special introductory paragraph!

Dirty Rotten LP / Violent Pacification

Dealing With It!

Live At CBGB's 1984

Crossover

Four Of A Kind

Thrash Zone

Definition

Live

Full Speed Ahead

The crisp lightning speed drums sound like a military drummer gone ballistic, the vocals are thrown at you at an incomprehensible tempo (e.g. "Why" has four verses - and the entire song is eighteen seconds long), and the guitar is thrashing out piercing chord sequences that will all sound exactly the same to you the first eight or nine times you hear the record. If you give them the time they deserve, they eventually reveal themselves to be 26 completely different catchy punk melodies that are just being played way too fast, but, for those of you who just can't find anything to grab hold of, the band helps you out a little bit, as they're wont to do. They give you a guitar solo in "Sad To Be," a slow building break in "Violent Pacification," an air-raid guitar intro in "Balance Of Terror," a dark arpeggiated intro in "Blockhead," some funny a capella cussing in "Couch Slouch," as well as an entire a capella verse in "No Sense," echoed vocals in "Plastique" - my point, you see, is that there are anchors that will help you distinguish the songs from each other until you've heard them enough to adore and cherish each individual one as it should be cherished. Again, this is the ultimate hardcore record. Catchy, violent, loud, insane, smart, political, funny - and, fellow, awfully fast. Plus, as with all D.R.I., the louder you play it, the better it sounds.

Reader Comments

aaronf@cencom.net
As much as I like the early DRI stuff, Husker Du's Land Speed Record is the ultimate hardcore album.

chris@intown.net (Chris Schwarz)
Get it! Got it? Good! An absolutely essential album to anybody who considers themselves to be a fan of the musical genre known as "hardcore." It's faster and harder than most of the stuff that's deemed "hardcore" that's being released today! That should tell you something about how monumental and significant this record is. I was listening to a hardcore radio show when I first heard the song "War Crimes" and was left reeling and breathless -- bludgeoned by the sheer speedy ferocity of it all. The other songs are just as good! I immediately set out to find myself a copy of said album, but, sadly and regrettably, to no avail. So now I'm forced to listen to every hardcore radio show on the air, hoping that they'll somehow absent-mindedly spin the entire Dirty Rotten LP on the air so's my desperate self can finally record every hurried note of it. Dirty Rotten LP is the best thing DRI ever did, and I would donate half of my organs to medical science if I could get my hands on a copy of it.

rhanna@pathway.net
dirty rotten imbeciles .....greatest hardcore record ever? hmm.....you obviously are not familiar with discharge's hear nothing see nothing say nothing record.

ACG116@webtv.net (Arthur Groth)
d.r.is 1st album is the best album ive ever heard.

Alex Bender
the first DRI release, Dirty Rotten, was remixed for the CD reissue. the songs from the Violent Pacification 7" and some demo tracks are also scattered amongst the tracks from Dirty Rotten. it's really worth tracking down the original LP, since it makes the remixed CD sound like a laminated piece of shit. honestly, the original mix sounds like shit too, but at least a raw piece of shit with much more low end in the mix that really packs a punch. DRI has been selling copies of them at their website for $15 (got mine directly from them), but i don't know if their supply has dwindled yet.

frankie@dawson9310.fsworld.co.uk
i totally agree with you,the dirty rotten ep,12" or lp(whatever)is top five record material.awesome display of hardcore punk.

david@cteainc.com
I've listened to this like 6 or 7 times now and I have to say I agree with your review very much. The closer you listen to this the more the little guitar details stand out. At first, it sounds WAY too fast and crazy but later on (and isn't this true with almost all good music) after repeated listens it slows down for you and the great riffs and really nice drum work comes into play. To me, this also reminds me of Black Flag (1st 4 years version) really, really sped up. Very good stuff, Prindle. Thanks for turning me on to this.

