DRI & Excel

Abbreviation for Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is an American crossover thrash band that formed in Houston, Texas in 1982. D.R.I. never gained a mainstream audience, but the integration of their hardcore punk roots with thrash metal influences was a stylistic catalyst for their contemporaries — most notably Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity, S.O.D. and Cryptic Slaughter — alongside whom they are considered pioneers of what would later be called "crossover thrash."

In 2015 The track “I don’t need Society” was featured in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto 5 on the Radio Station Chanel X. D.R.I. has released seven original studio albums, the last of which was released in 1995. Since then, the band has continued touring and intermittently going on hiatus. For years, there has been talk of an eighth D.R.I. album, which has yet to materialize. However, they plan to release an EP containing new material in 2016.


Excel is a now-defunct punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California. The band never achieved commercial success during their years of performing and recording, but they are considered to be one of the first crossover thrash bands to come out of Venice, along with their hometown heroes Suicidal Tendencies.

They started in 1983 under the name Chaotic Noise and members at that time were Dan Clements (vocals), Adam Siegel (guitars), Rickey Palamino (bass) and Evan Warech (drums). In 1985, they changed their name to "Excel" and Palamino and Warech left the band since then. Their replacements were Shaun Ross and Greg Saenz.

After releasing two albums, Split Image in 1987 and The Joke's on You in 1989, Siegel joined Mike Muir's Infectious Grooves in 1991. However, during this time, Excel had already started working on new material for what would become their third and last album, but was put on hold several times, due to Siegel's tour schedule with Infectious Grooves. The album, titled Seeking Refuge, was not released until 1995. After that, Excel broke up.