Description

2021 re-issue on black vinyl

Other than the original Dirty Rotten EP (22 songs) and ‘Dealing With It’, this is the best D.R.I a man can get. Even with very dry, clean-sounding thrash metal production, you still get perhaps their best complete set of nasty moshers. The bravest tracks are the more ambitious and complex thrash/hardcore crossovers. “Beneath The Wheel” has a pretty outstanding mix of styles, starting out Doomy and breaking into some fast thrash before dropping a great mid-tempo mosh beat into the middle. “Strategy” and “Kill The Words” (with the goofy intro) also have great, driving riffage and lots of changes. There are also some more trad-hardcore shorter tracks mixed in. “Worker Bee”, “Standing in Line” and especially “Enemy Within” will all keep the pit flowing. This blend really didn’t seem to gel on ‘Crossover’, but the band here plows through these tracks like radioactive demons running on diesel fuel. Kurt Brecht goes down wailing typically pointed lyrics about timeless punk concerns, like pollution, hardships on the road, dealing with aggression and advocacy of non-violence (except inside their mosh pits). Even so, its stood the test of time on its own terms pretty well, and in terms of late 80s metal even better than many of their thrash peers.

Track list:
1. Thrashard
2. Beneath The Wheel
3. Enemy Within
4. Strategy
5. Labeled Uncurable
6. Gun Control
7. Kill The Words
8. Drown You Out
9. The Trade
10. Standing In Line
11. Give A Hoot
12. Worker Bee
13. Abduction