Discharge is an influential Hardcore punk band formed in the UK in 1977, whose music is characterized by a heavy, distorted, and grinding guitar-driven sound and anti-melodic shouted or screamed vocals, with lyrics on anarchist and pacifist themes.

Discharge formed in 1977 with the original line up of Terry 'Tez' Roberts on vocals, Tony 'Bones' Roberts on guitar, Roy 'Rainy' Wainwright on guitar, Nigel Bamford on bass and Akko on drums. Shortly after Nigel Bamford left the group, and Rainy moved to bass. This line-up sounded much more like the Sex Pistols, but only recorded one demo. The line-up and the sound changed in 1979. It became: Kelvin 'Cal' Morris on vocals, Bones on guitar, Rainy on bass and Tez on drums, which many consider to be the "classic" Discharge line-up.

The heavy, distorted, and grinding guitar-driven sound and anti-melodic shouted or screamed vocals of the new line- up, earned an early crossover appeal to fans of speed metal. Their songs focused on anarchist and pacifist themes emphasizing the grisly effects of nuclear warfare and the social ills caused by capitalism.

The band's approach to lyric-writing also added to the raw power of the band's sound; Discharge songs often stripped down the lyrics to a guttural, repeated message, to forcefully express a song's theme. Perhaps the most extreme example of this approach is the song "Free Speech for the Dumb," which consists solely of the words from the song's title. The band was also notable for its expression of its political and social themes in its albums artwork, which depicted the horrors of war using an iconic black-and-white photography style.

In 1980, Discharge signed on with Clay Records, releasing the single "Realities of War," which made the UK indie charts. After the EP releases in the same year, Discharge went through many line-up changes. Tezz (drums) departed, and was replaced by Dave 'Bambi' Ellesmere (formerly of The Insane) before the Why EP was recorded. Only briefly prior to that Welsh stixman a very young 16 year old Keith Haynes appeared on drums for a very short time before moving back to Wales to carry on his duties with Picture Frame Seduction this time on vocals In 1982, Discharge released a full album entitled Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing, which made it to the UK Albums Chart.

The "Never Again" EP saw another line-up change. Gary Maloney of The Varukers played drums. Bones departed before Warning..., which was when Discharge began adding more metal influences. The band saw yet another change in the line-up in 1985, with the release of Ignorance. The band saw many more changes with its transition into a more metallic sound and in 1985 they released Grave New World, a record to be forgotten in the Discharge discography, sounding more glam metal in style. After this, they disbanded, only to return in the beginning of the 1990s.

In 2002, however the original line up was finally reunited for the release of Discharge. Shortly after the release of this record, the band toured, playing to generally indifferent audiences. Cal immediately left the band and was subsequently replaced by Rat of seminal UK band, The Varukers. An honor for Rat, who sports a Discharge tattoo on his neck. The band continues to play in the UK.

Also in 2002, Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing was voted the number one punk album of all time in a poll by Terrorizer magazine.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discharge_(band)