The world of alternative metal owes a lot to the soulful innovations of the mighty Fishbone. The 'Truth And Soul' record was a wonderful vacation into a world a galaxy away from metal, but on 'The Reality...', and after bands such as Faith No More, Mordred and Living Colour had stirred up the void of stagnant metal, things would be different as more mainstream acts such as Anthrax promoted the talents of such acts, collaborating with them and praising them as the second coming. Of course, Fishbone, Mordred, FNM et al, were pretty much THE second coming, a new wave of creative hard rock beyond the imaginings of blood-soaked metal fans, with some still standing agog and sneering in disgust at the sound of heavy guitars laced with funky horns, cool scratches and samples, soul-filled vocals and ska anthems. Fishbone should have been massive, 'The Reality...' being their defining moment of classy and imaginative rock that swayed like the most majestic of palm trees. The talented Angelo Moore breath-takingly sparring with the schizophrenic sounds on offer, and the messages were as clear as any Public Enemy record, from political gestures to songs of the street, truly inspirational snippets from the mesmerising and catchy and uplifting 'Everyday Sunshine', the more gloomy 'Sunless Saturday', the slo-burning and stoned 'Pray To The Junkiemaker' and funk strut of 'So Many Millions'. Fishbone remain such an inspirational band, and when the term 'funk metal' was introduced, forget your slap-happy imitators and white boy infiltrators, Fishbone was the word.
8/10
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