Scream

Scream was a hardcore punk band formed in Northern Virginia in 1981 by singer Peter Stahl, his brother Franz Stahl on guitar, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax. When Stax left afther the 3rd album 'Banging The Drum', he was replaced by the young and talented Dave Grohl. They are considered one of the benchmark bands in the history of the d.c. hardcore music movement. Along with bands such as Minor Threat and Black Market Baby, Scream ultimately merged the attributes of the movement, which were blinding speed, heavy political and social connotations in the lyrics, unpretentiousness of attitude, and shunning of commercialism. Their music is faithful to the roots of rock, but spun itself into other genres by employing sounds that predate the raunchiness of grunge, while saluting reggae and speed metal. Scream hated the classification of bands into certain types and considered what they played as simply 'music.' Recording their music in the basement of the now legendary Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, Scream became the first band on the Dischord label to release a whole album, still screaming, as opposed to singles or 12 inch EPs. Like the world-renowned hardcore punk band Bad Brains, they could play clearly at breakneck speed, but also played mid-tempo songs like "American Justice" and "Hygiene," which were metal-tinged reggae.