Besides Prince, there hasn't been another artist or band thats deeply affected the way I listen, take in, and perceive music more than Faith No More have. I was only the ripe young age of 12 when they initially called it a day in April of 1998, and the summer of 99 was when I discovered them. As a new teenager, FNM took over my world. All of my friends (and myself) were heavily into Korn and Limp Bizkit as they were huge at the time, but I kept FNM to myself. I didnt want any of them to know about MY band. This was my secret. As 8th grade ended and I reached my Freshmen year of high school, my tastes started to change and I began to seriously broaden my horizons. And while I never forgot about my beloved FNM, I listened to them less and less but still put them on every once in a while. Skip a bunch of years to 2006. I was 20, and I was going to the local community college. I met a girl there whom I proceeded to fall head over heels in love with, and everything in my life was going swimmingly. One night, while spending time with this elusive girl, she proceeded to rip my still-beating heart out of my chest by giving me the bad news that another guy had swooped in and wifed her up. I understand now that she was only keeping her options open, but man did it totally fuckin' hurt like hell when it happened. Well, I needed something to lift my spirits, besides drinking and smoking other "Spirits". There was one night in particular where I was fully wallowing in my heartache, and I decided to put on FNM's criminally overlooked King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime album. I hadn't heard it in quite a while, and it just totally flipped my script. Maybe it was my heartache or general vulnerable "Emo-ness", but that album spoke to me like I was hearing it for the very first time all over again. After this night, I re-discovered Faith No More as a young adult. While I was amazed and wholly entertained by their music as a young buck, the band's music took on a whole new meaning and scope through my older ears, and 9 years later Faith No More continues to stand as my be-all end-all. Prince and Faith No More as my two very favorite music-makers? Not too bad, huh?

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After FNM had their reunion from 09-12, the dirty question was whether or not they would create new music. Patton said "NO!", while Billy Gould didnt rule it out by giving vague, indirect answers to questions over the subject. All the while, they created social media outlets like Twitter, Instagram and the like. In doing so, they would post pictures of the band in rehearsal with quotes underneath like "While the reunion was fun, its time to start getting a little creative." After debuting 2 new songs while opening for the Mighty Black Sabbath in London last summer, FNM finally made it official that yes, a new album was being worked on for a May 2015 release. And as a fan, I had mixed thoughts. Of course, I was over the moon that I personally was going to be around for a new FNM record (much less new FNM music in 18 years), but I was skeptical as well. The body of work the band left behind when they broke up in 1998 is hollowed ground, and the sheer thought of the band releasing something inferior to their past work gave me crazy anxiety. One thing I can say about my guys is that they've been very giving in terms of letting the new music out for all to hear. Theres been 2 official singles so far off of Sol Invictus, and theres also been excellent quality live footage of other new songs as well. Everything I've heard so far sounds good, but I wanted to give my official stamp of approval once I heard the entire studio record.

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As is the norm nowadays, the album has just leaked. I tried telling myself that of all bands I should wait until the day of release to hear their album for, it's Faith No More. Yeah, fuck that. I jumped on it right away, and I'm here to tell you what I think about the new album since the type of audience that roams through these forums deserves an honest recap of an insanely-anticipated record.

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HOLY SHIT, ITS FRESH! Faith No More hasnt skipped a beat, and this album is going to leave you beautifully perplexed. FNM's greatest asset is their ability to tackle any style of music and not only do it exceptionally well, but also come across as both sincere while still being 100% FNM. Some of the music on this album is very challenging, and repeated listens are certainly required to take it all in. And while those repeated listens are mandatory, none of the album sounds bad upon the first spin. The time apart has been a gift as well for the band since the individual performances of the members gives a clear indication over how much they've all grown as musicians (Roddy, in particular). Simply put: I dont think FNM of 1997 would be able to muster up this set of songs. The songs are sophisticated, colorful, highly energetic, expertly-performed and ALWAYS tongue in-cheek in which FNM has established their calling card on.

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I feel like I'm coming off as somebody whos going to sing this record's praise simply because its music I've waited quite some time to hear, and that anything they'll release is bulletproof to me. No, quite the contrary. I have lots of listening to go with Sol Invictus to fully appreciate and acknowledge what the hells going on in it. Faith No More cut their teeth on releasing music that confounded their audience and it was to be expected with this. But, they've outdone themselves with this one. The songs I find most jaw-droppingly accomplished in throwing me off are "Sunny Side Up", "Cone of Shame", "Rise of the Fall", and the title track. But I know within my heart of hearts I'll be fully enthralled with this album with a little elbow grease, and clean ears. The production is dense, and theres A LOT going on in the background. So please don't get it twisted: They didn't release a piece of dog shit simply to cash a fat paycheck. There was some serious hard-work and deep thought into making it. Youll hear it for yourself.