BTW - You were talking about Helmet yesterday and I noticed on one of those MP3 Blogs ("Something I learned today" http://somethingilearned.blogspot.com/) Page Hamilton had a band named Gandhi that made very Helmetish music. Pretty good stuff. Never put out an album though. There's 4 MP3 on that site.

deathpunk@gmail.com
One of the best albums ever made, but only after you listen to it at least 20 times. Before that, everything is muddled together into a wall of unlistenable sonic intensity, but over time, everything spreads out into 27 individual chunks, all of them a joy to listen to at extremely high volumes in the dark. This album makes me want to put on camo, join the army and kill people, and the hypersonic cymbal-heavy drumming only makes me want to do this more. 10/10

ddickso2@uccs.edu
This might raise some Aier (or "Eyre," as the Irish call it), but I'll say it loud and proud:

Mark Prindle's old band the Low-Maintenance Perennials is a far, far, FAR better outfit than this group o' punks. At least on Dirty Rotten LP. Perhaps it's like comparing apples to oranges (to cite one difference, LuMP actually have a sense of humor), but if you're going to make a violently loud noisy hardcore-inspired album with minute-long songs, fer Christ's sake, do it the LuMP way! Or at least the Work Bench Drawer way. Diversity is the key, my friends. Christ, I even like Tamara better than this.

Must be that the drums are too loud. Can't hear the riffs. Or the lyrics, for that matter. Yeah, that's another thing--why don't hardcore punks enunciate their message from time to time? Somebody take their peanut butter away.

I give this a six. The second side is at least varied compared to the first, and it's pretty exciting for the noise it is. Still just noise, tho'. Black Flag--OPERATIC noise. Get that first.

This one has 25 songs in 34 minutes. Still hardcore; the difference is that this one isn't recorded nearly as viciously and cymbal-crash-heavy as the debut, so it doesn't really kick your ass from the military end; it's more of a guitar-chord-driven thing this time. The melodies are easier to find (even though they're still extremely speedy), and thus probably easier to enjoy the first time you hear them. Classics include "I'd Rather Be Sleeping," "Mad Man" (about and featuring Kurt's asshole father), re-recordings of the debut's classics "Yes Ma'am," "I Don't Need Society," "Couch Slouch," and "Reaganomics" ("Reaganomics killing me! / Reaganomics killing me! / Reaganomics killing me! / Reaganomics killing you!" repeated four times), and the band's first two forays into the heavy metal realm which would soon completely immerse them - the fantastic galloping "Nursing Home Blues" and the weaker, plodding "Argument Then War."

Even though it has three or four lousy songs and the mix isn't real conducive to butt kickin' (plus Kurt barely yells - he mostly just SAYS everything), there are still so many terrifically catchy melodies here ("Give My Taxes Back," "Slit My Wrist," "Snap," and plenty more) that I would barely hesitate to call it a "great" record. Completely unprofessional. Sickening suburban mudcore, trying not to puke from the hangover and the screaming parents and the crap on TV, and knowing that you have to get the hell outta there and find something interesting to do as soon as possible, or who knows what might happen to your slowly-decaying mind? I remember puberty. And I see they do too.

Reader Comments

agershman@cnc.com (The Skanker)
Those "irritating turtle parts" are called mosh parts and they really don't irritate me. I get irritated when people fail to realize that Dealing With It is THE BEST D.R.I. record. This is the one that has all good songs from start to finish. And you Mr. Critic lump it in with Crossover and Four of a Kind. "Five Year Plan" is a great tune but the rest of that album is boring. Four of a kind has more lousy tunes than good tunes and is too slick sounding. And D.R.I. should sound like they're jamming in their basement, Mr. "Completley Unprofessional". DEALING WITH IT RULES - Fancy Production Quality or Not!

jltichenor@earthlink.net (James L. Tichenor)
I was pleasantly surprised Mark- this one is every bit as loud, hardcore, nasty and heavy as I expected it to be. And, fortunately, their first one, which I hear is out of print is being tracked down for moi. Can't wait, seeing as practically everyone I've talked to likes their first better. Man, for 1985 this stuff just kicks! They were definately ahead of their time.

thrashard82@hotmail.com
Ive been contemplating something over the weekend. People say,"D.R.I. was better before the transition", some say,"D.R.I. is better since the transition". I was one of the people who liked them better after the crossover, but now, after sitting down and listening to dealing with it over the weekend, i realized that it is awesome. D.R.I. is D.R.I. That, from now on, is my opinion. Please post this. Thank you very much. My numbers up I have to go.

deathpunk@gmail.com
I gave this one two listens immediately after I got it (which was after my D.R.I. collection was already quite large), put it away and didn't listen for a year. Now after, pulling it back out, I'm finding that's it's a very diffcult record to judge in the traditional sense, since it has some absolutely great points and some abysmal ones.

