Remember the good old times of S.O.D.? Yes, the storm troopers had quite some good releases on their name and rocked a whole lot of crowds. Unfortunately, that time is no longer here. But for the fans who are still stuck with S.O.D. there is now another form…the former S.O.D. front man Billy Milano’s own M.O.D. (Method of Destruction). Starting with a clean slate, Billy starts up his new era with this new album “The Rebel You Love To Hate”.

The title obviously is a play at things, as Milano has had a lot of heat from the media in the past few years for speaking out on various matters like bands and politics. And this is something he just took and played with some more on the record itself. Starting off with the track “Wigga” that features catchy guitar riffs, a grooving bass and a very nu-metal like pace. This all accompanied by Milano ranting about fake hip-hoppers makes the track so hilarious that you either just hate it and throw the album away with the first listen or you’ll be laughing so hard that you’ll piss your pants. The same goes for the other tracks like “Rage Against The Mac Machine”, an obvious play at the most political band in rock and metal history: Rage Against The Machine. According to Billy they’re hypocrites and he definitely lets it be known what he thinks about the entire thing.

Not only does he make fun of Rage… oh no, Rammstein and Kiss are also part of the laughing stock. With tracks like “De Men Of Stein” and “Get Ready”, M.O.D. either express their hatred or their affection for the music, without hurting bands too much.

Apart from playing at bands, the Middle-East doesn’t come off easy either. With “Ass-Ghanistan” Billy once again shows his hatred for terrorism and definitely lets it be known that he supports the U.S.A. in the ongoing war in Iraq and the rest of the Middle-East.

Together with a clear and thick production on the album, “The Rebel You Love To Hate” is a great and catchy record. Unfortunately, it only features 8 original songs. After track number 8, there are a few re-mixes, radio edits and what not, that don’t really have any use when buying the album in my honest opinion. All in all, if you’re looking for a cool heavy metal album that is everything but serious, the M.O.D. album is the record for you. But be warned, if you can’t take a joke, leave this record be and get a serious album instead. In my opinion, Milano couldn’t have chosen a better title for the record. Either you love him or you hate him, or you love to hate him.