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While some of the more-difficult songs are going to take some getting used to, they managed to sprinkle a couple more direct songs on it as well. 2 songs that lay it all out there with sparkling beauty are the final two songs of the record, "Matador" (another tune played live a couple years before it's official release here) and "From the Dead". I can't get enough of the latter. Its simplicity leads way for Mike Patton to deliver one of his finest, pretty vocal performances I've ever heard him give. If you happen to be a major Patton fan and are reading this, think "Retrovertigo" or "The Last to Know" as examples of where he takes this little number. The song almost leaves you sitting in happy silence, a comfortable feeling of ease and satisfaction.

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To close this little review out, I'd like to end it with a couple more thoughts. First, I think the album has the potential to really turn some heads, even of those that aren't FNM fans exactly. If this album is marketed right and it happens to go viral, it could win the band a good amount of new fans that enjoy a challenge with their music and entertainment. Billy Gould wasnt lying when he said the album doesnt sound like anything around today, and such originality usually doesnt go unnoticed. I also feel that these songs are REALLY going to breathe in a live setting. FNM is a live band at heart, but they've even admitted that sometimes the music they create loses it's energy once put to tape and on record and Sol Invictus' songs are no exception. I've also read that a total of 25 songs were written and recorded for this album, so we've got an additional 15 songs unreleased by the band so hopefully the chances of hearing those are VERY good. Fanboy flag-waving aside, it really seems the music world is genuinely delighted and excited for the return of Faith No More, and an album as forward-thinking and exciting as this is hopefully going to do some great things for both the band and a large crowd of music consumers indifferent towards the musical landscape of today that have all but given up hopes of hearing genuine music from the heart and not the marketing offices trying to sell "The Next Big Thing". Ladies and Gentlemen, lets all welcome back with open arms the wonderful Faith No More! We've missed the hell out of you guys..

[Edited 4/18/15 7:49am]

[Edited 4/18/15 20:51pm]

Oh boy. Could somebody be a true friend, and please explain to me how to break that block of text up into the paragraphs I intended this write-up to include? It looks horrible and painful to read. Thank you in advance!

[Edited 4/18/15 6:11am]

kygermo said:

Oh boy. Could somebody be a true friend, and please explain to me how to break that block of text up into the paragraphs I intended this write-up to include? It looks horrible and painful to read. Thank you in advance!

[Edited 4/18/15 6:11am]

I just stick a period in between parapraphs and hit return.

purplethunder3121 said:

kygermo said:

Oh boy. Could somebody be a true friend, and please explain to me how to break that block of text up into the paragraphs I intended this write-up to include? It looks horrible and painful to read. Thank you in advance!

[Edited 4/18/15 6:11am]

I just stick a period in between parapraphs and hit return.

Thank you. Excuse my ignorance, but I had no idea how simple it was

kygermo said:

purplethunder3121 said:

I just stick a period in between parapraphs and hit return.

Thank you. Excuse my ignorance, but I had no idea how simple it was

Whatever makes it work!

purplethunder3121 said:

kygermo said:

Thank you. Excuse my ignorance, but I had no idea how simple it was

Whatever makes it work!

Faith No More fan at all?

kygermo said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Whatever makes it work!

Faith No More fan at all?

I'm not that familiar with their work but based on your review, I'll certainly go back and listen to their albums. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for this band and your recommendation for the new album.

purplethunder3121 said:

kygermo said:

Faith No More fan at all?

I'm not that familiar with their work but based on your review, I'll certainly go back and listen to their albums. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for this band and your recommendation for the new album.

If you ask me, they're second only to the man thats brought us all together here to this forum. All I ask is you keep an extra open mind (shouldnt be hard at all considering you're a major Prince fan) as they are a little hard to digest at first. They can also get very intense too (since they have roots in metal). And even if metal may or may not be your thing, they have the ability to be ultra-heavy during one song, and disciples of the Dean Martin-esque crooner style the next. Simply put: They can (and have) do any style of music, and none of it ever sounds contrived or superficial. They're musical chameleons, and they SOUND SO COOL WHILE DOING IT! They also have one of the very best singers in the world who just recently beat Axl Rose in a test over who has the most diverse range and highest octave in music. And mind you, this was all scientific with no bias at all. Mike Patton beat out the likes of Adele, Aretha, Whitney, and Alicia Keys. If you find yourself not quite digging one song of theirs, you'll most likely dig the next. Any genuine lover of music should at least be aware of who Faith No More are, if they dont downright love them already. A music fan's dream. Please enjoy your experience in discovering them. You can obviously tell how important and special their music is to me. Give them an honest chance and they'll forever reward your ears in return

Angel Dust sounds just as good now as when it came out. Awesome album.

