Faith No More:Sol Invictus

Faith No More:Sol Invictus

2015

Reclamation/Ipecac Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Sol Invictus  2. Superhero  3. Sunny Side Up  4. Separation Anxiety  5. Cone of Shame  6. Rise of the Fall  7. Black Friday  8. Motherfucker  9. Matador  10. From the Dead

Oh yea, the band released one album between "King for a Day..." and "Sol Invictus" (1997's "Album of the Year") but I don't own a copy so I won't be covering it at this time. From what I remember it sounded like "King for a Day" with all the fun and energy sucked out of it (shhhhhluck!). I seem to remember enjoying a few songs off of it ("Stripsearch," "She Loves Me Not" and the utterly fantastic "Ashes to Ashes") but that was about it. It felt like a snoozy nod to all those shitty bands that had claimed their sound out from under them, doubling down on the cartoony heaviness but subtracting some of the cleverness.

The band broke up after "Album of the Year" and there seemed to be bad blood between the members. One of those situations where the band members would get prickly whenever asked about a reunion with lots of "it's not going to happen' answers. But then suddenly...it happened! Reunion shows and eventually a new album! And the new album is surprisingly decent!

I don't' know if the band intended it this way or not, but the album sounds very similar to "Album of the Year." But like a good version of that album. Like they took the most embarrassing artifact from their discography and redeemed it. I can't put my finger on it. Lots of shouty metal songs without a lot of mystery but there's a real spirit to it. And I know some fans were disappointed with it, but I love the first single "Motherfucker" and it's probably the best thing here. It walks that fine line that FNM walks so well: Veering between disturbing psychological drama and laugh out loud black comedy.

Mike Patton utilizes his higher register less than ever, relying more on his creepier lower voice, which was originally a hindrance to some songs that seem like they might have been better without it ("Sunny Side Up" would have benefited from a little lightness). Still it gives the album a certain consistent feel. I guess consistent is the keyword here. No wacky genre experiments (although, I for one have always loved the wacky genre experiments!) and just a commitment to flat-ass rocking and moody dirges. Is it their best album? Hell, no. I put it at the bottom of the FNM discography, just a rung above "Album of the Year." But there's a lot of play between "The Real Thing" and "Album of the Year." So even if I rank it 2nd to last in their discography, it's much closer to the fantastic "The Real Thing." if that makes sense.

Here's a chart to clarify:

1. Angel Dust
2. Introduce Yourself
3. King For a Day...Fool For a Lifetime (I've revised my opinion of this album after I listened to them all in a row. Previously, I would have ranked this album lower than "We Care A Lot" but "We Care A Lot" has a lot more filler than "King For a Day"despite having way less songs.  A highlight reel of both albums would leave "We Care A Lot" as a mini-album whereas a pruning of the overlong "King For a Day" would still be a full-length album.)
4. We Care a Lot
5.The Real Thing
6. Sol Invictus

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w
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7. Album of the Year

Alright. Enough ranking shit. Let's listen to some music. Here's "Superhero" by Faith No More. Enjoy...