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Funk Metal is a sub-genre of metal that came to be in the mid-late 80's with bands like
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Faith No More,
Living Colour, and
Electric Boys. The genre reached its peak of popularity in the early 90's, after Faith No More’s hit single
Epic from the album
The Real Thing.
Primus,
Fishbone,
24-7 Spyz,
Infectious Grooves, and
Extreme were among the best well-known players of the genre, but funk metal included many short lived bands which remained underground.
Funk metal is a genre often characterised by slap bass and funky syncopation blended with various types of metal, as well as a sense of humour. One of the first bands to mix funk and metal, along with many other genres, was Washington DC hardcore/fusion band
Bad Brains, although Red Hot Chili Peppers'
self-titled debut was perhaps the biggest influence on the genre, with the track "Green Heaven" the earliest combination of funk and metal riffs.
Bands mixed funk with many different metal genres. Living Colour and
Mindfunk focused primarily on combining funk with heavy metal, while Extreme and Electric Boys combined it with glam metal. The heavier end of the spectrum saw
Mordred,
Scatterbrain and
Suicidal Tendencies side-project Infectious Grooves mix funk with thrash. Many more thrash metal bands incorporated funk metal elements in some of their 90's albums without becoming primarily funk metal.
Death Angel included influences of funk metal on their 1990 album
Act III and Suicidal Tendencies began incorporating the style on their
Lights... Camera... Revolution! album of the same year.
A sense of humour can be seen throughout the entire genre, in various forms. Often the lyrics are comedic or surreal, Primus and Scatterbrain being two prominent examples, with song titles like “My Name is Mud” and “Don't Call Me Dude”. Faith No More sometimes included mini skits, such as in “Death March” from 1987's
Introduce Yourself. Some bands like Extreme and Living Colour often had a more socio-political focus to their lyrics.
The genre had lost much of its popularity by the late 90's, as other trends in the metal scene, such as
Nu Metal, were reaching their height. Some Nu-Metal bands made use of funk metal elements in their earlier material such as
Powerman 5000,
Sugar Ray and
Sick Puppies.
Incubus kept the funk metal genre alive during this time with their
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album (1997), although they switched to a more heavy alternative rock style by the end of the decade.
While few bands play funk metal anymore, bands like comedy metal band
Psychostick incorporate elements of it, along with many other genres.
-Written by Unitron, 2017
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EP · 2020 ·
Funk Metal
UMUR
"Volition" is an EP release by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The EP was independently released in July 2020. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single in 2015, as their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material). Since the release of "The Next Room" (1994), which was their last release before their 1995 split-up, there have been two lineup changes. Drummer Gannon Hall has been replaced by Jeff Gomes, and original lead vocalist Scott Holderby has returned, replacing Paul Kimball who sang on "The Next Room" (1994).
"Volition" features four new original compositions, although one of the tracks is "The Baroness" from the 2015 single of the same name. This version of "The Baroness" is an alternate recording though, and it´s quite different from the original 2015 single version of the song. "Not for You" opens the EP with a great thrashy riff and some nice turntable scratching, before Holderby´s distinct sounding talking/singing vocals kick-in. A great energetic and powerful track and the most thrash metal oriented track on the EP. "What Are We Coming To" follows and it´s a very different sounding track, as it´s an electronic/keyboard track with some effect laden rap styled vocals on top. It features a sinister gloomy atmosphere, which is the greatest asset of the track. I´m not a huge fan of this style of music, but it´s decent enough for variation. "The Love of Money", features an alternative metal style with more melodic vocals. It´s a great quality track (make sure to watch the official music video for this track, which is pretty great). The above mentioned "The Baroness" closes the EP, and it´s an absolute beauty of a track (and like "Not for You" it´s a thrash metal oriented track). I especially enjoy how the band employ the use of riot gang vocals in such an effective way. The funk element of the band´s sound is heard on all of the tracks (except for "What Are We Coming To").
"Volition" is a well produced release, featuring a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. "What Are We Coming To" drags my rating down just a bit, but other than that track "Volition" is quite the brilliant release and fully shows that Mordred still have a lot to offer after their long break. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.
Single · 2014 ·
Funk Metal
UMUR
"The Baroness" is a single release by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The single was independently released in February 2015. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single which was their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material).
21 years is a long time not having released any new original material, but it doesn´t take more than a few seconds of listening to "The Baroness" before you should be convinced that Mordred are back with a vengeance. Bay Area type thrash metal riffs, turntable sctratching, and lead vocalist Scott Holderby delivering his rather unique talking/singing vocal style. This 2015 single version of "The Baroness" is quite different from the version of the track which would appear on the 2020 "Volition" EP, and unfortunately having listened to the 2020 recording first and this one after, I definitely favor the 2020 version. This one doesn´t feature as much bite and conviction as the version of the track which Mordred would include on the "Volition" (2020) EP. When that it said this single version of "The Baroness" is still a high quality track, and it´s a welcome comeback for Mordred. Unfortunately it would take them another 5 years before they released something again, but in this case it was worth the wait. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Album · 2000 ·
Funk Metal
UMUR
"Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is the ninth full-length studio album by US, California based crossover/thrash metal act Suicidal Tendencies. The album was released through Suicidal Records in July 2000. It´s the successor to "Freedumb" from July 1999. After waiting 5 years for a new album between the release of "Suicidal for Life" (1994) and "Freedumb", the band obviously wanted to prove to the fans that they were back with a vengeance and now released a new album only a year down the line from the latter mentioned. The quintet lineup who recorded "Freedumb" is intact on "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind".
