Music in the 1990s is hard to classify; rock has splintered into so many different forms that simple classification is no longer possible. Terms like "alterna-chord bore rock" and "post-industrial techno rock" fester like boils on the ass of rock music; they say nothing about the music itself, they are merely tags to appease the simple minded. In truth, music is much more important than the label tagged to it, and the band Incubus understands this. The members of Incubus, who just released their first major-label album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., can’t seem to name what they do, but they know it works for them and for their fans, and trying to call it something has become a bit of a joke.

"It’s in-between disco and death metal," chuckled Incubus bassist Alex Katunich from a pay phone in Mobile, Alabama while on tour. "I have a hard time classifying it because there’s a lot of influences and a lot of stuff going on. It’s not just one thing. I don’t even think you can even classify it in one genre. It’s just a bunch of different stuff."

In order to describe the music of Incubus, one really has to hear it, but it is possible to give a clue or two as to what this quintet does. Incubus is on tour right now with 311 and Sugar Ray, and are by far the hardest act on the bill. However, many critics have likened the music of Incubus not so much to it’s current touring partners, but more to that of Korn and Rage Against The Machine. It’s that brand of harder-edged, hip-hop-influenced rock, created here by the thick funk bass of Katunich, the sometimes-lilting sometimes-screaming vocals of Brandon Boyd, the thick rock guitar of Mike Einziger, the heavy tribal drums of Jose Pasillas and DJ Lyfe’s wicked turntable techniques. It might be easy to draw comparisons between Incubus and other bands of the same ilk, but this stuff is a bit more eclectic, running the gambit from hard-core rock, to dark and spacey compositions of samples and scratches, and even disco lounge music.

"I think the Korn thing has a lot to do with being on the same label. Immortal is pretty small; it only has a few bands. And we’ve spent some time on the road with Korn. But nowadays, if you’re heavy, there are only a couple of bands they want to compare you to anyway," explained Katunich. "If you have any rap whatsoever, you are Rage Against The Machine. If you have dissident harmony stuff or hip-hop stuff, you’re Rage or Korn. I think it’s an oversimplification of what’s going on. I don’t think you could listen to S.C.I.E.N.C..E. all the way through and then turn around and say ‘Well, that’s a lot like that Korn record’ or ‘that Rage record.’ If you heard just a bit piece of it, you might be able to nail it like that. But there’s a lot more going on."

Perhaps the uncanny side comes not only from the variety of members, all of whom are treated as equals amongst the group, but also from a bit of an unorthodox writing process. "We don’t write the way a lot of other bands write. A lot of bands will write, like, thirty songs for a record and then pick, like, 12 . Well, we wrote about 12," jokes Katunich, but he then gets a bit more serious.

"We’re really critical of our stuff. This time out, we rented a room not too far from where we all live. It had a 24-hour lockout—we could go in there anytime we wanted. We spent about a month and a half. Somebody would come in with an idea and someone else would grab it and start brainstorming. Some song were finished quickly and some took a few months overall to put together. If one didn’t sound like it was going to turn out to be a good song, we dropped it."

Incubus latest record, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., hit the racks a couple of months ago, and while it is not flying off the racks, it is enjoying a slow, steady climb. About six months ago, the band released a 6-song EP, its first release on Epic Records’ subsidiary, Immortal. Before that, Incubus only had one other album; it was a 10-song LP released on San Diego independent label, Red Eye Records, and the band only printed 1000 copies, all of which are gone. The difference between the independent Red Eye and the corporate, Sony-owned Epic/Immortal label is not something that Incubus has really felt. With Red Eye, the label simply printed and distributed only 1000 copies of an album, so the guys in the band never felt like part of the label’s stable. With Epic/Immortal, Incubus is one little band on a very big label.

"We’re just now starting to see what Sony and Epic can do. They’re such a huge corporation that it takes time to awaken the sleeping giant. They don’t just jump on your shit right off the bat, unless they know they can make a quick buck off you," says Katunich, who knows that the business looks kindly on those who spend little of the label’s money. "We’re the cheapest touring band on Epic right now. Nobody tours for less than we do. If we do it all the right way and as cheaply as possible, they’ll stay off our backs. After all, at some point, they look at the bottom line—how much money you spend versus how many records you sell. We’re just trying to keep a low profile. I’m sure when things pick up, they’ll be ready to support us. We do our thing and they do theirs, and it just seems to work out."

Incubus is just happy to be making music, and hopes that their future stays as bright as it seems. All the guys are looking forward to 1998, hoping the record hits it big. According to Katunich, the label is supposed to push some of the material off S.C.I.E.N.C.E. to the radio, and the band will continue to tour in support of their music.

"We’re just working it slow and steady," says Katunich with a wishful confidence.

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