D.R.I.

  • D.R.I.
  • Dirty Rotten LP (Rotten) 1984 
  • Dealing With It! (Death/Metal Blade/Enigma) 1985 
  • Crossover (Metal Blade/Enigma) 1987 
  • Four of a Kind (Metal Blade/Enigma) 1988 
  • Thrash Zone (Metal Blade/Enigma) 1989 

Arguably the first punk-to-metal crossover band, D.R.I. was formed in Texas as Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, playing basic raw hardcore (as evidenced on the self-issued debut). Shortly after, the group relocated to the San Francisco area, and Dealing With It! blurs their sound into more of a speed metal category. By Crossover, a major blow to the few remaining boundaries between the by then very similar genres, D.R.I. had practically become a full-on heavy metal band. The next two albums expand on D.R.I.’s sound, bringing the group — which has undergone numerous personnel changes — into a genre otherwise populated by the likes of Suicidal Tendencies and Bad Brains.

[Jem Aswad]