Faith No More
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Faith No More is an American rock band from
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,
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, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist
Roddy Bottum Roswell Christopher Bottum (born July 1, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist for the San Francisco alternative metal band Faith No More. He is also guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the pop group Imperial Teen, best kno ...
and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest-remaining members of the band, having been involved since its inception. The band underwent several early lineup changes, and some major changes later. The current lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bordin, Bottum, lead guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist/lyricist Mike Patton. After releasing six studio albums, including best-selling records '' The Real Thing'' (1989) and '' Angel Dust'' (1992), Faith No More officially announced its breakup on April 20, 1998. The band has since reunited, conducting The Second Coming Tour between 2009 and 2010, and releasing its seventh studio album, ''
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'', in May 2015. After the touring cycle of ''Sol Invictus'', Faith No More went on hiatus once again. In November 2019, the band announced that it would reunite to embark on a 2020 UK and European tour, but due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, this was postponed. Touring was due to recommence with a brief US tour in September 2021, followed by the previously postponed UK and Europe dates in June 2022, but all tour dates were cancelled with Patton citing mental health reasons.


History


Early days (1979–1984)

The genesis of Faith No More was the group Sharp Young Men, formed in 1979 by vocalist Mike Morris and keyboardist Wade Worthington. Drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Billy Gould joined afterwards. Morris called the name "a piss-take on all the 'elegant' groups at the time". Later, he proposed the name Faith In No Man, but eventually the band settled on Bordin's suggestion, Faith No Man (stylized as Faith. No Man). The band recorded " Quiet in Heaven/Song of Liberty", released in 1983. The songs were recorded in Matt Wallace's parents' garage, where Wallace had set up and been running a recording studio while the band was still recording under the name Sharp Young Men, with Morris, Gould, Bordin and Worthington. Worthington left shortly thereafter. The band's name was changed to Faith No Man for the release of the single, which featured two of the three songs recorded in Wallace's garage, and Roddy Bottum replaced Worthington. Bottum, Gould and Bordin quit the band shortly after and formed Faith No More. They chose the name in mid-1983 to accentuate the fact that "The Man" (Morris) was "No More". The band played with several vocalists and guitarists, including a brief stint with Courtney Love, until it settled on vocalist Chuck Mosley in 1983 and, later, guitarist Jim Martin. Their first release under the Faith No More name was a self-titled cassette in 1983, which featured a live performance from that year on Side A, and a 20 minute instrumental track on Side B.


''We Care a Lot'' and ''Introduce Yourself'' (1985–1988)

After the name change, the band initially started recording ''We Care a Lot'' without backing from a record label and, after pooling their money, recorded five songs. This gained the attention of Ruth Schwartz, who was then forming the independent label
Mordam Records Mordam Records ("More Damn Records") was a California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz (one of the original co-editors o ...
, under which the band, after getting the necessary financial support, finished and released the album. It was the first official release for both the band and the label. In late 1986, Faith No More was signed to
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label Slash Records by Anna Statman. The label had recently been sold to the Warner Music Group subsidiary London Records, ensuring a widespread release for the band's following albums. ''
Introduce Yourself ''Introduce Yourself'' is Faith No More's second studio album, released in 1987. Due to the limited availability of the first album, ''We Care a Lot'' (until it was re-released on CD years later), many, including the band, once considered this ...
'' was released in April 1987, and a revamped version of their debut album's title track " We Care a Lot" saw minor success on MTV. Mosley's behaviour had started to become increasingly erratic, particularly during a troubled tour of Europe in 1988. Incidents include him allegedly punching Billy Gould on stage, the release party for the album ''Introduce Yourself''—during which he fell asleep on stage—and one of Mosley's roadies getting into a fistfight with Martin during the European tour. Mosley was eventually fired after the band returned home from Europe. Gould reflected, "There was a certain point when I went to rehearsal, and Chuck wanted to do all acoustic guitar songs. It was just so far off the mark. The upshot was that I got up, walked out and quit the band. I just said: 'I'm done—I can't take this any longer. It's just so ridiculous'. The same day, I talked to Bordin, and he said: 'Well, I still want to play with you'. Bottum did the same thing. It was another one of these 'firing somebody without firing them' scenarios."


