For a variety of reasons, I never made it to see a FAITH NO MORE show during the band’s unrivaled prime in the 1990s, which is rather strange, in retrospect, given that I was a die-hard fanboy ever since I first lended my ear to their world-shattering 1992 album classic “Angel Dust.” So, just imagine the bereavement I felt when the band disintegrated in 1998, let alone the anticipation of finally seeing them on stage when they reunited some 10 years later. In 2009, I saw FAITH NO MORE at Kaisaniemi, Helsinki, and it was one of the best shows I’d ever seen, hands down. So, if the band had decided to leave things as they were, I would have been more than satisfied. The band’s talismanic frontman, Mike Patton, was already notorious for hustling in a gazillion side projects, so I guess nobody was expecting a new studio album from FAITH NO MORE at that point. Nonetheless, about 6 years later, we got one. Entitled “Sol Invictus,” the band’s seventh studio album was released on May 19th, 2015, via Reclamation! Records and Patton‘s own label, Ipecac. When the new album was announced, I was probably not the only one expecting something extraordinary that would continue the momentum of their previous, 1997 effort “Album of the Year,” and neither was I the only one gravely disappointed by the band’s somewhat lukewarm return to form. Wishing for a stylistic sequel to the psychotic confetti of music that we had in “Angel Dust” would have been quite a stretch, everybody knew that, but still, the band could have delivered a little bit more prominently on the promise hinted at the lyrics in the song, “Matador,” as it claims, “We will rise from the killing floor like a matador!” While this comeback album is quite far from being a steaming pile of garbage, it isn’t exactly a portfolio piece of a band living up to its full potential either.
With “Sol Invictus” being the band’s first album in 18 years, it is eerily short as a comeback statement, comprised of eight tracks spanning merely 34 minutes. Such brevity would not be a big deal if the songs packed enough juice, but alas! That is not the case with this selection. The album comes off almost as though the band had put on the silver suits just to go through the motions on autopilot. One of the early singles, “Motherfucker,” sounds as if it had been written just for shits and giggles, or even worse; with general Patton bringing all of his proficient vocal power to scream the song title over and over again, I guess the song could have been about waving the proverbial middle finger to the seemingly unreasonable expectations of us longtime fans – as if to say, “Y’all wanna have “Angel Dust” part 2, don’t cha? Well, shit for luck, you ain’t gettin’ it!”
If this album had been released by some other alternative outfit from the 1990s – HELMET, for instance – we would have been quite happy with it. A band repeating its fortes is not wrong, by default, unless the band happens to be FAITH NO MORE. The thing is, with these ruffians boasting such a long history of exciting sonic mayhem, we were prone to expect something more than a 30-minute exercise in alternative-rock mediocrity – because, by the high standard the band had set over the years, you couldn’t help but dub this endeavor mediocre. While the songs tried to continue the band’s long tradition of experimenting in various genres, this time around, something felt amiss. The band’s original heart and soul were not there, save for a few fleeting moments in songs such as “Superhero,” “Separation Anxiety,” and “Matador.” It’s almost as though FAITH NO MORE tried to impersonate their past greatness with a few new, rushed songs without putting any real effort in. The video single, “Cone of Shame,” for instance, sounds more like a TOMAHAWK leftover than a FAITH NO MORE original. The album’s overall cohesiveness makes it a good album to put on while doing the dishes or some other everyday chore around the house, but it is nowhere near the catchy mesmerism of “Album of the Year.” Then again, some wisecracks have dubbed this effort quite an amazing venture for a bunch of 50-year-olds. Maybe they have a point. I guess it was unreasonable to expect, even from these guys, that they would feel the need to top their youthful delirium that peaked on “Angel Dust” in a musical galaxy far, far away. For what it’s worth, FAITH NO MORE didn’t opt for a nice selection of corporate rock with their comeback effort either.
In light of recent events in the FAITH NO MORE camp, it might have been due to some friction between Patton and the rest of the band that their comeback album lacked some punch, or it could have simply stemmed from his lack of interest in keeping this particular franchise going, considering his inhumanely long list of side hustles at the time. Whatever the case, “Sol Invictus” remains the most lacklustre endeavor in the band’s discography with Patton as the lead vocalist. It’s a shame, really. This is FAITH NO MORE we’re talking about, after all.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Sol Invictus
- Superhero
- Sunny Side Up
- Separation Anxiety
- Cone of Shame
- Rise of the Fall
- Black Friday
- Motherfucker
- Matador
- From the Dead
Lineup
Mike Patton – vocals
Billy Gould – bass
Mike Bordin – drums
Roddy Bottum – keyboards, vocals
Jon Hudson – guitars
Label
Reclamation! Records / Ipecac
