caption years_active label article_title past_members background genre image origin name
the lead in 1985 1983-1989 three retroactive equals one , r.e.x. , vertical takeoff , the lead
 julio rey nina llopis robbie christie andy coyle group_or_band punk , thrash metal the_lead_ep_cvr_front . jpg miami , florida , u.s. the lead
the lead

the lead was an american christian punk band from florida , formed in 1984 .
they were julio rey -lrb- vocals , songwriting , and guitar -rrb- , robbie christie -lrb- drums , songwriting , and vocals -rrb- , and nina llopis -lrb- bass , vocals and songwriting -rrb- .
andy coyle joined the band on guitar between 1989 and 1991 .
the lead helped pioneer christian punk music .
they were one of the first bands to break the mold of the traditional , christian music of the early 1980s .
their sound was heavily influenced by the punk rock scene in southern california .
in the 1980s they recorded prolifically , played three cornerstone festivals and briefly toured the eastern half of the u.s. three times .
their style of music changed as the years passed , starting from a base of pure punk into hardcore and then finally crossing over into thrash .
the bands they played with , either as openers or headliners , included suicidal tendencies , dri , mdc , marginal man , cynic , bloodgood , the crucified , believer , whitecross , one bad pig , deliverance , vengeance rising , and crashdog .
