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Alternative band

Funk, thrash-rock, and hip-hop band Incubus combine elements of various music styles to forge their own unique musical identity. Incubus mixes speed rock with funk and hip-hop, metal music with rap, jazz with thrash-rock, and 1970s-sounding riffs with chanting and funk music. The band is comprised of vocalist Brandon Boyd, guitarist Michael Einziger, bassist Alex Katunich (DJ Killmore), and drummer Jose Pasillas. Band Members purposely avoid musical categorization, preferring instead to play a combination of whichever musical styles inspire them. Mike Savoia of the Rocket described Incubus as, "a '90s melting pot of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sugar Ray, War, Faith No More, Devo, Average White Band and the kitchen sink. " Pete Prown of Guitar Shop wrote, "Picture a funkier, more street-savvy Alice in Chains, and you'll be on the right Incubus track. This ain't your father's heavy metal."

Vocalist/percussionist Brandon Boyd and drummer Jose Pasillas went to elementary school together in Calabasas, California, a semi-rural bedroom community north of Los Angeles. In middle school, they met guitarist Mike Einziger and in high school the three became friends with bassist Alex Katunich, who was playing in a jazz band at the time. They formed Incubus in 1991 when they were all fifteen.

As teens, the four members of Incubus loved a variety of music. They listened to and were influenced by Iron Maiden, Ella Fitzgerald, Slayer, Santana, Steve Vai, Primus, and Rage Against the Machine. The band played for parties for a year and, by 1992, they began playing at all-ages clubs in the San Fernando Valley and at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip. One day Einziger found a hundred-dollar bill on the ground. "That's when you had to buy tickets and sell them in order to play the Strip," Einziger is quoted in and Epic press release. The day he found the money, he went to the Roxy, bought tickets, booked a show, and the result was an expanded audience for Incubus.

DJ Lyfe joined the band in 1995 and was later replaced by DJ Killmore. Band members prefer to use the turntable as an instrument with its own distinct sound as opposed to the sound of someone scratching a snare drum. In 1995, the band released the EP Fungus Among Us on Red Eye Records with Jim Wirt as producer. Only 1,000 copies were released and the EP has been unavailable since. The band's high-energy live performances, growing fan base, and flexible amalgamation of musical styles sparked a bidding war between labels. Immortal/Epic Records signed the band, and Incubus released the EP Enjoy Incubusin early 1997. The EP contained six remixed songs that were previously recorded as demos, and the band toured with Korn, the Urge, 311, and Sugar Ray to supportine release of their EP and their debut album S.C.I.E.N.C.E., as well. Incubus was also featured on the soundtrack for the film Spawn in 1997.

S.C.I.E.N.C.E., the band's 1997 debut release, featured an underlying positive theme through stories of space, relationships, and socio-political issues. The lyrics were penned by Boyd and his views were most strident in "My Favorite Things" a song about the constricting influence of organized religion, "New Skin" addresses the benefit of creation through chaos, and "Redefine" is about the importance of taking control of your life. Sliver Magazine's Z.A. wrote of S.C.I.E.N.C.E., "In my opinion, this is up for album of the year. Just flat out amazing.

Combining brutal, funkesque slap bass, slick drums with a slight jazz influence and thick, hard-hitting guitars, Incubus is playing a sound pioneered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but are beating the innovators at their own game.... Overall, this album is one of the best of 1997."

Savoia wrote, "S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is high-energy ... with phat beats and grooves ... psycho pop rock... smooth low-rider sounds ... and jazzing soulful rock overtones ... they boldy go where many rock bands have feared to tread in rock music. Don't let a friend borrow this CD, I guarantee you won't see it again for a long time ! " Prown mused, "Bands like Run D.M.C, and San Francisco's Mordred pioneered the coming together of hip-hop and metal, and today that legacy can be heard in Incubus.... Clearly, there's no shortage of fine musicianship in this quintet."

Incubus is part of a new generation of bands that are creating alloys with a diverse spectrum of influences; bands such as Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Sevendust, Coal Chamber, and System of A Down also reflect farreaching influences and a trend toward "melting pot" music that fuses rap, rock, jazz, hip-hop, funk, metal, and ska. Boyd told Alternative Press'J.P., "I think that the vast majority of youth today are into a lot of different things—and not just metal, or just rap. There are certain scenes, but I think that this generation is more eclectic." Most musicians usually have one style in mind when they start a band, but Boyd told Alternative Press that he and his bandmates got together to play "any" music.

The band's live performances have warranted media attention, primarily because of their high energy levels, teeming mosh pits, and exuberant, head-banging fans. Boyd's vocal style is a combination of singing, screaming, and even screeching—which seems appropriate for a band with such diverse influences as Ella Fitzgerald and Iron Maiden. Sliver Magazine's Z.A. wrote, "If you get a chance, catch their live show, as you will not regret it." Jennifer Clay of Guitar For The Practicing Musician summed up the Incubus performing style when writing, "What separates this SoCal-based group apart from the others is the charismatic stage presence of vocalist Boyd and the quirky guitar bites Einziger creates. In fact, some of the freaky noises the guitarist makes—like the bird chirps in 'My Favorite Things'—ring like they're coming from a disc... While not traditional guitar rock with traditional guitar solos, Einziger still gets his metal 'solo' in on 'Shaft,' his rock moves on in 'Hiliku,' and his jazz noodle on in 'Deep Inside.'"

Boyd told J. P. of Alternative Press, "Incubus will always be a work in progress because we are constantly evolving, and we're not really conscious of direction." He then added, "I think because we've never had just one sound, our audience respects us. We're out to take them on a little adventure that's just ours."

—B. Kimberly Taylor