Mike Patton joins and ''The Real Thing'' (1989–1991)

Mosley was replaced with singer Mike Patton in 1988. Patton, who was singing with his high school band,
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
, was recruited at Martin's suggestion after he heard a demo of Mr. Bungle. According to Patton, he first met the band during a 1986 gig at "a pizza parlor" in his hometown of
Eureka, California Eureka (Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt B ...
. Two weeks after joining Faith No More, he had written all the lyrics for the songs that made up the Grammy award-nominated '' The Real Thing'', which was released in June 1989. " Epic" was released in January 1990 and was a top 10 hit. The music video received extensive airplay on MTV in 1990, and angered
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activists for a slow motion shot of a fish flopping out of water at the end of the video. That same year, Faith No More performed at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards (September 6) and on the 293rd episode of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' (December 1). " From Out of Nowhere" and "
Falling to Pieces "Falling to Pieces" is the third single on Faith No More's first studio album with Mike Patton on vocals, '' The Real Thing''. The song was released as a single on July 2, 1990. The song peaked at number 92 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and numbe ...
" were released as singles, and a cover of
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...
's " War Pigs" was produced for non-vinyl releases. In 1990, the band went on an extensive U.S. tour, sending ''The Real Thing'' to Platinum status in Canada, the U.S., and South America. The album also had big sales numbers in Australia, U.K., and the rest of Europe, pushing the total sales well above 4 million worldwide. In February 1991, Faith No More released its only official live album, '' Live at the Brixton Academy''. The album includes two previously unreleased studio tracks, "The Grade" and "The Cowboy Song". The same year, the band contributed the song "The Perfect Crime" to the soundtrack to '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey''. Martin also made a brief cameo in the film as "Sir James Martin" as the head of the "Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center". Patton's original band
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
went on to sign with Slash and
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
's parent label Warner Bros. Records in 1991, after the worldwide success of ''The Real Thing''.


''Angel Dust'' (1992–1994)

Faith No More displayed an even more experimental effort on its next album, '' Angel Dust'', released in June 1992. One critic wrote that the album is "one of the more complex and simply confounding records ever released by a major label" and another that the single "'A Small Victory', which seems to run Madame Butterfly through
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and Nile Rodgers ..reveals a developing facility for combining unlikely elements into startlingly original concoctions." Aside from " A Small Victory" (which received a nomination for Best Art Direction at the
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
), the tracks " Midlife Crisis" and "
Everything's Ruined "Everything's Ruined" is a song from American rock band Faith No More's fourth studio album, '' Angel Dust'' (1992), and the final single to be released from the album's original track listing. The single was released on November 9, 1992, and cha ...
" were also released as singles. The album included a re-recording of the theme to the film ''
Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable smaller ...
'', and later pressings included a cover of The Commodores' " Easy", which in some parts of the world became the band's biggest hit. ''Angel Dust'' charted one spot higher on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
than ''The Real Thing'', but was not as commercially successful in the U.S., selling 665,000 copies there. It outsold ''The Real Thing'' in many other countries. In Germany, the record was certified Gold for sales of more than 250,000 copies. The album also matched the sales of ''The Real Thing'' in Canada (Platinum) and Australia (Gold), and surpassed it in the Netherlands, France, Russia, and the U.K. Worldwide sales are around 3.1 million copies. After touring to support ''Angel Dust'' in the summer of 1993, longtime guitarist Martin left the band due to internal conflicts. He was reportedly unhappy with the band's change in musical direction on ''Angel Dust'', calling it "gay disco". According to Bottum, Martin was fired via fax. Martin himself states it was his decision to leave. Both
Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick ( guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. ...
guitarist
Justin Broadrick Justin Karl Michael Broadrick (born 15 August 1969) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and i ...
and Killing Joke guitarist
Geordie Walker Kevin "Geordie" Walker (born 18 December 1960) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of post-punk group Killing Joke. His unorthodox style of electric guitar playing is widely acclaimed. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin hailed Walk ...
were reportedly invited to join Faith No More after Martin's departure, but declined. The position was filled by Mike Patton's Mr. Bungle bandmate Trey Spruance, who left after recording 1995's '' King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime,'' just before the band was to begin its world tour. Spruance was replaced by
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, the band's keyboard tech.


