Now a huge turn to some of the more controversial genres out there (one I must admit I'm far from being a fan of the vast majority of bands but the few I like I truly love). None other than
Rap (and funk)
Metal/ Nu Metal:
Faith No More - The Real Thing (1989): We all saw Faith No More's name coming and while many would pick Angel Dust as their favorite record I must go with the band's breakthrough third studio effort. The only problem with it is rookie Mine Patton's nasal vocalization... and I don't know if that was something the rest of the guys asked him to do since the many songs from The Real Thing that are featured in the following live album show Mr. Patton with the monster voice he since then greeted us with (without shadow of doubt one of the best singers in all rock history). Then the album is simply all killer and no filler. Either be it through funky takes like Epic, Underwater Love, Falling To Pieces and The Morning After or by long and intricate mixes of influences in the title track, Woodpeckers From Mars and Zombie Eaters, the band nails it all perfectly and still has time to unleash a semi Thrash Metal attack in Surprise You're Dead, some lounge soundscapes on The Edge Of The World and wrap it up with a superb version of Sabbath's War pigs. This record is a game changer... a kaleidoscope of colors and moods that would soon influence millions of acts in the following decade and beyond. And (needless to say) a masterpiece.
Body Count - Body Count (1992): Many may not know but Mr. Ice-T while making his ascension as a rapper has been a metal enthusiast since young age especially when it came to Sabbath and Slayer. So when his friend Ernie C suggested they could form a metal band, Ice-T was all in. And this record shows these dudes were really in for it. Body Count's In The House is one of the most iconic Rap Metal songs ever, with the title track and Momma's Gotta Die Tonight following the same pattern when it came to music and lyrics (racism, urban violence, social affairs and police brutality). On the other hand some songs are daring more into metal territory like There Goes The Neighborhood, the hilarious Evil Dick or the hugely controversial Cop Killer. Overall this was the first chapter of a long career with its ups and downs (RIP D-Roc) but nonetheless a hugely influential album.
Living Colour - Stain (1993): By their third record Living Color was already a stronghold when it came to their brand of funk metal. And although not capturing quite the same media attention that its predecessors did I believe that Stain shows this quartet of virtuosos at their creative peak. Filled with immediate hits filled with juicy stuff and cleverly built like Leave It Alone, Bi, Nothingness or Wall riding alongside fat chunks of hybrid funk/ blues heaviness on Auslander, Never Satisfied and Postman these guys still manage to deliver some brutal blows on beats like Go Away, This Little Pig and Mind Your Own Business. Diving even more into social issues this record is really something and when it comes to musical skill it once again proves Vermon Reid, Danny Glover, Dough Wimbish and Will Calhoun can go shoulder to shoulder with any band in the planet.
Infectious Grooves - Groove Family Cyco/ Snapped Lika Mutha (1994): IG is normally known as Mike Muir and Rob Trujillo's side project. But when their third album came out fact Suicidal Tendencies' quality releases were at an all time low while Infectious Grooves were perfecting their brand of Funk Metal on every release. From the get go Violent & Funky let's you know what this is once again all about: having a ball while listening to some out of this world riffage and especially bass lines. Boom Boom Boom follows and man... what is this witchcraft Rob is pulling here? Seriously... this dude is one the best bass players in rock (it really saddens me how badly exploited is his talent in Metallica). The same works for Die Like A Pig (that even features some Cannibal Corpse like riff. And what to say about lyrics like "Die lika pig you pig"? Pure philosophy). Then there's the RATM diatribe on Do What I Tell Ya. But truth be told there isn't a single skip it like track here. Funny and awesome material all the way.
Senser - Stacked Up (1994): It really stuns me how these guys didn't manage to become one of the greatest acts when it comes to Rap Metal. When Stacked Up was released me and my circle of friends agreed on what a monster of a record it was. And the majority of us weren't even into Rap Metal. Back to the album: besides Heitham's machine gun speed rapping and Kerstin's gorgeous voice, Senser brings some Clawfinger like guitar and layers of samples and turn tables resulting in an absolute feast. It often transcends the genre and go into more alternative venues, electronic and ambient music. Songs like State Of Mind, The Key, Switch, Eject, Age Of Panic and Stubborn granted the band huge sales, even entering the UK charts. But soon the success would fade and the circumstances of the quick rise and even quicker demise of this English collective still remain a mystery to me.
