4 of a Kind

To say that the late 80s was an unusual time for metal in general would be among the greatest understatements of the previous century, and even those who were only partially tied to the scene were equally caught up in the growing thrash craze. Prior to 1988 hardcore innovators turned crossover pioneers D.R.I. were already feeling the pull thanks to the strides towards a purer brand of thrash already being put forth by fellow California misfit outfits Cryptic Slaughter and Suicidal Tendencies, but things came to a proverbial head when How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today brought the latter into full on thrash bona fide territory. It was all but inevitable that the Houston-turned Bay Area quartet of imbeciles would try their hand at a more technically ambitious endeavor after their much lauded 1987 smash Crossover showcased their capability in introducing a more metallic flavor to their established sound. With the riffing pedal pushed hard into the mettle, the resulting 4 Of A Kind presents a full on thrashing affair, though with a few rough edges relative to other first attempts by D.R.I.'s contemporaries.

Most of the criticism levied at this album tend to focus upon the sound and performance of guitarist Pete "Spike" Cassidy, and while a few of them prove at least partly valid, his contribution to these songs is ultimately what makes them work as well as they do. Probably the most off-base of these is the notion of his tone being flat and hollow sounding, which is a real head-scratcher given the punchy goodness he brings to much of the slower segments of the longer offerings heard on here. Picture a slightly drier version of the guitar sound heard on Anthrax's Among The Living and throw in a raunchier bass attack and a slightly cleaner cut drum production and the core concept emerges and works quite effectively. Then again, while not necessarily a slouch in the soloing department, Cassidy does miss the opportunity to spice up some of the extended instrumental segments on longer material like "Think For Yourself" (which has a pretty interesting 70s rock vibe for the first 40 seconds) and opening thrasher "All For Nothing", likely due to apprehension over trying to fulfill the roles of both Mike Clark and Rocky George in a live context.

A few drawn out and repetitious segments on some of the longer offerings aside, there is no want of power and frenetic energy to be found on this album. The attitude-drenched rants of front man Kurt Brecht are no less competent here than they were last year, and bassist Josh Pappé's (R.I.P.) final hurrah in D.R.I.'s ranks see some standout moments on high octane crushers like "Suit And Tie Guy" and "Gone Too Long" that eclipse what Dan Lilker brought to Speak English Or Die. Perhaps the biggest surprise to come raging out of these songs is the pummeling kit work out of Felix Griffin, particularly the raging double kick work he brings to swift thrashers like "Do The Dream" and the overall unrelenting ruckus he churns out over the mad speed machine "Modern World". Honestly, irregardless of whether things revert back to the bare-bones hardcore simplicity and brevity of this outfit's origins as on "Dead In A Ditch" or go into full on epic thrash metal territory as on the highly ambitious closer "Man Unkind", featuring the most technically charged performances heard out of any of the instrumentalists involved in this outfit no less, the flow that is established throughout this album's 35 minute duration is scarcely interrupted, save for a few comical add-ons here and there.

Though definitely not the greatest thrash offering to come out of the 1988, much of the flack this album has caught can be chalked up to it having followed Crossover, which will likely forever be adored as this album's crowning achievement in metal circles. It doesn't quite close the stylistic deal the way that Thrash Zone would a year later either, but it bears a greater similarity to said 1989 effort and comes off as the sort of mature thrash offering that most would come to associate with the early 90s output of Anthrax and Nuclear Assault. Those seeking a more extravagant display of guitar showmanship will want to look to Suicidal Tendencies' aforementioned 1988 masterwork, or just about any other more technically charged thrash offering from Eternal Nightmare to The New Order. But for the prospective thrash metal junkie who simply asks for the riffs to cut hard, for the songs to be fast and furious, and don't mind a slightly larger dose of that rustic hardcore punk sound that helped to birth the genre, one could do a lot worse.

But of a weird comparisson? Let me elaborate. I really love And Justic For All. I never had any problems with it. Not even the production. For some reason what many called ‘flaws’ just worked for me.
However! "4 Of A Kind" has the exact same ‘flaws’ and on this album I would really call them flaws.

The major complaints are:
- Over all extremely dry sound. It’s mostly flat guitars. The drums are neatly played and clean sounding
- Average pace is often too slow
- Songs are overstretched.

