Mínus

Iceland's Minus came together in 1998, its five members still teenagers at the time, and rapidly attracted attention in the country's hardcore community through ferocious noise and a volatile stage presence. The lineup featured vocalist Krummi, drummer Bjossi, bassist Johnny, and guitarists Frosti and Bjarni, all united at the outset by a desire to create nothing but "disgusting music." Their first release, Hey Johnny!, followed in 1999 and delivered a turbulent blend of post-hardcore delivered entirely in Icelandic. By 2001 the group had adopted English lyrics for the more expansive and jittery Jesus Christ Bobby, an album that earned enthusiastic notices from British outlets such as Kerrang! and NME. Two years later they issued Halldor Laxness, titled after the Nobel Prize-winning novelist and tilting further toward straightforward rock than the earlier hardcore emphasis. Matching their intense performances with an equally unrestrained lifestyle, the band spent the period after that album's appearance sharing stages with acts including the Distillers, Muse, Amen, and Biffy Clyro.