D.R.I.

Formed in Houston in 1982 and relocating to San Francisco the following year, D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) emerged at the intersection of American hardcore punk and thrash metal, initially with very short, nervous songs and a progressively more structured songwriting approach. Around founding members Kurt Brecht (vocals) and Spike Cassidy (guitar), D.R.I. recorded Dirty Rotten EP/LP in 1983, Violent Pacification in 1984 and Dealing with It! in 1985 — the album where the shift toward metal became more pronounced. That evolution continued with Crossover (1987), 4 of a Kind (1988) and Thrash Zone (1989), records that placed D.R.I. on stages alongside both hardcore and thrash acts. In the 1990s the band kept this trajectory with Definition (1992) and Full Speed Ahead (1995), retaining a dry, fast sound built on sharp riffs, tense rhythms and upfront vocals. Despite several changes in the rhythm section, D.R.I. remained active on stage over the long term, resuming touring after a pause caused by Spike Cassidy’s health problems in the mid-2000s. In 2016 D.R.I. released the EP But Wait... There’s More!, with a more punk approach, and continues to perform with Greg Orr on bass and Danny Walker on drums.