CD REVIEW: Faith No More – Sol Invictus

Shane | 4 June 2015 | Reply

CD REVIEW: Faith No More – Sol Invictus
Ipecac
19 May, 2015
Reviewed by Shayne McGowan
9/10

Faith No More packed up their instruments and bowed out in 1998, and I never realised how much I missed them until they announced their reunion shows in 2009. The shows were amazing, especially as it was the first time I had seen the band, even more amazing considering I thought I would never get the chance.

All of their old albums still sound amazing, and hearing the tracks played live breathed new life into the classic material for me. I hadn’t even begun to imagine any new music from the band. I was just happy to have them playing again.

Fast forward to 2015, 18 years since their break up, Faith No More have released Sol Invictus, and what a brilliant return it is.

Obviously playing shows for several years before hitting the studio, has helped the band blow away the rust, re-establish friendships and working relationships, get the creative juices flowing and find the vibe needed to buckle down and make a record.

Let’s be honest, if they hadn’t have made a record, and had remained satisfied to tour on their back catalogue, they would have kept selling out shows, but the allure of new music is going to put more butts in seats, and keep their momentum going too.

Sol Invictus is the sound of a band that is genuinely happy to be playing together again. It’s the Faith No More sound that we all have come to know and love. It’s a melting pot of styles that others would fail to mesh together. This album earns its place in the Faith No More catalogue, fitting in nicely behind Album of the Year, but sounding more like Angel Dust than any other.

Mike Patton’s vocals are solid as usual, but that’s to be expected of someone who has been part of 57 other bands during the Faith No More hiatus. Mike Bordin kept himself busy playing with Ozzy Osbourne, but the rest of the band haven’t skipped a beat, despite doing nothing of any major note during the down time.

All five members of the band are not only gifted musicians, but extremely gifted songwriters as well. From the opening title track, through the frantic single Superhero, to the eerie Cone of Shame, and Motherfucker to the closing notes of From the Dead, Sol Invictus is from start to finish a comeback album for the ages. It’s all killer, no filler, and it feels so damn good to have one of the more original bands of our time back, and doing what they do best.