The absolute worst aspect of the album is the rerecordings; every single one of them (with the notable exception being Couch Slouch, which is no better orworse than the original) are completely unlistenable. I Don't Need Society and The Explorer are the bottom of the barrel, taking the anthemic and angry beginning and end of the amazing first D.R.I. LP and turning them into lifeless messes. There is no better proof than the faded-in intro to IDNS with it's fancy drums and Kurt moaning the word "Searching" (with emphasis on the "ing") during The Explorer, lacking all the intensity of the original recording. Dealing With It! also suffers from extreme repetition at times, with a good five or six of the originals sounding almost exactly the same, lacking the small creative aspects that made every single song on The Dirty Rotten LP so unique.

However, the good is GOOD. I'd Rather Be Sleeping, Mad Man, Karma, and Stupid Stupid War are all classics. Plus, the metal side of the band is really starting to shine through here. All in all, seven great songs do not make up for 16-odd mediocre and poor ones, but this one's still worth a listen if you're a fan. I would rate it 5/10.

Reader Comments

The System
Awww, come on. At least tell 'em it has 40 songs in 40 minutes, including the first album in its entirety -- almost in the exact order in which the songs appear on that record! And at least tell 'em about when Kurt says, "This song is called 'Closet Punk.' It's about... you closet punks." And tell 'em about how the sound is much better and more ass-kicking than on the Live CD that came out in the '90s. And tell 'em how 7 of the songs right near the end have terrible sound because they didn't have the soundboard recording so Spike put some shitty sound from a video camera on there instead (so the CD would feature the complete show). Other than that, you don't have to tell 'em anything though. They should know how much ass early DRI kixxx.

Oh, also -- you've been drafted.

thrashard82@hotmail.com
What do you mean the live cd of the 90's isnt any good. The five year plan on that cd rules. Kurt does an awesome job, and by the way, Kurt never did hit notes. Hes not a singer, hes a hardcore icon who doesnt need to sing to be successful. He can shout just fine. This is in friendly conversation.

Im not trying to be an ass. e mail me back, and let me know what you think of my opinion.

In fax, I'll go so far as to say that if you ain't bangin' your head to at least half of these, there's something completely wrong with your immune system. The added "heaviness" that comes with the crossover adds so much to the power of the band, I can't believe how many hardcore fans it pissed off! "The Five Year Plan," "Hooked," "Go Die," and "Oblivion" alone kick so much ass, I wouldn't be able to park my bicycle if air sounded like them! And Spike is becoming a fantastic guitar player - dig that crazy intro to "Fun And Games" - cool, eh? Notes? Non-4/4 rhythm? Evil tone? Not all of these melodies are quite as memorable, but they're so massive, tense, hasty, and LOUD that it hardly matters. Extremely malevolent, but not in a dumb Satan way. These songs are about the joys of everyday living - revenge, jail, stress, impending nuclear destruction, drug addiction - you know, the good things that make every day alive a jolly picnic at the amusement park with a sucker and a big tasty beach ball.

Reader Comments

jnw@iglobal.net (Jim Hull)
Okay, just picked this up in the cut-out bin at my local Blockbuster Music, and it rocks. Hilariously bad-but-earnest lyrics, and crushing guitar that made me wring my hands wistfully..."Fun And Games" is my favorite cut..."Hooked" is pretty shreddy also...they also score points with their limited liner notes which thank you--the fan--for supporting them...and I'm not being sarcastic here...$2.99 was a bargain...why aren't they bigger?

liberty@ptialaska.net (Marc Kovac)
This was *the* album for all high school varsity hockey players in small towns until Nevermind was released.

bullhead69@hotmail.com
The ever-fabulous DRI isn't bigger because most people's musical taste absolutely SUCKS! You know what they say, "If it smells, it sells". This album kicks. "Five-Year Plan" and whatever the second song is, are crucial speedcore for the self-actualized fan. Corporate rock sux!!