While "Freedumb" almost exlusively featured a "back to the roots" hardcore punk sound (albeit with funky elements and the rare nod towards crossover thrash), "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is generally a more eclectic sounding album. Hardcore punk elements are still a dominant part of the soundscape (as heard on tracks like "Pop Songs", "Start Your Brain", and "Animal"), but funk and thrash/groove metal elements are now also a more integral part of the band´s sound. Just listen to the heavy grooves on songs like "Su casa es mi casa", "Bullenium", "Public Dissension", and "No More No Less". There was nothing like that on "Freedumb". The funky sounds of the title track are also really effectful and work well within the context of the album. The album closes with the power ballad "Home", which unfortunately feels a bit overlong and uneventful with its 7:30 minutes long playing time. "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is in many ways Suicidal Tendencies displaying all the different stylistic elements of the last 10 years of releases (including their side-project Infectious Grooves).
"Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is a self-produced affair and features a powerful, detailed, and delightfully heavy sound production perfectly suiting the material. Featuring 15 tracks and a total playing time of 56:26 minutes "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is slightly on the long side, and although most tracks on the album are quality tracks, a few could have been removed for a shorter and more effectful release, and the album would only have prospered from it and possibly have made an even more profound impact. Abundance of quantity is a minor issue though, and there is still enough high quality compositions here to warrant a 3.5 star (70%) rating.
Album · 1994 ·
Funk Metal
UMUR
"The Next Room" is the third full-length studio album by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The album was released through Noise Records in June 1994. It was Mordred´s final release before their initial breakup in 1995. There´s been one lineup change since "In This Life (1991)" as lead vocalist Scott Holderby has been replaced by Paul Kimball (who had performed with the thrash/crossover act A.M.Q.A. in the 1980s). While three years between albums were a long time in those days, Mordred released no less than four EPs and a live video in the years 1992-1994, so there were plenty of releases to fill the gap between the two full-length studio albums.
While Scott Holderby was a pretty unique singer, the change on the lead vocalist spot has actually been good for the band as Kimball is an overall better and more versatile frontman. He is able to deliver both raw and powerful vocals, but also bluesy/soul influenced warmer parts, alternative rock vocals (not too far removed from vocalists like Layne Stayley and Scott Weiland), and talking/singing funky type vocals. Mordred were always a very creative act, combining many different music styles (initially predominantly thrash metal and funk metal), and the material on "The Next Room" are as diverse as ever.
The album is not only varied though, it´s also memorable and generally of a high quality. Although not all tracks feature riffs which can be classified as heavy metal riffs, all tracks still pack a punch. It´s one of the great assets of the album how much power and attitude the band are able to deliver. The drumming is quite technical and the drummer plays one infectious groove after another, while the two guitarists play sharp heavy riffs and just as many non-distorted funky riffs. The bass is clearly audible in the mix and add the right groovy and funky bottom to the music, while keyboard player/sample & turntable man Aaron Vaughn adds atmosphere and something unique to the music. No better experienced than on the instrumental "The Next Room Over".
As if that wasn´t enough "The Next Room" features an exceptionally well sounding production job, suiting the music perfectly. Upon conclusion "The Next Room" certainly was a great (at the time) swansong for Mordred (they´ve since reunited and have released further material), and to my ears it´s the release where all their different influences and styles most successfully came together. The dark melodic alternative rock/metal touches suits the music well, and paired with the heavy riffs, groovy rhythms, and funky guitars/bass, it´s overall a high quality release by Mordred. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.
EP · 1992 ·
Funk Metal
UMUR
"Vision" is an EP release by US, California based thrash/funk metal act Mordred. The EP was released through Noise Records in August 1992. The EP (and a few other minor releases) bridges the gap between the band´s second and third full-length studio albums "In This Life (1991)" and "The Next Room (1994)".
Stylistically the material on "Vision" is a natural continuation of the funk/alternative metal style of "In This Life (1991)". Funky guitar riffs, slap bass and energetic funky drumming, turntable scratching, occassionally heavy riffs (not many thrashy parts on this EP), and lead vocalist Scott Holderby singing/semi-rapping his way through the songs. Contemporary artists like Infectious Grooves/Suicidal Tendencies and Faith No More are valid references, but Mordred had a sound of their own and aren´t a clone act by any means.
"Vision" features a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. The 6 tracks on the 24:08 minutes long EP are well composed too, and the musical performances are also on a high level, so upon conclusion it´s a high quality EP filled to the brim with funky alternative rock/metal. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.
