Funk Metal

Primary Stylistic Influences (70s Punk):

• Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Funk, Funk Rock

Secondary Stylistic Influences (70s Punk):

• Alternative Rock; in some cases Punk Rock, Hardcore Punk, Post-Punk, Soul, Reggae and Hip-Hop

So, let's say you've got two genres that are great on their own, namely Funk and Heavy Metal. What happens when you put them together? Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Take Funk Rock, replace the rock with Heavy Metal, turn up the amps and rock out. Emerged in The '80s and became really popular in The '90s. Can frequently overlap with Nu Metal, Rap Metal or Alternative Metal.

Examples:

• Clutch (also Blues Rock and Alternative Metal, early material is Noise Rock and Post-Hardcore)
• Death Angel (Frolic Through the Park to Killing Season, also thrash metal; the founding lineup pursued a more straightforward funk metal sound as The Organization after they broke up)
• Faith No More (though they also count as Progressive Metal at least some of the time)
  • Mr. Bungle
• Fishbone
• Guano Apes
• Incubus
• Jane's Addiction
• Living Colour
• Maximum the Hormone (They also self define as Nu Metal.)
• Mordred (also thrash metal)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
• Rage Against the Machine (also Rap Metal)
  • Audioslave
  • Street Sweeper Social Club
• Primus
  • Frizzle Fry (1990)
  • Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991)
• Snot
• Suicidal Tendencies
  • Infectious Grooves
• Extreme (no matter what their Black Sheep Hits may lead you to believe, also Hair Metal and Progressive Rock)
• Bang Tango
• Ugly Kid Joe
• The Rollins Band
• 24-7 Spyz
• The Dan Reed Network
• I Mother Earth
• 311
• Shootyz Groove
• Sugar Ray (mostly early on)
• Orange 9mm
• Mind Funk
• Steve Salas
• TM Stevens
• Royal Crescent Mob
• Jimmies Chicken Shack
• Mind Heavy Mustard
• Zebrahead (Band) (mixed with Pop Punk and Rap Rock)
• Finger Eleven (on some of their later albums at least, far more prominent with their "Letters from Chutney" from 1995 back when they were known as the "Rainbow Butt Monkeys")
• Alien Ant Farm
• Lucy Brown
• Follow For Now
• Uncle Mingo
• Yolk
• Chronic Future
• Chucklehead
• Phunk Junkeez
• Royal Jelly
• Skunk Anansie
• Super Junky Monkey (an all-female example)
• Trepalium (Mixes this with Technical Death Metal and Groove Metal. Yes, really.)
• Atheist (Mostly a Technical Death Metal band, but Unquestionable Presence and Elements demonstrate a considerable influence from Latin music as well as funk.)

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The Funk Metal genre contains the following tropes:

• Alternative Metal: Almost all of the bands classified as Funk Metal could be classified as this as well. In fact, Funk Metal is arguably a subgenre of it.
  • Nu Metal: A derivative of the genre, and some later Funk Metal bands count as this as well (ie Korn, Limp Bizkit and arguably Snot as well).
• Hair Metal: Most of the bands that don't also count as Alternative Metal can be considered this as well, Extreme being the foremost example.
• Piss-Take Rap: Some bands singers' count as this, though many are either competent rappers or don't try to rap at all.
• Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Some bands have shades of this. Not anywhere near universal, though.
• Rap Metal: While not mutually exclusive, crossovers between funk metal and rap metal are fairly common. Bands like Chronic Future, Maximum the Hormone, Zebrahead and early Sugar Ray often use rapped vocals.
• Ur-Example: "Super Stupid" by Funkadelic can be considered one of the earliest examples, as it took a metallic sound and infused their trademark Funk elements into it.
  • "N.I.B." by Black Sabbath could also be considered an early example due to its heavy focus on a wah wah infused bassline.

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