There are a few songs here which are quality D.R.I. crossover, having reasonable length and are to the point. We’re talking ”Gone too Long”, “Slumlord” and “Dead In a Ditch” here. The band tries to write and play lengthier songs as well and turn out to be succesful on the very catchy “Suit And Tie Guy” with its thrash metal proof riffs.

Most other lengthier songs just drag. especially “Think For Yourself” and “Man Unkind” seem to go on forever and the riffs are really too simple and monotone to keep the songs alive. Also on these songs Brecht’s vocal performance sounds pretty uninspired. Is this the same guy who sang with such energy on "Dealing with It"?

Now Suicidal Tendencies were doing the same thing at the time, namely shifting the balance of crossover towards ‘metal’. Suicidal got it right when incorporating more of Rocky George’s melodies and giving the vocals something extra. D.R.I. unfortunately just made their songs longer yet forgot to put in more detail to keep them interesting.

I don’t want to spend more words on it anyway. As said there are 4 or 5 nice D.R.I. tunes to be found here but honestly, just get their 1987 “Crossover” album for some really good crossover.

D.R.I is a totally awesome band which combines in the best form ever Punk and Thrash Metal, and in their fourth album they only continue to kick some asses with fair amount of blazing Thrash monsters and flawless riffs which sounds perfect for moshing and headbanging till you break off.

This album has a lot catchy songs. Not catchy in a cheesy way, I'm talking about some serious memorable riffs, though simples and not much technical, they are fast as a Porsche and brutal as Thrash should be when it meets the roughness of Punk. The drumming is flawless, fast, sharp and insane. Just sounds perfect with the killer vocals and the dominant bass which increases a lot power within the riffs. The production is overwhelming, the guitar sounds heavy and raw and you can hear all the riffs clearly without missing any note. There isn't even one weak track here, all has catchy and intense riffs and lashing vocals. Highlights are probably "All for Nothing" which gets you into the mood of this album and has some of the catchiest riffs and vocals. "Manifest Destiny" is also awesome and has pretty good chorus, "Man Unkind" has also a great load of outstanding riffs, and "Gone Too Long" is my favorite one due to his silly intro which fits very well the title track and the blasting riffs.

All in all, it's a pretty good album, very enjoyable one and very catchy. After 3 listenings you can really enjoy the tracks, and when it clicks you won't leave this album for a long period. Get it!

This was my first D.R.I. album, but I still can't seem to get into it like I can every one of their other releases. There's something about it that seems a little off, a little bland, a little uninspired. After listening to the band's earlier releases, the reason became apparent.

After having successfully crossing over into thrash metal, things were looking up for the Infidels, but then for their first real thrash album we get this. It's almost as if they ran out of ideas for this one. Though there are a few exceptions, the lyrics come off as uninspired and repetitive. Same goes for the riffs, and a lot of the songs end up having the same feel. The only real standout song in either department is the killer "Suit and Tie Guy." Gone also is the intense speed of their earlier albums. No doubt 4 of a Kind is a fast thrash album, but it's not even close to matching the fury of any of their first three albums. It's also a bit too produced. The new guitar tone sounds a lot weaker than the tone on Crossover, and the generally chord based riffs don't help. The bass drum sound is weaker as well. When compared to any of the band's other albums, 4 of a Kind is the least heavy, the least speedy, and the least memorable.

But overall, it's actually a decent album, only paleing in comparison to the band's other releases. Had those albums not set the bar so high, this release would look a hell of a lot better. 4 of a Kind has its moments, but if you're new to D.R.I, this isn't the place to start your research.

I like this album. I really do. I'm able to enjoy hardcore/punk, and if it's mixed with some thrash, then the result is satisfactory to me. But this one ends up being more thrash than hardcore.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are still parts that are punky as all fuck, like the intro to "Think for Yourself", plus, most of the riffs have that "bouncy" rhythm that makes you want to shatter your bedroom doing that idiotic, but fun "pogo" dancing that punks do.

This is direct. This is non-pretentious. This works. Believe me, it does, get it if you're like me (a guy that doesn't mind a few influences outside of metal as long as the music pulverizes everything). Highlights: the aforementioned "Think for Yourself" (the punky part quickly evolve into some menacing thrash), "Do the Dream", the medley "All for Nothing/Manifest Destiny". But every song will satisfy you. Don't let the cover art fool you, this ain't for pussies.