''King for a Day...'', ''Album of the Year'' and break-up (1995–1998)

Faith No More's fifth studio album, '' King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime,'' was released in March 1995, and varies greatly from song to song in style; punk,
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,
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, bossa nova,
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
,
gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is co ...
, along with other signature FNM elements, are woven together throughout the album. Singles included "
Digging the Grave "Digging the Grave" is a 1995 single by Faith No More, from their fifth studio album, '' King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime''. Produced by Andy Wallace in the Bearsville Studios, the song was borne out of a period of transition for the grou ...
", " Evidence", and " Ricochet". The album featured Mr. Bungle's Trey Spruance on guitar. The record went Gold in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands and Germany, which gave the album a respectable sales figure of around 1.5 million copies; this was significantly lower than sales of their previous albums. A 7 x 7-inch box set of singles was released, which included the B-sides and some interviews between the songs. ''
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
'' was released in June 1997 and featured yet another new guitarist, Jon Hudson, who was a former roommate of Billy Gould. The album debuted much higher than expected in some countries (for example, in Germany, the album debuted at No. 2 and stayed in the chart for 5 months). In Australia, ''Album of the Year'' went to No. 1 and was certified Platinum. The album charted in many countries in Europe. To date, ''Album of the Year'' has sold around 2 million copies worldwide. The singles " Ashes to Ashes" and "
Last Cup of Sorrow "Last Cup of Sorrow" is the third track from Faith No More's sixth studio album ''Album of the Year''. It was released as a single on August 5, 1997. It placed No. 14 on Mainstream Rock Tracks, No.62 on Australia Top 50, and No. 51 on UK Top 100 ...
" had minimal success (notably, the music video for "Last Cup of Sorrow", which featured actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, was inspired by the
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
film '' Vertigo''). "
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" was released as a single in various countries (excluding the U.S. and U.K.). The album received largely negative reviews from U.S.-based critics at the time. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine wrote in their original review "
hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title ...
are floundering around desperately, groping for a sense of identity and direction in a decade that clearly finds them irrelevant", while ''
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'' stated "''Album Of The Year'' leaves one feeling like waking up and finding last night's used condom – sure, the ride was fun while it lasted, but what remains is just plain icky. And you definitely don't want it in your CD player." Following the album's release, Faith No More toured with Limp Bizkit in 1997, who were frequently booed by Faith No More's fans. In early 1998, rumors of Faith No More's imminent demise began; commencing with a post to Faith No More
newsgroup A Usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from users in different locations using the Internet. They are discussion groups and are not devoted to publishing news. Newsgroups are technically disti ...
alt.music.faith-no-more claiming Mike Patton had quit the band in favor of side projects. This rumor, denied at the time, proved to be at least partly true. Faith No More played their last show in Lisbon, Portugal on April 7, 1998. The band cancelled their planned support tour for
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
and on April 20, Billy Gould released a statement by email and fax, saying " e decision among the members is mutual" and "the split will now enable each member to pursue his individual project(s) unhindered." The band "thank dall of those fans and associates that have stuck with and supported the band throughout its history."


