The hallmarks of funk metal—delirious slap bass, spiky guitar riffs and freaky syncopation—can be traced back to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ early albums. Prior to their alt-rock heyday, Flea and co. largely pioneered the unlikely fusion of popping funk and the nascent thrash movement on their self-titled ‘84 debut and 1987’s The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. Throughout the late '80s and early '90s, the genre flourished thanks to artists such as Fishbone (who added horns), Faith No More (who turned up the riffage) and Living Colour (who added dizzying levels of musicianship). Though not strictly a West Coast thing, most of funk metal's prime movers and dabblers came out of California; the style even wormed its way into the hair-metal scene, with bands like Extreme and Bang Tango adding some grooviness to their Aqua Net foundations.