DRI were once the kings of crossover. There was no band better at combining the righteous politics of punk with the speed and power of thrash metal. Between 1983 and 1995 they put out seven genre defining albums. Their skanker logo was instantly recognizable to punks and metalheads around the world. There was a time when DRI were spoken about in the same hushed tones as Metallica, Anthrax, Corrosion of Conformity, Suicidal Tendencies etc… They were one of the most influential bands of their era, but never quite achieved the mainstream success of many of their peers.

DRI’s last studio album was called Full Speed Ahead. At the time, it felt like a promise that they weren’t going to slow down any time soon. It’s certainly ironic in retrospect, considering that 21 years would pass before the band would release any new material. There were definitely some legitimate reasons for the lengthy delay. Guitarist Spike Cassidy has been battling cancer off and on for many years. The bottom dropped out of the music business, and making new records became much less lucrative. DRI have always managed to survive by criss crossing the country playing for their devoted but aging (dwindling) fan base.

Even the title of But Wait...There’s More! seems to poke fun at the fact that it has been so long. It turns out that ‘more’ is three new songs and two re-recorded classics. The three new tracks are vintage DRI. There’s driving metallic riffs and smart lyrics delivered at a breakneck pace. Cassidy’s guitar is still razor sharp and so is singer Kurt Brecht’s tongue. His unmistakable voice drips with antagonism and sarcasm. It’s like he’s trying to pick a fight. “Against Me” is paranoid rant while “Anonymity” questions whether or not there’s really such a thing as privacy in this modern age. “As Seen On TV” is a play on the infomercial theme of the EP.

“Mad Man” and “Couch Slouch” are sonically upgraded versions of fan favorites from 1985’s Dealing With It!. As wonderful as those early DRI albums were, the production was often a bit clunky. The overall sound of But Wait...There’s More! Is somewhere between the band’s early punk/hardcore roots and their later crossover thrash stuff. It’s loud and in your face, and the mix is crisp and modern. The songs are short, but there’s no shortage of metal. The good news is that all five songs rip. The bad news is that the total run time is less than ten minutes.

The real winner here (other than loyal, long suffering fans), is bassist Harald Oimoen. He’s been a Dirty Rotten Imbecile since 1999, and is finally making his recording debut with the band. He’s become a fan favorite in his time with the group, and it’s nice to hear him finally captured on wax. Who knows what But Wait...There’s More! will lead to? Now that DRI have got the monkey off their back, the songwriting floodgates might just open wide. Maybe two years from now there will be a new 12 or 15 track LP. Until then we’ll just have to savor this delicious little morsel.