Reformation (2009–2012)

Rumours that Faith No More would reunite for shows in the U.K. in the summer of 2009 were circulating in late November 2008, but were originally dismissed by bassist Billy Gould. He explained: "If anything like this were to happen, it would have to come from the band, and I haven't spoken with any of them in over a year. So as far as I know, there isn't anything to talk about, and I'm pretty sure that if you were to contact Patton, he would tell you the same thing." However, on February 24, 2009, after months of speculation and rumors, Faith No More announced they would be reforming with a line-up identical to the ''
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
'' era, embarking on a reunion tour called '' The Second Coming Tour''. To coincide with the band's reunion tour, Rhino released the sixth Faith No More compilation, ''
The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection ''The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection'' is a two-disc compilation album by American band Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling o ...
'', a double album that includes their hit singles and b sides & rarities, in the U.K. on June 8. Faith No More then played in major European festivals including
Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2 ...
in the U.K. in June,
Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
and Southside festivals in Germany,
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in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, Hove Festival in
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and Roskilde Festival in
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
, among other dates. The tour continued into 2010 with appearances at the Soundwave Festival in
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n cities throughout February and March. During their tour, the band added covers to their repertoire including " Poker Face" by
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and " Switch" by Siouxsie and the Banshees. After an eleven-month hiatus, Faith No More played four shows in South America in November 2011. On the first date (November 8, 2011), the band played a "mystery song," which led to speculation of new material. They played Sonisphere France on July 7, 2012. Following several more shows in Europe during 2012, Faith No More became temporarily inactive again. Mike Patton spent 2013 touring with his reformed rock supergroup Tomahawk, while the band's other members also pursued their own side projects. In July 2013, Billy Gould confirmed that the band's hiatus would not be permanent, saying "We will do something again only when all members are with the focus on that, and ready for the challenge. This is not the time... yet." In a 2015 interview, Roddy Bottum said that the band originally intended to reform with guitarist Jim Martin for their reunion tour, but it did not happen.


''Sol Invictus'', hiatus and touring (2015–present)

On May 29, 2014, Faith No More posted a message (along with a photograph of Mike Patton) on their Twitter account, saying that "the reunion thing was fun, but now it's time to get a little creative." On July 4, Faith No More played their first show in two years at Hyde Park in London, supporting
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...
. At that show, Faith No More debuted two new songs "Motherfucker" and "Superhero" (also known by fans as "Leader of Men"). On August 20, the band posted "The Reunion Tour is over; in 2015 things are going to change." These tweets led to speculation that the band was working on new material. On August 30, Gould said that the band is "considering doing something new", and may begin work on a new studio album at some point in the not-too-distant future, explaining, "to do something creative would be a really good thing to do." On September 2, Bill Gould revealed to ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' that the band had begun work on a new album. Faith No More headlined the final edition of Australia's Soundwave in February and March 2015. The band released their seventh studio album, ''
Sol Invictus Sol Invictus (, "Unconquered Sun"), sometimes simply known as Helios, was long considered to be the official sun god of the later Roman Empire. In recent years, however, the scholarly community has become divided on Sol between traditionalists ...
'', in May 2015. The songs on the album were influenced by The Cramps, Link Wray and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Speaking to '' Revolver'', Gould described the song "Cone of Shame" as "blues-based rock and roll". Describing the song "Matador", he said: "parts of it remind me of the first Siouxsie and the Banshees album. We used real pianos and that brings this organic quality to it to the music". The second single from the album, "Superhero", was shared by the band on March 1, 2015. In August 2016, the band performed two concerts with former lead singer Chuck Mosley to celebrate the reissue of their debut album '' We Care a Lot''. The band was billed as "Chuck Mosley & Friends" for the two shows and featured the lineup of Mosley, Mike Bordin, Billy Gould, Jon Hudson and Roddy Bottum. Former Faith No More singer Chuck Mosley died on November 9, 2017, due to "the disease of addiction." He was 57 years old. In February 2018, it was announced that a documentary film on the late former Faith No More frontman Chuck Mosley had begun production; titled ''Thanks. And Sorry: The Chuck Mosley Movie'', the film is being directed and edited by Drew Fortier and produced by Douglas Esper. On November 23, 2019, Faith No More updated its official website and social media accounts with an image of the band's eight-pointed star logo in front of a snow-covered mountain top, accompanied by a clock counting down to November 26, 2019; on the latter date, the band announced its first shows in five years set to take place in Europe in June 2020, including Sunstroke Festival in Ireland, Hellfest in France and Tons of Rock in Norway. Less than twenty-four hours later, the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, Spain, scheduled for July 2020, was added to the list of the band's festival dates. They subsequently rescheduled most of its tour dates, including the Australian and European legs, to 2021 because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The band was scheduled to play two shows at the
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in Los Angeles with System of a Down, Helmet and
Russian Circles Russian Circles is an American instrumental band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was originally formed by childhood friends Mike Sullivan and Dave Turncrantz after their previous musical projects dissolved. After parting ways with their ...
, which were initially set to take place May 22–23, 2020, but were postponed twice due to the pandemic, and Faith No More was replaced by
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...
. The band was scheduled to play additional shows in September 2021 but these were also cancelled with Mike Patton citing mental health reasons.