Stuck Mojo - Pigwalk (1996): With their second full length release Stuck Mojo wanted to add a strong industrial feel to it alongside their brand of Rapping Hardcore like Nu Metal. So what better way to aid them in the process than recruiting SYL's mastermind Devin Townsend to infuse them with industrial mayhem while producing the record. And man... when it comes to heaviness and intensity Pigwalk makes almost any other band in the genre sound like elevator music. Bonz's frantic rap like hardcore bursts lie upon Rich's deeply Helmet influenced riffage on steroids with everything turned at 11. Seriously, once you get blown away by the opening title track you're in for a whirlwind of sound that only ceases when the record ends. Pigwalk, Here Comes The Monster, Violated, Animal (featuring Dev in the chorus) and the strongly industrial metal vibes of Down Breeding are among the best cuts of what I consider to be the more intense and violent record in the genre. Absolutely brutal.
Clawfinger - Clawfinger (1997): It was a close call between this album and the band's debut but in the end I went with Clawfinger's self titled. Arguably the oldest Rap Metal band, these guys from Sweden really came with a bang on their third record. And this time they're all over the place, be it by using loops of middle eastern music on the opener Two Sides and Don't Wake Me Up, throat singing samples on the bombastic Hold Your Head Up, some country interludes in Nobody Knows or even borderline Punk on Not Even you fact is the band seems comfortable in every skin they sneak their Rap Metal skeleton into. But is in more traditional Clawfinger type songs that this thing really makes your blood boil. Chances, I'm Your Life And Religion and especially The Biggest And The Best are indeed energy filled cuts that once again prove these guys are and always have been on the front of the pack when it comes to this genre.
Rage Against the Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles (1999): Unlike many I was never impressed with RATM's first two albums and always found them overrated. That however was about to change with the release of their third album. Here Morello and company injected more funk than ever in their Rap Metal and the result IMO was a significant improvement. Plus there is some later 70's rock aftertaste, like the band let their Hendrix and MC5 influences show a bit more. And that immediately shows on the excellent opener Testify, the intense Sleep Now In The Fire, as well as New Millenium Homes, Maria and Voice Of The Voiceless. Sure there are more Rap metal driven tracks closer to their early material in Calm Like A Bomb, Born Of A Broken Man, War Within A Breath and the absolutely bombastic Guerrilla Radio (Zack and Tim own this song). Once again the lyrics are strongly entrenched in left wing rhetoric but fact is, either you share their point of view or not, RATM's last album is indeed worth listening to.
The Mad Capsule Markets - Osc-Dis (1999): Now if you don't know TMCM I seriously recommend you to listen to the chaos this Japanese trio manages to unleash. Mixing their Rap Core with a plethora of samples, electronic effects and recurring several times to drum n' bass breakbeats in a frenzy of distortion you're in for a ride if you like these elements. While there are a handful of tracks that may transpire this somewhat "WTF is this pop punk passage doing here?" feeling relentless pounding intensity and energy is the main word of order. Tribe, Mob Track, Restart, Multiplies and Jag are all stuff with electricity enough to light a small town for a considerable amount of time. But my absolute favorite is Out Definition. IMO paramedics should blast that song in case a defribilator is not enough. This thing is pure sonic adrenaline.
Static-X - Machine (2001): We already knew Wayne Static's (RIP) band was what you get from a cleverly cooked mix of White Zombie, Ministry and Nu Metal and that they reached success while doing so. But on their sophomore Static-X wanted to push the whole damn thing to a new level. Way heavier, as one can immediately notice on Get To The Gone, the band seems to rely much more in guitar sharp riffs and industrial grooves with this one. Of Course there are fairly Nu Metal tunes here like Cold, Black And White or the title track but IMO what gets this machine really rolling is when it's fueled with Ministry like repetitive pounding riffs, especially in songs like This Is Not, Permanence, Otsego Undead and Structural Defect. Machine is not a masterpiece but surely has flashes of greatness and if you like either Nu Metal or Industrial Metal I think you'll find something really cool for you to sink your teeth in on this one.
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