Continuing the History of Metal through short (trivia packed) chapters and accompanying playlists.
Thanks for all the support of Part 1 of these ongoing series! You asked me for more, here it is :)
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Few subgenres in the world of Hard Rock and Metal have polarized people as much as Funk Metal. Is it even Metal? Well... If we're honest, not all of it. And several bands have been labeled Funk Metal at one point, that have very little to do with Funk or Metal altogether.
It all started when Punky Funk Rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers released their debut in 1984. That album has been credited as the first Funk Metal record. It was heavier than any other Funk Rock band around, but Metal? Not quite.
Funk Metal's real breakthrough came when Living Colour's 'Cult Of Personality' became a massive hit, and Faith No More's third album 'The Real Thing' achieved universal acclaim and propelled the band straight to the major league of Heavy Rock and Metal.
The experimental Faith No More moved mostly away from their Funk Sound on the next album, but by then another band had stolen the Funk Metal crown: Extreme. Because most people remember Extreme for their acoustic smash hit 'More Than Words', it is these days often overlooked that the band was a Funky Heavy Rocking hit machine at the start of the 90's. Their MTV success in the final years of Hair Metal popularity opened the door for bands as Bang Tango and Ugly Kid Joe, who also included funky bass rhythms in their sound.
It's at this point that any somewhat Hard Rocking band with wild bass lines was labeled Funk Metal, often against the wishes of the bands themselves. Les Claypool from Primus has always tried to distance himself from the genre, even though Primus' experimental music if often used as a prime example of Funk Metal due to its quirky riffs and bass lines. Suicidal Tendencies is another band that during this short period was labeled as Funk Metal, when the case can be made they were simply playing mid-tempo Crossover Thrash with a kick-ass bass player (Rob Trujillo). At the end of the day though, it's a fact that for a short period of time Funky bass lines were a fashionable thing across Metal and Rock subgenres.
The last big Funk Metal hit was Gun's version of 'Word Up'. After that the whole scene came tumbling down fast as Alternative took over, and Nu-Metal was brooding with new bands like KORN who would take the Funk influences to a whole other world. We close with the Funky Thrash from Mordred; their 1994 anthem 'Crash' is maybe the most fitting Funk Metal song to end this playlist.
Years later, in 2001, Alien Ant Farm scored a massive hit with their Funk Rock version of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal', but let's not call that Metal. Nope, we had to wait until Djent band Twelve Foot Ninja reintroduced some Funk influences, but that is another story...
Playlist:
01. Faith No More: We Care A Lot (1987)
02. Living Colour: Cult Of Personality (1988)
03. Extreme: Kid Ego (1989)
04. Bang Tango: Someone Like You (1989)
05. Primus: Too Many Puppies (1990)
06. Scatterbrain: Don't Call Me Dude (1990)
07. Extreme: Get The Funk Out (1990)
08. Suicidal Tendencies: Send Me Your Money (1990)
09. Leeway: 2 Minute Warning (1991)
10. Faith No More: From Out Of Nowhere (1989)
11. Ugly Kid Joe: Everything About You (1991)
12. Bang Tango: Dancin' On Coals (1991)
13. Extreme: Decadence Dance (1990)
14. Leeway: Stand For (1991)
15. Suicidal Tendencies: Accept My Sacrifice (1991)
