SSD stands for Society System Decontrol. SSD was formed in 1981 and they played their last show in April 1985. The band was from Boston, MA, USA, and was formed by guitarist/songwriter Alan Barile. SSD was the driving force behind the early Boston hardcore punk scene, with Al often arranging for local shows and putting out records on his own label, Xclaim!. Many Boston kids were also inspired by SSD's musical approach and strict Straight Edge ideology (although it later came to be known that vocalist Springa did not always subscribe to those beliefs). The group's first two records, The Kids Will Have Their Say (1982) and Get It Away (1983) are now considered classics by many hardcore fans. By the time 1984's How We Rock was released, SSD was clearly moving in more a hard rock/heavy metal direction, which alienated some fans. After 1985's Break It Up was released, the band split up, and Al sold off all his equipment to buy a jet ski.

In 2008, it was announced that SSD would be appearing at a festival in Europe. Shortly after, it was revealed that this version of SSD was actually Springa with some new musicians. On his SSD Myspace page, Al denounced this reunion and stated that SSD and Xclaim! had severed all ties with Springa. There is currently no mention of Springa on Xclaim!'s SSD page.