Musical style and influences

Faith No More's music is generally considered to be
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
,''Vox'' magazine, June 1997. experimental rock, ,
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
, and
rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and e ...
; however, as Faith No Man, their sound was described as
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
. The band's first single from 1983, " Quiet in Heaven/Song of Liberty", was labelled as a "solid
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
/pre- goth single." These elements endured during their tenure with Chucky Mosley, with
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comparing their first album to early Public Image Ltd works, and Mosley's vocals drawing comparisons to
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...
lead singer Peter Murphy and
H.R. Paul D. Hudson (born February 11, 1956), known professionally as H.R. (Human Rights), is an American musician who leads the hardcore punk band Bad Brains, and is an instrumental figure in the development of the genre. His vocal delivery has b ...
of Bad Brains. By the mid-1980s, Billy Gould stated the band were in a "weird spot", as their eclectic sound didn't fit in with the burgeoning
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
and alternative rock movements of the era. Upon Mike Patton's arrival in 1989, the band began to expand their sound range even further, merging disparate genres such as
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
,
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
, and carousel music on ''The Real Thing''. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' states that by 1997, the band were "too heavy for the
post-grunge Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox and Collective Soul that emulated the ...
pop hits of The Verve and Third Eye Blind ndtoo arty to work comfortably with the
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
knuckle-draggers they spawned." Over the course of their career, they have experimented with heavy metal,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...
, hip hop,
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. I ...
, alternative rock,
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
,
polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The te ...
,
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
,
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
,
samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...
, ska, bossa nova,
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
,
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
,
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
,
trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...
, gospel music, gospel, and lounge music. Faith No More's lyrics have been described as "bizarrely humorous". When interviewed about his lyrics, Patton responded, "I think that too many people think too much about my lyrics. I am more a person who works more with the sound of a word than with its meaning. Often I just choose the words because of the rhythm, not because of the meaning." In addition to the band's subsequently more apparent heavy metal music, metal influences, like
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...
and Ozzy Osbourne, Bordin acknowledged many gothic rock and
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
bands as early influences, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, Killing Joke, Public Image Ltd, and Theatre of Hate. Upon reforming, Faith No More returned to these influences on ''
Sol Invictus Sol Invictus (, "Unconquered Sun"), sometimes simply known as Helios, was long considered to be the official sun god of the later Roman Empire. In recent years, however, the scholarly community has become divided on Sol between traditionalists ...
''.


