Along with 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, and 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.