The Blood and the Sweat

When it comes to New York City hardcore, its community proudly boasts Lou and Pete Koller—brothers who have dominated the scene worldwide since 1986 with the aurally devastating Sick of It All as their vehicle.

“One the best books ever written about hardcore, period…” —Decibel Magazine

For Flushing, Queens natives Lou and Pete Koller, hardcore has become a lifestyle as well as an unlikely career. From the moment these siblings began applying their abilities to punk’s angrier, grimier sub-genre, they quickly became fifty percent of one of the most intense and compelling quartets to ever claim the movement—the legendary New York hardcore band, Sick of it All. Contrary to popular belief, Lou and Pete are proof positive that you don’t need to have lived a street life, or come from a fractured, chaotic home in order to produce world-class hardcore. If Agnostic Front are the godfathers of New York hardcore, then vocalist Lou and guitarist Pete are its grand masters.

The Blood and the Sweat is the no-holds-barred autobiography of two brothers who have never wavered, as well as an unrelenting depiction of the American dream, and the drive and determination required to live it—regardless of whatever obstacles appear before you. Featuring commentary from family, friends, bandmates past and present, and their peers, including Gary Holt (Exodus, Slayer), Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), and more…

Lou and Pete Koller were born and raised in Queens, New York. Together, they formed Sick of it All in 1986—the most popular and successful hardcore band in the world. They have released a dozen full-length albums on both independent and major labels, in addition to several EPs and singles. Lou currently resides in New Jersey and Pete makes his home in Florida.

New York native, Howie Abrams, has been a fixture in the city’s music and entertainment scene since the early 1980s. Having held creative positions at companies such as In-Effect Records—which he co-founded in 1988—to Roadrunner Records, Jive Records, Zomba Music Publishing, and Warner Music Group, Howie has discovered and helped guide the careers of numerous highly influential and successful artists.

As an author, Abrams has created The Merciless Book of Metal Lists, Misfit Summer Camp: 20 Years on the Road with the Vans Warped Tour, Finding Joseph I: An Oral History of H.R. from Bad Brains, Hip-Hop Alphabet, Hip-Hop Alphabet 2, and The ABCs of Metallica.