Al Barile, co-founding guitarist of the influential Boston hardcore band SSD and a lifelong figurehead of the straight-edge movement, has died. He was 63
Videos by Suggest
His wife, author Nancy Barile, took to Instagram on Sunday to share the devastating news.
“I never met anyone who was his own person as much as Al was,” she wrote alongside a montage of their time together. “No one made me laugh more. There was always a story. We loved each other unbelievably, and my heart is crushed into a million pieces.”
Since his 2022 diagnosis, Barile had been living with colon cancer and related health issues.
According to Pitchfork‘s Nina Corcoran, SSD emerged in the 1980s as one of the most outspoken and energetic bands in Boston’s music scene. Inspired by influential acts like Black Flag and Minor Threat, their sound was unapologetically aggressive, embodying the raw intensity of hardcore punk.
Corcoran wrote that, onstage, “Barile was a wild ball of energy, flinging himself into the air while playing guitar and kicking his legs mid-jump, which made a lasting impression on crowds, especially while opening for bands like Dead Kennedys or Negative Approach.”
Al Barile Co-Founded SSD in 1981
In 1981, Barile co-founded Society System Decontrol. The band’s iconic 1982 full-length album, The Kids Will Have Their Say, became a defining release in the emerging straight-edge hardcore scene.
The Get It Away EP followed their debut LP in 1983, leading to two more heavy metal-inspired albums released in 1984 and 1985 under the SSD acronym before the band ultimately disbanded. Though their time was brief, SSD’s impactful legacy earned them an induction into the New England Music Hall of Fame this past February.
Meanwhile, after SSD disbanded, Barile and his bandmate, guitarist Francois Levesque, went on to form a new group called Gage in the 1990s. During this time, Barile also pursued a career as an engineer at General Electric, according to the LA Times.
After his wife’s heartfelt post, Al Barile has received an overwhelming amount of support from the hardcore and straight-edge communities. Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma of Agnostic Front paid their respects on Instagram.
“Rest In Peace Al,’ they wrote alongside an image of Barile performing in the 1980s. “A true Legend and our guitar hero. We will deeply miss you, brother. Our deepest condolences. Love and respect, Roger and Vinnie”