D.R.I.

Alongside Suicidal Tendencies and Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I. (aka Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) were one of the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal. Starting off as a speedy, straight-ahead punk band (as heard on 1983′s Dirty Rotten LP), they gradually mixed more elements of heavy metal into their sound; as they did so, their songs got longer and featured more sections and more tempo changes. D.R.I. managed the then-rare feat of crossing over to metal audiences while retaining their skatepunk and hardcore fan bases (even titling their third album Crossover to make their strategy clear). Vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy were the two constants throughout the band’s frequent lineup shifts, and while they rarely recorded new material, they kept the band going as a live act well into the 2020s. D.R.I. were formed in Houston, Texas in May 1982, evolving out of a defunct hardcore band called the Suburbanites. Singer Kurt Brecht, drummer Eric Brecht (his brother), and bassist Dennis Johnson had all played in that outfit, and with new guitarist Spike Cassidy in tow, they renamed themselves Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, after a frequent insult from the Brechts’ father (who objected vehemently to their rehearsals). The band was soon performing live around Houston, and before the end of the year, they issued a 22-song debut, Dirty Rotten EP, on their own Rotten label. Pressed in limited quantities, it was reissued as a 12″ LP in 1983, appropriately retitled Dirty Rotten LP. The wider exposure for this iteration of the band helped make the group’s name in the punk underground, and after a supporting tour that year, they relocated to San Francisco. The going was rough at first, and bassist Johnson quit to return to Houston. He was replaced by Sebastian Amok for a tour with the Dead Kennedys, after which Amok was in turn replaced by Josh Pappé for the 1984 EP Violent Pacification. Eric Brecht also left the band later that year to get married; he would soon join Hirax. In the meantime, D.R.I. replaced him with Felix Griffin. During the recording of the band’s second album, 1985′s Dealing with It, Pappé took a leave of absence to deal with a drug problem. Mikey Offender, of the Offenders, filled in for him during the remainder of the sessions, and the album was released on the Death label. With Hirax’s help, D.R.I. scored a deal with Metal Blade, and a substantial buzz built around the group, especially when Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo praised them in an interview. D.R.I.’s Metal Blade debut arrived in 1987 in the form of the boundary-blurring Crossover, whose title made their punk-metal fusion ambitions crystal clear. Their songs were growing from short bursts of speed into full-fledged, multi-sectioned compositions, and their unification of the two genres was the most seamless of their career. On the 1988 follow-up, 4 of a Kind, the metal influences began to predominate, even if the band’s hardcore roots were still audible. Buoyed by the video for “Suit and Tie Guy,” 4 of a Kind became the first D.R.I. album to make the national charts. The following year, Pappé accepted an offer to join Gang Green, and was replaced in D.R.I. by John Menor, formerly of Mantas. Menor made his debut on 1989′s Thrash Zone, the band’s most metallic offering yet, and one that was also widely acclaimed as among their best. “Beneath the Wheel” and “Abduction” landed some airplay on MTV, and the album became their second straight effort to chart. Thrash Zone proved to be the band’s final album for Metal Blade, however, and Felix Griffin departed in 1990, effectively bringing D.R.I.’s most successful period to a close. After a couple of short-lived replacements, Griffin’s slot was filled by Rob Rampy IV and Spike Cassidy revived the band’s Rotten label to release 1992′s Definition. By this time, the alternative explosion had substantially reduced the audience for thrash, and Definition accordingly looked back on the band’s punk roots; still, much of their old audience had evaporated. After recording the late 1992 gig that was eventually released as the Live album, Menor left the band and was replaced by Chumly Porter. Porter made his debut on the 1995 studio set Full Speed Ahead, and the band spent the next few years touring, even if there was no new product to speak of. Porter left in 1999 and was replaced by Harald Oimoen, who helped continue D.R.I.’s road-warrior existence. In 2001, D.R.I. brought out a split EP with the celebrated Italian hardcore band Raw Power, titled The Dirty Rotten Power EP. After a long layoff from the recording studio, D.R.I. presented their fans with five new songs on 2016′s But Wait, There's More! The release was made available on CD, colored vinyl 7″ 45s, and a hand-screened, one-sided 12″ edition. In 2023, Cleopatra Records issued Dirty Rotten Hitz, a 17-song “best-of” collection that had previously been issued under the titles Greatest Hits, Thrashkore Retrospektive, and Best of D.R.I.: Skating to Some Fucked Up Shit. ~ Steve Huey & Mark Deming