Contagion

Contagion formed in Baltimore in 1985 with Steve Digiorgio on vocals, Jim Martin and Paul Bostaph on guitars, and Dave Lombardo on bass. They put out their first album, 'Aggress,' in 1987, which gave the band its name and a title track that became a standard in thrash metal circles. The record's cover art, showing a nuclear blast, drew some criticism at the time.

They followed up with 'Mindwarp' in 1988, then 'No Escape' in 1990, and 'Turbulence' in 1992. Songs like 'Crawl,' 'Hate,' and 'Infectant' typified their sound, fast, heavy, and built on Lombardo's driving bass lines and Martin's sharp guitar work. The band's lineup shifted over time, and they went through periods where they weren't active.

Contagion's music stayed rooted in thrash, but they tried some different things on later albums. 'Turbulence' brought in bits of progressive rock alongside the usual aggression. They never became a household name, but for a certain kind of metal fan in the late '80s and early '90s, records like 'Aggress' and 'No Escape' were part of the soundtrack.