The Accused began as a hardcore punk band for their first two years while John Dahlin was the lead vocalist, however were only able to release a collection of demo tapes and a split EP with another Seattle band, The Rejectors. The band decided to change directions and called their style "splatter rock or splatter core," paying homage to their favorite horror films. The band also displayed their zombie mascot "Martha Splatterhead", who's likeness (created by Niemeyer) covers most of their albums and their merchandise (see their T-shirts available at the bottom of this page). The Accused formed pre-grunge with a style quite unique...first with hardcore punk, then bridging the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal genres. Tom Niemeyer later joined Gruntruck.