You forgot about Mr. Bungle. Even better.

This was a creative period. You had grunge, Oasis, Beck started, you had groups like FNM, Ween, Living Colour, Primus. Good stuff.

zennabell said:

Angel Dust sounds just as good now as when it came out. Awesome album.

Its simply just one of the very best albums ever made. Its utterly timeless and it still resonates with a ton of people even today, not to mention more and more people are stumbling upon it for the very first time. "Everything's Ruined" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. Poignant stuff man

2freaky4church1 said:

You forgot about Mr. Bungle. Even better.

I've heard that more than once that people prefer Bungle. And while I love Bungle to death, I can only listen to them here and there whereas with FNM theyre more accessable and I can play them constantly without being overwhelmed like when I play "Disco Volante" or whatever. And besides, Mr. Bungle would have ended up being some obscure band that never made it out of Encino, California if it werent for Jim Martin recognizing Patton's greatness and offering him to try out for FNM. Thank Patton's success with FNM to enable him to do Bungle as well.

kygermo said:

zennabell said:

Angel Dust sounds just as good now as when it came out. Awesome album.

Its simply just one of the very best albums ever made. Its utterly timeless and it still resonates with a ton of people even today, not to mention more and more people are stumbling upon it for the very first time. "Everything's Ruined" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. Poignant stuff man

A Small Victory, Midlife Crisis, Kindergarten, Caffeine every songs a winner.

Jim Martin had a great guitar tone and was a big part of that band.

zennabell said:

kygermo said:

Its simply just one of the very best albums ever made. Its utterly timeless and it still resonates with a ton of people even today, not to mention more and more people are stumbling upon it for the very first time. "Everything's Ruined" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. Poignant stuff man

A Small Victory, Midlife Crisis, Kindergarten, Caffeine every songs a winner.

Jim Martin had a great guitar tone and was a big part of that band.

How do you feel about King for a Day, Fool For a Lifetime? I personally love it as much as Angel Dust although for different reasons.

I feel Jim Martin was such a big part of the look and sound of the band, big loss.

Angel Dust is the only FNM album on my ipad that I never get bored of. That's not to say the other stuff isn't good too.

Mike Patton is always listenable on any album or side project.

Thanks for the review. Patton is a genius. I put him right up there with Prince(not now) and Jack White. Saw them about 20 years ago. Looking forward to their new tour.

Faith No More'

Doalwa said:

I'm really interested in checking some of their stuff out...all I really know is their fantastic cover of Easy. So, which album would you guys recommend for starting out?

Well, that all depends. What kind of music do you find yourself listening to the most? Rock? Funk? Soft-ish Rock? Once I get your answer, Ill give you the best album to check out because for some odd reason, FNM has a weird tendency of scaring people off if they hear the wrong thing first. Its like I said earlier: FNM are musical chameleons and one song is vastly different than the next. Let me know ASAP!!

mynameisnotsusan said:

I loooved The Real Thing when it came out - that album was more important than it gets credit for. I was not feeling Angel Dust the very first time I heard it when it first came out but I gave it a chance and it absolutely became one of my favourite albums and I got to see that tour which was awesome. I didn't really give King For a Day the same chance - different time and place in my life and I didn't really like Digging the Grave, I might actually give it another whirl and I'll check out the new album too - thanks for the reminder. I'm so thirsty for a great new album from a really good band.

The Real Thing is amazing for what it is, no doubt. And considering the year and time it was released, its a revolutionary album. But IMHO, I prefer the more progressive FNM since The Real Thing didnt quite display what the band could do, musically. And yeah, AD certainly isnt inviting upon first listen thats for damn sure!! But once you listen more and more, it's brilliance pretty much slaps the listener in the face and the album becomes indispensable. As for KFAD, please do listen again! I know that when it was first released, it was seen as a major let-down compared to AD but through time, its become just as important and seminal as AD. What throws alot of people off about KFAD is the fact that it sounds like 14 different worlds on one album and theres no real cohesive "sound" to it. But in actuality, its better to look at the album much like how Sign O' The Times is: Messy, Broad, and Eclectic. Much like how P does on SOTT, Faith No More displays all their talents and what they are capable of doing on KFAD. So while the album certainly is disjointed and perhaps uneven, the music itself is amazing and VERY eclectic and far-reaching. KFAD plays a lot like those classic double albums ala White Album and Exile on Main Street, but only on 1 cd. Once you see and appreciate KFAD for the madness within, its just as groundbreaking as AD was 3 years earlier. KFAD STILL sounds ahead of it's time to me. On any given day, I'd probably tell you that its my favorite FNM record.

