Being such a big fan of Incubus it is hard to imagine that 11 years has passed since the release of the SoCal band's debut LP. 1997 was a very interesting year to be an American band, the British sound of the mid 90's had pretty much taken over the airwaves and MTV. Aside from that sound or style, the only thing left in America was pure hard rock. We saw the return of Metallica, Korn were on the rise to being superstars and punk was very skate oriented and less political like it once was. Then a band from the West Coast came and decided to fuse all the musical genres they could into one musical orgy. That was Incubus and the album was S.C.I.E.N.C.E. It is not surprising that they hailed from California, because only California bands have been successful at making a hybrid of sounds, look at Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers. After touring up and down the West Coast and linking up with the likes of the then popular Deftones, 311 and landing a spot on Korn's first "Family Values Tour," Incubus made a name for themselves. Mixing thrash, punk, new wave, metal, funk and jazz they appealed to the masses. Fronted by the charismatic and poetic Brandon Boyd, success was written in the stars for them. Recorded in six weeks, S.C.I.E.N.C.E is a cosmic induced punch to the face with songs such as "A Certain Shade of Green," "Vitamin," and "New Skin," Incubus were ready to make their mark. Fast forward to today 11 years later, they are still one of America's premiere touring bands and still making records of epic hybrid proportions. Wipe the dust off this record and it will bring back a million memories or for those that have never experienced S.C.I.E.N.C.E. do so now and enjoy.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Underated Classic-Incubus "S.C.I.E.N.C.E"
Being such a big fan of Incubus it is hard to imagine that 11 years has passed since the release of the SoCal band's debut LP. 1997 was a very interesting year to be an American band, the British sound of the mid 90's had pretty much taken over the airwaves and MTV. Aside from that sound or style, the only thing left in America was pure hard rock. We saw the return of Metallica, Korn were on the rise to being superstars and punk was very skate oriented and less political like it once was. Then a band from the West Coast came and decided to fuse all the musical genres they could into one musical orgy. That was Incubus and the album was S.C.I.E.N.C.E. It is not surprising that they hailed from California, because only California bands have been successful at making a hybrid of sounds, look at Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers. After touring up and down the West Coast and linking up with the likes of the then popular Deftones, 311 and landing a spot on Korn's first "Family Values Tour," Incubus made a name for themselves. Mixing thrash, punk, new wave, metal, funk and jazz they appealed to the masses. Fronted by the charismatic and poetic Brandon Boyd, success was written in the stars for them. Recorded in six weeks, S.C.I.E.N.C.E is a cosmic induced punch to the face with songs such as "A Certain Shade of Green," "Vitamin," and "New Skin," Incubus were ready to make their mark. Fast forward to today 11 years later, they are still one of America's premiere touring bands and still making records of epic hybrid proportions. Wipe the dust off this record and it will bring back a million memories or for those that have never experienced S.C.I.E.N.C.E. do so now and enjoy.