Michael.X.Aspiotes@bankofamerica.com
Why aren't D.R.I. "bigger"? Check out their web site: They sell their own merchandise, abhor pop culture commercialism, and remain unprecedentedly original. Bigger is not better, my friend!

thrashard82@hotmail.com
I really enjoyed and agreed with your review of Crossover. Its the album that began the seperation of the men (Crossover, Four of a Kind, and Thrashzone), from the boys, (Dirty rotten LP, Dealing with it). Dont get me wrong, I love the older albums, but compared to the band that emerged after Crossover, they are sub par, with the exception of Karma, On my way Home, Marriage, and Argument then war. Those songs kick some serious ass. Dont get me wrong all you punks, I can see where you are coming from, I love to bang my head to the unbelievably fast Sad to be, and Blockhead, not to forget Violent Pacification. Please post this review on your site. Ill appreciate it. Thanks.

deathpunk@gmail.com
I feel sorry for all the people who are convinced that D.R.I. are a punk band at heart and should never have crossed over, because they sure know how to do fast metal right. As with (almost) every D.R.I . album, it begins and ends brilliantly and the stuff in between is jolly good as well (though by no means as good as what came immediately after). A Coffin isn't that great, but hey, they can't all be winners. Plus, a fun sneak preview of 4 Of A Kind at the end! 8/10

This was a wonderful era for this wonderful outfit; they had the support of a popular label, tons of metalhead fans, and a real intra-combo musical communication driving them all the while. It's easy to see why punks would hate it, but it's tailor-made for metal guys. I went to high school with a gang of metalheads (including Chris Benton and Eric Mixon, of all unlikely people) who adored this record. While the punks were blasting "I Don't Need Society" and moshing around the halls like a bunch of damn idiots, the metalheaders were pumping "Suit And Tie Guy" and "Modern World" and running around in a little circle like a bunch of mature librarians. You see, unlike Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I. pulled off the crossover because they stuck with the unifying factor - SPEED. Screw punks who don't accept the new stuff. Whose musical tastes do you wanna trust here? Mine? Or that of some guy who thinks it's cool to have a mohawk in 1996? Eh? Eh? Yeah, that's what I figured.

Reader Comments

jnw@iglobal.net (Jim Hull)
Pretty good stuff...this sounds good blasting from the Ford Ranger factory stereo...nice not-quite-generic riffs...and I was prepared to hate this...won over though, by the neato riffing and tight as a nun's c*** rhythm section...dope, fly, and fresh...kinda makes you want to skate...or bang your head against the dashboard...

llemieux@microtec.net (TI-BRIN)
Four of a kind, great record????? I sleep on it !! It's the biggest crap than D.R.I. never did and never will. D.R.I. is NOT a metal band but a PUNK band , listen to the lyrics, look at their attitude , go at a D.R.I. show and if that is not punk tell me what the hell it is !?!

johnc@212hardware.com (John Castiglia)
This was the first DRI record I bought. I was 13 years old and what attracted me to them was the cool-as-hell logo. I enjoyed the record, particularly Dead in a Ditch and Suit and Tie Guy. I played it for all of my Metallica loving friends. It is a great thrash record. However, I received DRI's live video Live at the Ritz as a gift from my Uncle Jim shortly after I bought this album. I didn't recognize any of the songs, but I figured it must be good. Holy Shit!! I couldn't get over the speed of some of the songs. It wasn't thrash, that's for sure. My friends hated it, but I couldn't get enough of it. I became a big fan of their earlier work. So all in all, this album is a great thrash record, but nothing compared to the majesty of the earlier work.

deathpunk@gmail.com
The best thrash metal album ever recorded, without a doubt. It's angry enough to mosh to yet doesn't sound like it was recorded in a shed (Crossover) or with each band member on a seperate corner of a football field (Dealing With It!). Plus, every single song on here kicks some serious ass, with Gone Too Long and All For Nothing being two of my favorite songs EVER. Can't miss this one. 9/10

Too bad Thrash Zone and basically everything after it are so mediocre.

Aside from these three clunkers, though, this is a pretty wonderful collection of cold mechanical heavy metal songs. The sweat and fury of Crossover is nowhere to be found, but in its stead is an intriguing sterile studio feel that gives the impression of a soulless machine making tight heavy noises while the drummer for Bad Religion does his little "doop-chick" thing in the background for forty minutes. But then, I suppose a lot of heavy metal is like that. It's what they call "tightness." And it sure beats the crap out of the messy, stupid "Gun Control" and "Thrashard" (which doesn't). Side two pretty much rules, actually. Songs about the drudgery of playing in an unsuccessful rock band give the album a much more personal feel than the others, which were mostly made up of various social complaints. Now don't you go and get me wrong - there's plenty of social complaints here, too - but we get a sense of who D.R.I. are as people when we hear lines like "Try to stay healthy / Try to get laid / Make it to the show / That's the trade!" Repulsive? Maybe. But honest, which is more than I can say for most people. This goddamn world's full of cheats and liars. They're crawling all over the goddamn place! But this is a very good record. Just ignore those stinkers.

Reader Comments

bullhead69@hotmail.com
Any, and I mean ANY band that promotes gun control is trying to steal my rights and yours and should be branded-"Left-Wing Assholes". However, since it was DRI, I'll let this one track slide. The rest of the album rules...and, it "Thrashard" really that bad? I think not.

rm213@webtv.net
Every song on thrashzone kicks ass including thrashard and beneath the wheel, I agree about what you said about gun control, lyrically, but musically it is still pretty good. I have seen them twice and they are killer live too. There aren't any D.R.I. c.d.'s that I don't like.

kellychad@sympatico.ca
I was 14 when I bought the Thrashzone album in 1989. I must have worn the tape out. I do think Gun Control was a bit weak, but Thrashard still kicks ass even 15 years later!!

edm1213@msn.com
This is probably my favorite D.R.I., thought i like the first one and Dealing With It also. Hell, I even think "Thrashard" and "Gun Control" kick ass. Btw, Bullhead69, though a Melvins fan, should really save his viewpoints for NRA.Com. Do you really need assault weapons to shoot a deer? Keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people a bad idea? This ain't the Old West, folks. And i like guns myself, i'm not some far left nut who's for banning all guns, i just think a little common sense would go a long way. Too bad D.R.I. kind of went downhill on Definition imo, but the 80s stuff kicked more ass than always overrated C.O.C. and is right up there with Suicidal as the kings of crossover. Crossover was a good album too. All 80s D.R.I. gets 9/10, including Thrash Zone.

Okay, enough complaints. Now I'll tell you the good things about it - every song has a really catchy main melody (often, it is replaced by a dull one, but they all revolve around a catchy melody), the group is still playing really fast, and they've replaced the heaviness with a sense of renewed band unity. You can hear the entire band, and they sound like people - not machines. Plus, you can tell that they're having fun; there are lots of silly bass breaks and musical jokes, as well as Kurt's hilariously self-deprecating "Tone Deaf." So at least there's that. And if you listen real close, you can hear that Spike is still playing his patented harmonic breaks; they're just harder to hear 'cuz of the messy "band-oriented" live-sounding mix, which sucks! If you're gonna play heavy metal, make sure to include the "heavy" part! Otherwise, it's just fast, tinny racket!!!

Reader Comments

C.S.Harrison@newcastle.ac.uk
This album FUCKIN` ROCKS like a bastard . Definitely an essential purchase !

phallus@ix.netcom.com (Anson)
the "live" recording of dri's preformance at the palladium is an embodiment of many of their best songs, and the energy meant to be expressed in them. You are most likely about the production and mixing faults, because you have been spoiled by the "big" sounding bands of madern heavy/death metal. This "live" recording is for the many people who don't have the oppertunity to see DRI live, and must settle for mere studio recordings. fuck you.

cjakubin@dido.com
What you hated about this album is what I loved about it. True and Hard DRI. They make no apologys for this. They played, kicked ass and recorded it. No dubbs, cuts from other shows, ect. Its straight, forward, and to the point. I loved hearing all my favorite tunes live. Who ever said Kurt could hit a note anyway.

fx6795@msn.com (Frank Otley)
I really hoped to see a geniuine review of a band's work I have long admired and a band I have been able to see many times over the years. A band that sells their own Cd's T-shirts and singer's books themselves. A band that when I've seen them play the songs you yell at then after 4-6 beers inspire you to.

Your review of Definition was half-ass at best. The album is a testament to a band that could change drummers in mid-stride and complete a fantastic piece of work.Case in point the song "the application" ,a catchy toon about the problems of the unemployed loons of the world on a job hunt. "The target" I would have to say is such the catchy ass toon that I still crank it up 10 years later and it still kicks ass.

I don't know how old you are but in my many years of show going the damn DRI show is unparellelled. In world of bands that play everything but what you would like to hear,for 15 to 30 dollars a show,DRI stand alone at 5 to 10 dollars a crack for quality.

Also there mister guy, the lyrics are top-of-the-food-chain again and some of these melodies are among their finest ever ("Under The Overpass," "Drawn And Quartered," "Sucker," "Down To The Wire," and "Underneath The Surface" all get my vote). And any complaint you can make about the funky slow songs can be completely avoided by simply skipping those few. There are 16 great songs to choose from, most of them as mean, loud, and forceful as anything they've ever done. A wonderful wonderful comeback from a bunch of old men that I, for good reason, had almost completely lost faith in. Man, this one kicks ass. I'm so proud of them! I can now bring them up in polite conversation without having to say, "Well, they're not as good as they used to be, but...." Mister, take this from me, a D.R.I. fanatic, they ARE as good as they used to be. Buy this for proof. And maybe listen to it on RANDOM. The songs are fantazzawoo, but the song order ain't that great.

And one last thing - I'm ashamed of all of those NYC punks who, at D.R.I.'s last appearance in town, kept shouting, "Just play stuff from your first two albums!" Yes, their debut is a classic. A godlike hardcore classic. Undeniably. But, man, their career hasn't exactly jumped off a bridge, you know? They're still writing some really good songs! Too bad you'll never hear them. Arrested development? Yeah - YOU, you weakass punker.

Reader Comments

bullhead69@hotmail.com
Greetings, great page! My younger brother was always talking to me about the first dri album when we were kids. I ran out and bought Dealing with It, and loved it! I still have the original vinyl! I've never had the chance to even hear the first album, but, if what my brother says is true, it's a classic. The latest record Full Speed Ahead, is, by far, their best effort. EXCELLENT! I hope these guys stick around 'til they're 50 if they can. It would be nice to see these guys live; do they even tour any more? As well, my vote for the best all time hardcore album is, get ready, Reign in Blood (SLAYER). Nothing before or after kicks like this record. Listen to it again, in one shot, and tell me differently. Anyway, thanx for the page.

...and, of course, there's only one best band in the world: MELVINS

cjakubin@dido.com
It takes alot of heart to continue what DRI has started. This is a band that has struggled its whole carrer and still puts out albums. How many mid 80 hardcore bands are still around today. DRI has shown its guts and courage to continue through this "Hardcore, Metal, is dead" Era. Rock on DRI.

llemieux@microtec.net (TI-BRIN)
What the hell are you talking about? I'm from Montreal and I'm a "weakass punker" (like you said) D.R.I. is a PUNK band. At D.R.I. 'show the majority is punk . Shot your mouth whit your stupid metal songs . I'm sure you are a jerk who wear hippie 's stuff whit peace symbols on your shirt and you choke weed and feel like an acid trip!! D.R.I. can't come to Canada so I see them in the u.s.

olivia@mail.camtech.net.au
It's quite clear that the constitution does not allow people to possess weapons as they do in real life, it's a useful tool though for the powerful for people to isolate and kill each other with. D.R.I. is attempting to provide a notion of unity, but as long as you can label them "left-wing" you're in a nice comfort zone aren't you, you fucking indoctrinated fool.

frank_crow@hotmail.com
Under the overpass has got to be one of their best pieces ever. Drawn and Quartered is a close second with lyrics that might make you bust out laughing in public ( if you're high enough ) "Changing with the times like rolling with the punches...basing my decisions on theories and hunches." I don't know...some people don't get it but I totally dig this album and this band...I'm as "old man" as they are and I'll kick your young little punk butts in a mosh pit anyday. OY!!

thrashard82@hotmail.com
I received Full Speed ahead in the mail from e bay. The best fucking D.R.I. Album out. Drawn and Quartered fucking rules, Under the overpass is fucking killer as well. The boys became really outdone themselves on this one..........well thought out songs, with alot of effort...........awesome job D.R.I. Kurts vocals were the best hes ever done.

deathpunk@gmail.com
Did you hear that Spike from DRI has cancer? I just found this out today...

Click here to purchase DRI cds the way they DESERVE to be purchased -- with MONEY or somesuch!

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