Primus formed in California in the mid 1980s under the original name of Primate. It wasn't until 1989 where the line-up of Claypool, ex-Possessed Guitarist Larry LaLonde and Drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander released the band's first album, the live recording "Suck On This", by this time Primus had already garnered a rabid fan base and this ensured a line of incredibly successful albums in the early 1990s; "Frizzle Fry" (1990), "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" (1991) and "Pork Soda" (1993) as well as their first covers EP "Miscellaneous Debris" in 1992. In the summer of 1995, Primus released their fifth album, "Tales From The Punch Bowl". It was another success, going gold before the end of the year. In the summer of 1996, Primus announced they were parting ways with their drummer, Tim Alexander. He was replaced by Bryan "Brain" Mantia, who made his debut on "The Brown Album" which was released in the summer of 1997. The second covers EP "Rhinoplasty" followed in 1998, and a year later, Primus returned with "Antipop". A departure from previous Primus albums, "Antipop" featured a more metallic sound, and featured different producers on almost every track (including such notables as Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Tom Waits, South Park creator Matt Stone and former Police Drummer Stewart Copeland) and it featured such guest artists as Metallica's James Hetfield and former Faith No More Guitarist Jim Martin. After a supporting tour wrapped up in 2000, Mantia left the band to join Guns N' Roses. Claypool talked about reuniting with former drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander in the press, but shortly afterward announced that Primus was going on indefinite hiatus. During the ensuing break, Claypool focused on recording the debut album by his side project, Oyster Head (who also included Police Drummer Stuart Copeland and Phish Guitarist Trey Anastasio), as well as releasing his two-part solo outing, "Live Frogs: Set 1 and Set 2". In 2003, re-united with Tim "Herb" Alexander, Claypool and LaLonde released the EP "Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People" as well as a DVD compilation featuring all of the bands videos, as well as studio footage and rare performance bootlegs. 2006 saw the band release another DVD; "Blame It On The Fish" featuring a live recording of the band live on their 2003 tour, as well as a greatest hits package "They Can't All Be Zingers: The Best Of Primus". In November 2006 Primus began touring again on the "The Beat A Dead Horse Tour 2006", according to sources, the band plans to return to the studio on completion of the tour and record a new album.