D.R.I.
This thrash metal band were formed in Houston, Texas, USA, in 1982. The band's original line-up consisted of Kurt Brecht (vocals), Spike Cassidy (guitar), Dennis Johnson (bass) and Kurt's brother, Eric Brecht (drums). Originally calling themselves Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, they shortened it to DRI and signed to Roadrunner Records in the UK. In the US they would first use their own indpendent label, subsequently signing with Metal Blade/Enigma. Their debut album, DIRTY ROTTEN LP, was released in 1984, and preceded the band's relocation to San Francisco. It quickly established DRI at the forefront of their genre with its vicious mixture of punk, hardcore and thrash metal (Slayer's Dave Lombardo would cite them as a major influence). Before the next album, DEALING WITH IT, founder member Eric Brecht left the band to be replaced by Felix Griffin, though this was only one of numerous personnel changes over the band's lifetime. DRI continued to bridge punk and metal audiences, even going as far as to call their third album CROSSOVER. They would eventually move into a more tradition al speed metal style for the release of FOUR OF A KIND in 1988. Perhaps to remind their fans of their ‘roots’, the band re-mixed and re-released the DIRTY ROTTEN LP in the same year, also including four extra tracks which had originally been released as an EP, VIOLENT PACIFICATION, back in 1984. Soon after this the band hit problems on a short tour of Mexico as new bass player John Menor was viciously attacked and robbed. However, this did not deter the band from producing their most accomplished album to date, THRASH ZONE, though it would prove to be their swansong.