kygermo said:

mynameisnotsusan said:

I loooved The Real Thing when it came out - that album was more important than it gets credit for. I was not feeling Angel Dust the very first time I heard it when it first came out but I gave it a chance and it absolutely became one of my favourite albums and I got to see that tour which was awesome. I didn't really give King For a Day the same chance - different time and place in my life and I didn't really like Digging the Grave, I might actually give it another whirl and I'll check out the new album too - thanks for the reminder. I'm so thirsty for a great new album from a really good band.

The Real Thing is amazing for what it is, no doubt. And considering the year and time it was released, its a revolutionary album. But IMHO, I prefer the more progressive FNM since The Real Thing didnt quite display what the band could do, musically. And yeah, AD certainly isnt inviting upon first listen thats for damn sure!! But once you listen more and more, it's brilliance pretty much slaps the listener in the face and the album becomes indispensable. As for KFAD, please do listen again! I know that when it was first released, it was seen as a major let-down compared to AD but through time, its become just as important and seminal as AD. What throws alot of people off about KFAD is the fact that it sounds like 14 different worlds on one album and theres no real cohesive "sound" to it. But in actuality, its better to look at the album much like how Sign O' The Times is: Messy, Broad, and Eclectic. Much like how P does on SOTT, Faith No More displays all their talents and what they are capable of doing on KFAD. So while the album certainly is disjointed and perhaps uneven, the music itself is amazing and VERY eclectic and far-reaching. KFAD plays a lot like those classic double albums ala White Album and Exile on Main Street, but only on 1 cd. Once you see and appreciate KFAD for the madness within, its just as groundbreaking as AD was 3 years earlier. KFAD STILL sounds ahead of it's time to me. On any given day, I'd probably tell you that its my favorite FNM record.

KFAD rules. And here is my favorite two Mr. Bungle tracks in case anyone cares:

and

hell.....while we are at it here is some Peeping Tom

and Tomahawk

I love the entire California album. "Retrovertigo", "Vanity Fair", and "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare" are just amazing. The 3 official Bungle albums are pretty crazy pieces of work, if you got the stomach for them that is. Their music certainly aint for everyone, even though Bungle themselves are suuuuuuuper influential (Looking at you System of a Down). The definition of "Avant Garde" lol. Those early demos are awesome too, and somebody did the thankless task of cleaning them up and making them shiny and neat so that people like us can go on youtube and proceed to get our heads blown off by the sheer awesomemness of them.

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And I LOVE Tomahawk, although I think I love them for all the wrong reasons because out of all of Patton's projects, they remind me of FNM the most. But their debut was a great record. The other ones...eh, spotty at best. Good shit on all of them, though. Peeping Tom is cool too. Saw Peeping Tom in 2006 at a small club in Philly, and was amazing seeing Patton in such an intimate setting. They covered "Across 110th Street" and it was the highlight of the night. And I was disappointed Rahzel didnt make an appearance that night since hes a Philly guy (and a few years later in 2010, he made an appearance during FNM's Philly gig to do "Chinese Arithmetic" much to my delight).

KingSausage said:

And I'm still depressed that I lost my Songs to Make Love To maxi single. That crazy German song was awesome. I need to track this down again. Badly.

Ah, Das Schützenfest.... yeah, got that maxi too.

KingSausage said:

And I'm still depressed that I lost my Songs to Make Love To maxi single. That crazy German song was awesome. I need to track this down again. Badly.

Das Schutzenfest of course! And my friend you're in luck: Word got out yesterday that FNM are re-releasing both The Real Thing and Angel Dust with both albums each containing a bonus disc of rarities and b-sides and the norm. AD's bonus disc (I'm pretty sure) is going to have the Songs to Make Love to tracks on it as well as a few others. I personally wont buy them again unless they're remastered (The Real Thing BADLY needs remastering), but not all hope is lost and you'll have those songs off that ep in your possession again!

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And just out of curiousity: Where are you located friend? Are you in the US or somewhere else in the world?

[Edited 4/24/15 16:44pm]

kygermo said: