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.