The Formative Years - Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
D.R.I. was formed forty years ago Houston, Texas in 1982 and the way they merged their
hardcore punk roots with thrash metal influences and what their idiosyncratic melange did in terms of inspiration for a myriad of bands that were to channel their alchemy in what was to be classified under the moniker crossover and thrash metal at large, cannot be overstated.
Named after what one of the band’s fathers titled them as after having had to suffer through the noise of an early rehearsal, the skanker man artwork D.R.I. has been using ever since must be one of the more recognizable and iconic logos in the realm of underground music.
I first came across D.R.I., not unlike GISM, through the P.E.A.C.E. compilation LP. Intrigued by their contribution, I tracked down D.R.I.’s killer Dirty Rotten EP and my mind was blown as it fit 22 songs into 18 minutes on a 7".
The pulverizing Violent Pacification 7” saw D.R.I. in a more refined shape and the band eventually evolved to being signed by Metal Blade Records, where they released the fantastic Dealing with it! full length, which marked D.R.I.’s detour into metal territory powered by a better production while retaining the DNA of their trademark punky thrashcore sound.
The three albums that followed, i.e. the Crossover, 4 of a Kind and Thrash Zone, proved to be popular with the metal crowd and did not really manage to ignite my imagination as much as they lacked the chaotic, snotty and ferocious appeal of their earlier days.
