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Science Faxtion: Living on another frequency

06/04/10 || InquisitorGeneralis

Some albums just make you say “what the holy nunfucking hell is this?” and demand your instant attention. “Living on another frequency” elicited such a reaction from the Inquisitor. Science Faxtion is an experimental funk/metal band featuring funkmaster legend deluxe Bootsy Collins of Parliament fame, guitar wunderkind Buckethead, and former Primus and current Guns and Rose drummer Brain “Brain” Mantia. Public Enemy Number One and original gangster Chuck D even makes a vocal appearance on here. Don’t worry though, this is no hip-hop album. Lord knows what kind of funk went up Bootsy’s nose when he put this monstrosity together…

“Living on another frequency” has some dead on hits and some way off the fucken mark misses. I give this odd bunch credit for trying to mix styles and talents but serious inconsistency really brings this record down. The “Sci-Fax” theme is some whacked out spoken intro over electronic beats and definitely sets the weird vibe that flows through “Licking on a dozen penises”. “Looking for eden” is a solid opener and actually does reach a nice combination of funk and metal. Greg Hampton’s vocals are 100% clean but surprisingly enjoyable. Buckethead actually gives a somewhat reserved (for him) performance and does not drown out the rest of the band.

Bootsy’s bass is on point and he tosses in some enjoyable, funky keyboard/organ sections too. While I have never seen “Brain” Mantia as an incredible or outstanding drummer he manages to keep a decent groove going for most of “Living in another frequency”. There are a few jazzy/technical parts and some double-pedal parts tossed in to spice things up a bit. Still, Mantia is no Tim Alexander… or Steven “I love heroin” Adler either.

“At any cost” and “Chaos in motion” up the heavy factor but, to be honest, I enjoy the funkier tunes quite a bit more. For a moment I thought I was listening to Static X during “At any cost” and that just scared the beejeezus out of me. “Chaos in motion” though is a decent song with a frenetic pace. It is clear that these five are impeccable musicians, but consistency and continuity are not always there on “Living on another frequency”. The turntables courtesy of DJ “Tobotius” could go, that’s for sure. Limb Bizkit combined DJ:ing with metal and we certainly don’t need any more of that do we? “Take you down” and “Fatally flawed flesh” at least bring things back to a more funk-flavored metal vibe and stop the second half of the disc falling into mediocrity.

I was expecting “Living on another frequency” to be a potent mix of “Maggotbrain”-style crazy funk and “Midlife Crisis” alternative metal. In some respects, “Looking for eden” and “Take you down” it delivers but there are some tracks on “Living…” that are completely skipable and unappealing. I give these guys credit for bringing an impressive collection of diverse styles, skills, and creativity together. For that Science Faxtion is worth a shot for any open-minded metalhead who is not afraid to step outside the box. Even though “Living on another frequency” is no masterpiece it is creative and ultimately somewhat enjoyable.

6,5

Information
Released: 2008
Label: Mascot
Website: Science Faxtion MySpace
Band
Bootsy Collins: bass, vocals, keyboards, guitar
Greg Hampton: vocals, guitar
Buckethead: guitar, bass
Bryan “Brain” Mantia: drums, programming
Tobe “Tobotius” Donohue: turntables, programming

Tracklist
01. Sci-Fax Theme
02. Lookin’ for Eden
03. At Any Cost
04. Chaos in Motion
05. Famous
06. L.O.A.F
07. Gone Tomorrow
08. Life-IS IN-Deliver
09. Take You Down
10. What It Is
11. Fatally Flawed Flesh
12. I See Rockets
13. ZIONPLANET10

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