Formed in 1977, Discharge were one of the leading lights of U.K. punk's second wave. Fast and ferocious, with anarchist/pacifist songs and buzzsaw guitars, the early-'80s releases regularly scored U.K. indie chart hits (and the occasional foray into the regular chart), before taking on a heavier, metal direction. The five-piece's uncompromisingly spartan sound has been enormously influential on punk and metal in the ensuing years with their trademark beat—“D-Beat”—giving rise to a sub-genre in its own right.