Fishbone: Mutant Genes That Infected Alternative Rock from the Shadows

Fishbone was practically born with the ’80s. But their music, far from being washed away by commercial tides, lodged itself like a radiant thorn in the heart of the underground. Alongside bands like King's X and Prong, they became part of a strange lineage — those who never conquered the top but ended up holding it from below. Their influence became the hidden foundation of what would later explode as the alternative wave of the ’90s.

Fishbone’s lineage wasn't improvised. Embedded in their DNA are The Clash, Curtis Mayfield, Parliament Funkadelic, The Specials, and of course, the indomitable Bad Brains. From there comes their calculated chaos, atomic energy, and their uncanny ability to collapse genres and rise from the rubble. Undisputed parents of the genre fusion that later caught fire in the ’90s.

It’s no coincidence that Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Living Colour, No Doubt, Mr. Bungle, The Aquabats, Primus, and Faith No More — all of them sound alchemists — name Fishbone as a direct reference. Fishbone doesn’t make music — they unleash storms. Their sound is a radioactive mix of funk, rock, ska, punk, soul, reggae, and heavy metal. An emotional bomb that never stops detonating. Listening to albums like Truth and Soul, The Reality of My Surroundings, or Give a Monkey a Brain... is like getting electrocuted and asking for a stronger jolt.

Today, Stockholm Syndrome continues that unpredictable and ferocious saga. The first shot, Last Call in America, raises the stakes from the first second. George Clinton appears like a sacred apparition, fusing the intensity of James Brown’s Living in America with the funk-punk irreverence of The Magnificent Seven by The Clash. The message is clear: Fishbone isn’t playing around.

The attack continues with Adolescent Regressive Behavior, a track that dives headfirst into ska and funk, splashed with punk, to deliver a searing critique of modern society. Nothing is subtle. Everything is necessary.

Dog Eat Dog sets the album on fire: rock and funk combined in an incendiary blend that reminds us why Red Hot, Faith No More, and Rancid owe so much to these pioneers. Then comes Suckered by Sabotage, a tripped-out journey between punk and reggae that points straight at the spirit of Bad Brains. Because trying to understand Fishbone without talking about Bad Brains is like trying to read without knowing the alphabet.

Tracks like Secret Police reveal the roots of the wildest ideas of Mike Patton, Jonathan Davis, and company. There’s no mystery: they listened closely. In Why Do You Keep on Dying, the band plunges into a furious, hypnotic, devastating reggae. There’s no posing here — just mastery.

Hellhounds on My Trail is a commanding ska piece, one that could put titans like Operation Ivy or Rancid on edge. Then comes Racist Piece of Shit, keeping the sonic line with a load of social critique that burns like acid, driven by a rhythm section that crushes without mercy.

And just when you think you’ve heard it all, Living on the Upside Down hits. It’s the breaking point — a deep, provocative track that sounds like a brutal upgrade of the Fishbone sound, tackling technological themes with stunning clarity. It’s a jolt. A manifesto disguised as a song.

Stockholm Syndrome is a colossal record. Another jewel in the arsenal of a band that, against all odds, keeps creating as if time didn’t exist. Their influence is undeniable. Their creative power, untouched. And if you’re still doubting, just listen to how they close: a track that sounds like Free Bird played by Procol Harum in a parallel universe. How many bands can pull that off?