Review Summary: Wait...is this, Incubus?
It would be an understatement to say that Incubus has undergone a great deal of musical changes. From 1995 to the present, Incubus has released six studio albums, each of which has varied from one another. In fact, Incubus has seemingly grown with every release (maybe not for the better) and is an entirely different band in the present day than they were in the mid-1990’s. Prior to the formation of the band, the world had never seen the likes of early Incubus’ sound. Their debut album “Fungus Amongus” was quite ground-breaking, for it combined elements of funk, metal, and rap. Funk remained the most evident of these, apparent due to a heavy Red Hot Chili Peppers (BloodSugarSexMagik) influence. With all that said, a fan of new style Incubus would be stunned and would possibly dislike “Fungus Amongus,” because of its obscure nature.
Incubus has been comprised of an extremely talented band from the very beginning. Brandon Boyd has shown his ability to be both powerful and versatile throughout his career, and has one of the greatest voices in modern day rock. The variety in Brandon’s voice is displayed immediately in opener
You Will Be a Hot Dancer, for he makes the transition from a smooth calming voice to a raspy and brutal scream. In this particular track this bodes well, complementing the funky verses and aggressive choruses. Unlike in Incubus’ later albums, Brandon is a bit constricted with his vocals, not necessarily in a versatility sense, but rather does not have the capacity to let loose his best singing. The type of music in a way restricts exactly how Brandon utilizes his voice, and those fans of later Incubus would be astonished at how much more ruthless his vocals are on “Fungus Amongus.”
A great deal of the band’s innovation has been created through Mike Einzinger’s guitar playing, for Mike has been known for his unique playing style. Einziger is firing out spastic leads throughout “Fungus Amongus” to accompany the convulsive energy of the record. His contributions on
Psycopsilocybin are quite outstanding as he shreds his bluesy leads throughout both the solo section and the outro. The talent in the rhythm section is nothing short of exceptional, with both Jose Pasillas (drums) and Dirk Lance (bass) having a major impact on the band’s music. Lance arguably had the most vital role in Incubus’ early albums; his slinky, grooving, and slap bass style proving to be the foundation. With these members in place, Incubus had the ability to create something so interesting and unusual, setting “Fungus Amongus” apart from its more alternative sounding descendants.
The capability to create spectacular music is one thing, but harnessing this talent and unleashing it at the right time is another thing. “Fungus Amongus” is comprised of ten tracks clocking in at just under forty-minutes. From
You Will Be a Hot Dancer to
Hilikus you would be far-fetched to find a great deal of variety, for each track seems to follow the funky verse, forceful chorus formula. In fact, at times in the record it appears that Incubus may have been too ambitious in recording the album; mixing genres of music that do not seem to fit together.
Shaft comes off as a bit of a mess, for it is driven by Brandon’s mindless screaming of “Shaft!” This is just one of several examples of this, conveying the idea that “Fungus Amongus” may have served better as a more straightforward funk-rock record. Despite its flaws, “Fungus Amongus” is an interesting and rather solid debut album from a band attempting to find themselves. Incubus would continue to grow and change from this point, but for what it’s worth, this is a great funk-rock record.
Recommended Tracks:
You Will Be a Hot Dancer
Speak Free
Psycopsilocybin
Sink Beneath the Line
Incubus as of 1995:
Brandon Boyd - Vocals
Mike Eizinger - Guitar
Dirk Lance - Bass
Jose Pasillas - Drums
