Review Summary: An absolutely vital work; a hypnotic and yet simultaneously furious blast of alternative metal.
Sol Invictus is a complete and utter triumph. The possibly insane Mike Patton, at age 47, sounds better than he ever has. “Separation Anxiety” is probably one of the finest metal-tinged Faith No More songs ever written. Despite breaking up in 1998 after the good-but-not-FNM-good
Album of the Year, it has become quite obvious that Faith No More truly understands what it means to, well, be Faith No More. This is a band that sounds as fresh, as lively, as spastic, and most importantly, as 'Faith No More' as they ever have. Consider this: Faith No More started touring again in 2009, six years ago. These guys did the reunion right, on their own terms. Despite everyone desperately begging for a new album, they took it slow, played some shows to see how it felt, and slowly re-found themselves. Is
Sol Invictus the best comeback album from a late 80s/90s band?
Don’t answer that: the answer is an
overwhelming yes. Faith No More has come back kicking and screaming, sounding every bit as odd, off-the-wall, avant-garde and heavy as they ever have. This album is no huge leap in an attempt to “modernize” their sound; this is pure, unadulterated funk, latin and lounge inspired alternative metal, just like it’s always been with this band.
Album of the Year’s multiple misfires have been finely-tuned into
Sol Invictus, a tightly tuned, ultra-quick blast of awkward fury. Its hypnotic qualities are only matched by the sheer force of the album’s urgency and cohesiveness.
Throughout the album, in typical Patton fashion, the vocals are impossible to pin down. Unlike many of his early works with Faith No More, he relies a lot more on his lower register, but seems wholly willing to reach into his death growls and screams that he first showcased on a few Mr. Bungle tracks and The Dillinger Escape Plan’s
Irony is a Dead Scene. “Sunny Side Up” is the perfect showcase of what made us huge fans of Faith No More’s avant-garde metal tinged sound. Beginning with some smooth vocals and the relaxed lounge style that the band had begun to mess with throughout their later years, it slowly morphs into a catchy, progressive, quickly shifting track just absolutely taken over the top by Patton’s screams.
As always though, the collaboration of Roddy Bottum, Billy Gould and Mike Bordin mixed with Patton’s eclecticism is what makes the band so vital. In “Rise of the Fall” Bottum’s keyboard in the chorus is classic FNM keys, and the song’s bridge sounds so very similar to something from
Angel Dust. While I’ve been resistant to want to call back to past albums in an effort to trumpet the album’s successes, the fact that this work feels like a natural succession in their discography is what brings me back to 1995. But it’s not at all a bathing in nostalgia; while “Matador” has that uncomfortable keyboard backdrop that became their trademark, while Billy Gould’s thundering bass is still the crux, while Patton wails in an obscene amount of registers, and while relative newcomer Jon Hudson invokes the strong, sharp guitar wall of sound they are known for, this sounds distinctly relevant, and necessary.
Alternative metal is stagnant and dead; there is very little that pushes the boundary, and very little present anymore. Faith No More comes back from the dead, and kicks the metal genre square in the gut; giving it the rush of life it needs. The urgency of “Mother***er” mixed with the nu-metal barn burner “Superhero” calls for a revisiting of how far one can push the metal genre without it becoming wholly commercial.
Sol Invictus is absolutely necessary. And as it switches between latin, to classical, to nu-metal, to funk, to lounge, it all works together seamlessly, each song building off the one prior with elements of the one prior to it, making the album have a somewhat hypnotic slant despite the album’s utter urgency and short length making it feel like a quick punch to the face.
I can’t rave enough about how brilliant this album, nor this band is, nor how unappreciated they are. Sure, Patton fans have the stereotype of being obnoxious and overbearing, but with an album this vital, this fresh, and yet this familiar, I can’t help but be obnoxious about how every rock fan needs to give this record a spin.
