Sol Invictus

All the hullabaloo over Faith No More's return is interesting considering the band was always on the fringe of grunge and metal, making weird music for a few other weirdos until 1989's The Real Thing helped them burrow into the ears of many-a-future bad (and good) funky nü-metal band. Truth is, frontman Mike Patton's post-FNM output—Fantômas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom—probably has something to do with some of the heavy anticipation. So here we are, and here they are with their first record in 18 years, Sol Invictus. If you're a fan, then this will hit on most of your FNM pleasure centers. “Motherfucker” and “Cone of Shame” rock uncontrollably, while “Matador” and “Sunny Side Up” scratch the screwball itch. Essentially, it's business as usual for Faith No More, which is both impressive and a bit of a letdown. If this were a new band releasing Sol Invictus in 2015, it'd be seen as one of the best of the year; as a FNM record it's good, but not great. Guitarist Jim Martin is still missed.