Legacy

In a 2015 article by Artistdirect, the musicians Duff McKagan, Chino Moreno, Serj Tankian, Corey Taylor, Max Cavalera and Jonathan Davis all praised the band for their significance and influence. Nirvana (band), Nirvana bassist, and co-founder, Krist Novoselic cited Faith No More as a band that "paved the way for Nirvana" in the late 1980s. Robert Plant, singer of Led Zeppelin, mentioned the then Chuck Mosley-led Faith No More as one of his current favorite bands in a 1988 interview with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''. Plant and Faith No More subsequently toured together following ''The Real Thing''s release. Scott Ian of Anthrax (American band), Anthrax has also named Faith No More as one of his favorite bands. Corey Taylor (frontman for both Slipknot (band), Slipknot and Stone Sour) told Loudwire in 2015 that if it wasn't for Faith No More, he "wouldn't be here today." While recovering from an attempted suicide at his grandmother's house, he saw the band perform "Epic" live on the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards and the performance inspired him to begin writing and performing music again. They were voted No. 52 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". The band is credited for inventing the
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
genre which began in the 1980s and that fuses Heavy metal music, metal with other genres, including
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
. Tim Grierson of About.com said the band "helped put alternative metal on the map." Faith No More has also been credited for influencing
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
bands, such as Limp Bizkit,
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...
, and Sevendust,Essi Berelian (2005), ''The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal'', p. 259, "Faith No More must be counted among the pioneers [of nu metal]" primarily due to the popularity of " Epic", and other early material that featured rap and rock crossovers. Papa Roach vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, a self-confessed fan of the band, stated in a 2015 interview "They fused some of that hip-hop and rock together. They were one of the earliest bands to do that, and definitely pioneers to a whole genre. If you listen to Korn, if you listen to how the bass and the drums lock up, it's quite similar to how Faith No More was doing it in their early years." In a 2019 interview on the Australian channel Rage (TV program), Rage's Midnight Show, Tobias Forge, leader of the Swedish rock band Ghost (Swedish band), Ghost, explained what the band meant to him by saying, "In the 90s there were a few bands that I liked a lot, and still like to this day, that are consecutively hard to niche. One band is Faith No More. Who knows what they play? No one knows really. It's a synth band? No. Is it a heavy metal band? No, not really. It's just a really, really good rock band." Faith No More have been covered by prominent metal acts such as 36 Crazyfists, Apocalyptica, Atreyu, Between the Buried and Me, Disturbed (band), Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Helloween, Ill Niño, Korn, Machine Head (band), Machine Head, Papa Roach, Redemption (band), Redemption, Revocation (band), Revocation, Sentenced, Slaves on Dope and Trail of Tears (band), Trail of Tears. In 2002, a tribute album titled ''Tribute of the Year: A Tribute to Faith No More, Tribute of the Year'' (a reference to Faith No More's ''
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
'') was released by Underground Inc. It featured 30 Faith No More songs covered by mostly unknown independent
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
, industrial metal, industrial and alternative metal acts. The band and their 1989 single " Epic" have frequently been cited as an example of an '80s or '90s one-hit wonder. ''Flavorwire'' stated in 2014 "Although the band always had a loyal fan base and Patton remains an indie hero, they only cracked the Billboard Hot 100 once, with Epic." Others have noted that after "Epics success, the band still managed to remain highly popular in regions outside North America: including Australia, South America, Europe and the U.K. The band's original final record ''Album of the Year'' notably experienced high sales in countries such as Australia (where it went platinum), New Zealand and Germany, while being deemed a commercial failure in their native USA. After the release of '' The Real Thing'', a feud developed between Faith No More and fellow
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...
-influenced Californian group Red Hot Chili Peppers, whom they had previously played with on The Uplift Mofo Party Tour, while Chuck Mosley was still Faith No More's lead singer. Over the years, the feud has largely been fueled by the media, including TV personalities such as Greg Gutfeld. Despite this, various members of Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers appear to have remained on good terms since the initial controversy. Regarding the perceived conflict, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea (musician), Flea stated in a mid-90s interview, "There was never any fight between us, that was a bunch of bullshit created by the media. I mean I think they're a good band. Maybe there was some things said between Anthony Kiedis, Anthony and the singer [Patton], but it all means nothing to me. Those guys in the band are nice people and there's no fight." At a 2014 show in Brooklyn, Red Hot Chili Peppers also notably covered a portion of the Chuck Mosley-era song " We Care a Lot".


