The Minus

In 1998, while still teenagers, the Icelandic outfit Minus assembled and rapidly drew notice in their local hardcore community through ferocious noise and a volatile stage presence. The five-piece lineup featured vocalist Krummi, drummer Bjossi, bassist Johnny, and guitarists Frosti and Bjarni, all of whom set out with the explicit aim of creating "disgusting music." Their first release, Hey Johnny!, surfaced the following year and delivered a turbulent blend of post-hardcore delivered entirely in Icelandic. For the more ambitious 2001 effort Jesus Christ Bobby the group adopted English lyrics, resulting in a frenetic record that earned enthusiastic notices from British outlets such as Kerrang! and NME. Shifting further from hardcore roots toward straight-ahead rock, the band issued Halldor Laxness in 2003, titling the album after the Nobel Prize-winning author. Matching their intense performances with an equally unrestrained lifestyle, Minus spent the period after the album's arrival sharing stages with acts as varied as the Distillers, Muse, Amen, and Biffy Clyro.