of the phrase "Boiling Point" throughout the song emphasizes that the singer is at their breaking point and can no longer contain their emotions. They are about to boil over, unable to keep their anger and frustration suppressed any longer. The final line of the song, "Now it's over," suggests that the singer has finally reached a point where they can let go of their problems and move on with their life.

Overall, the song's lyrics are a powerful representation of the consequences of repressing emotions and the importance of confronting and dealing with one's problems.

Line by Line Meaning

I've kept it bottled up for years
I have suppressed my emotions and kept them hidden for a very long time.

Instead of fighting or shedding tears
I chose not to confront my problems or express my emotions through crying.

Now it's time to let go
I have come to the realization that I need to release my pent-up emotions.

My boiling point's about to show
I am on the verge of reaching my breaking point and can no longer contain my emotions.

I don't know if I'll lose control
I am uncertain if I will be able to handle the intensity of my emotions.

Of my mind, my body, or soul
I fear that the intensity of my emotions may impact every aspect of my being.

Boiling Point
I have reached my limit and can no longer hold back my emotions.

Boiling Over
My emotions have spilled over and are now uncontrollable.

Boiling Point
I cannot contain my emotions any longer and have reached a breaking point.

Now it's over
I have let go of my pent-up emotions and have finally found a sense of closure.

Contributed by Elijah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.