Concert tours

* 1979–1984: Early shows * 1985–1986: We Care a Lot Tour * 1987–1988: Introduce Yourself Tour * 1989–1991: The Real Thing Tour * 1992–1993: Angel Dust Tour * 1995: King for a Day Tour * 1997–1998: Album of the Year Tour * 2009–2012: The Second Coming Tour * 2015: Soundwave (Australian music festival), Soundwave Tour * 2015: Sol Invictus Tour


Band members

;Current members * Mike Bordin – Drum kit, drums, Percussion instrument, percussion, Backing vocalist, backing vocals (1981–1998; 2009–present) * Billy Gould – Bass guitar, bass, backing vocals (1981–1998; 2009–present) *
Roddy Bottum Roswell Christopher Bottum (born July 1, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist for the San Francisco alternative metal band Faith No More. He is also guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the pop group Imperial Teen, best kno ...
– Keyboard instrument, keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1983–1998; 2009–present) * Mike Patton – Lead vocalist, lead vocals (1988–1998; 2009–present) *Jon Hudson – lead guitar, backing vocals (1996–1998; 2009–present)


Awards and nominations

;Brit Awards , - , 1991 , , Faith No More , , Brit Award for International Group, International Group , , ;Grammy Awards , - , 1990 , , " The Real Thing" , , Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance , , , - , 1991 , , " Epic" , , Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, Best Hard Rock Performance , , , - , 1993 , , " Angel Dust" , , Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, Best Hard Rock Performance , , ;Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards , - , 2015 , , ''Sol Invictus (Faith No More album), Sol Invictus'' , , Best Album , , Metal Storm Awards , - , 2015 , , ''Sol Invictus'' , , Best Alternative Metal Album , , ;
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, - , 1990 , , " Epic" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video, Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video , , , - , 1991 , , "
Falling to Pieces "Falling to Pieces" is the third single on Faith No More's first studio album with Mike Patton on vocals, '' The Real Thing''. The song was released as a single on July 2, 1990. The song peaked at number 92 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and numbe ...
" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction, Best Art Direction in a Video , , , - , 1991 , , "
Falling to Pieces "Falling to Pieces" is the third single on Faith No More's first studio album with Mike Patton on vocals, '' The Real Thing''. The song was released as a single on July 2, 1990. The song peaked at number 92 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and numbe ...
" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video, Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video , , , - , 1991 , , "
Falling to Pieces "Falling to Pieces" is the third single on Faith No More's first studio album with Mike Patton on vocals, '' The Real Thing''. The song was released as a single on July 2, 1990. The song peaked at number 92 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and numbe ...
" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects, Best Visual Effects in a Video , , , - , 1993 , , "A Small Victory" , , MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction, Best Art Direction in a Video , ,


Discography

;Studio albums *'' We Care a Lot'' (1985) *''
Introduce Yourself ''Introduce Yourself'' is Faith No More's second studio album, released in 1987. Due to the limited availability of the first album, ''We Care a Lot'' (until it was re-released on CD years later), many, including the band, once considered this ...
'' (1987) *'' The Real Thing'' (1989) *'' Angel Dust'' (1992) *'' King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime'' (1995) *''
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
'' (1997) *''
Sol Invictus Sol Invictus (, "Unconquered Sun"), sometimes simply known as Helios, was long considered to be the official sun god of the later Roman Empire. In recent years, however, the scholarly community has become divided on Sol between traditionalists ...
'' (2015)


See also

* List of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area * List of alternative metal artists * List of funk metal and funk rock bands


Notes

:1. The song was recorded in 1988 and first appeared on 1989's ''The Real Thing'', although it gained popularity after being released as a single in 1990.


References


Bibliography

* . *Prato, Greg (2013). ''The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion''. Createspace. . *Harte, Adrian (2018). ''Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More''. Jawbone Press. .


External links

* * *
Faith No More in Concert
{{Authority control Faith No More, American alternative metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from California American funk metal musical groups American experimental rock groups Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from San Francisco Slash Records artists Ipecac Recordings artists Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Mission District, San Francisco Musical quintets Alternative rock groups from California