Philadelphia extreme metal monthly Decibel has comprehensively put the boot into Faith No More’s Sol Invictus album in a 5/10 review in their latest issue.
The review is headlined The Sun also Sets with the sub-heading “Ingenuity has been sucked free from Faith No More’s disappointing comeback.”
Approaching the review from the angle that Faith No More effectively ended with the departure of “Sir James Martin”, reviewer Nick Green laments the lacks of riffs and adds that “everything you love and cherish about Faith No More is gone”.
He adds:
“Faith No More are no longer an envelope-pushing irritant with slow-jam leanings; Sol Invictus is practically an entire record of Commodores and Bee Gees covers, and, for better or worse, the most authentically pure expression of the band’s soul since Angel Dust.”
Good call. It didn’t offer anything of substance.
Yes – saw that and thought it didn’t really merit further exposure. At least Decibel guy was earnest
Here’s another review that doesn’t heap praise on the new album:
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=13509 (6.8)
I guess the reviewer is going for the “cute” approach in analyzing Sol Invictus, with his constant references to old FNM titles to describe his dissatisfaction with the album.
(and no, I’m not the lone wolf voice in the comment section asking for a mature review, haha)
I think KFAD is great, but I know a lot of diehard FNM fans who dont like that record at all because they think MP dominates the entire album…
@Bungler. I was rather concise in my last post, as I wanted to avoid a wall of text. Will try to explain myself better this time. I still hear more funk in AD than KFAD. But I know many fans can’t even agree whether or not FNM is a metal band, so I think I’ll let that lie… Regardless of the genre, my main point was to say that RT and AD are FNM’s more accessible/popular (Patton) releases, which I still stand by. But I definitely agree that AD is structurally more experiment than KFAD, although genre wise I find KFAD more experimental, which is what I had meant. Maybe that’s because the genres are not blended so well as with AD, but I could grasp AD far faster than KFAD. You might be under the impression that I was saying AD is not as experimental as KFAD, which is not the case. Only that KFAD is equally experimental in it’s own way – genre diversity. If the reviewer likes ingenuity, both AD and KFAD deliver this, albeit from different angles. So why does the reviewer like AD between the two? That’s the inconsistency to me. He simply doesn’t say. Maybe the reviewer is biased towards the structurally experimental sound, verses genre hopping, which is fine, but then he should say that, because they are both experimental albums in their own way. And then RT is generally considered their least experimental (Patton) album overall (along with AOTY). So why does he group RT with AD to say he likes them for their ingenuity? This gives me the impression he’s not really liking these albums for reasons of ingenuity, but rather the particular sound they deliver – as he’s leaving us to fill in the blanks, it’s my best guess. Bottom line, all of their albums are experimental in nature, perhaps not always in the strictest sense of the word, but in the sense that their music is not very traditional. So I think it would be wise for a reviewer to specify exactly what kind of “experimental” he’s looking for. Hopefully that explains things better.
There is someone out there who said they heard Sunny Side Up on the radio in the UK and that it sounded different than the leak….they were describing it positively, but it makes me nervous b/c I love it the way it is right now.
The differences in Motherfucker are small but I’m now tending to like the original version better (the latter with Patton’s backing coming in earlier and Jon’s guitar sound at the end sounding thicker). Superhero overall sounds better on the final version, but I would have preferred that they not double layer Patton on the first verse and that they left out his vocals when Roddy is doing his piano effect. The one interviewer talks about the challenge of deciding when the songs were finally done and that they could stop tinkering with them. Patton talks about imperfections that he hears and tries to fix. Hopefully he didn’t go overboard with little add-ons.
It’s obvious we have an educated fan base here on FNM 2.0. Everything that needs to be said has already been said. Even rarelust, one of the few here who isn’t crazy about the album, keeps a proper perspective and maintains a respectable opinion.
I agree that the reviewer basically disqualifies himself with several absurd observations and comments. Last two albums unlistenable? Still crying about Jim Martin? Lacking ingenuity? Practically an entire record of Commodores and Bee Gees covers? Everything you love and cherish about Faith No More gone?
I don’t mind a dissenting viewpoint if arguments are well-crafted and insightful. Not everyone is going to love or even like this album; some will hate it. But this review comes across as more of a grudge, or some casual fan who will always define them as the band who did ‘Epic’. I suppose we should also strongly consider the source of this review.
Overall, this record is getting good / great reviews. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of having a neutral to positive vibe towards Sol Invictus, I think the vast majority of us can agree that the new material at least holds up with their varied catalog. If you’re a fan of the band, especially one who is inclusive of their entire career (not just a fan of TRT, etc.), then you should probably enjoy this album.
I’m still super curious how the leak (aside from the poor quality) will sound production-wise in comparison to the final mastering. I really hope the music is allowed to come through as intended; not with an overproduced touch and crushed dynamics. Has anyone heard both yet to make a distinction between the two?
@ Christopher ….I just now understood your comment.It is me who didn’t get the joke. Sorry. Need more caffeine.
If I were the real Jim, could I do this? ……
(Stands on his hand, juggles, chain smokes, let’s bygones be bygones, and puts out new records every couple of years)
@Christopher. My comment was meant as a joke, but maybe I should have made it more obvious.
I’m not going to trade lame insults with you because of a misunderstanding on your part, and also because I’m not a teenager.
I don’t understand how the Decibel reviewer can say Sol Invictus sounds like the Commodores and The Bee Gees.
I also fail to see how the Decibel reviewer defines ingenuity. It seems that guitar solos are what he’s really missing from post Jim Martin FNM.
As for Jim , look, who cares? He could have joined the group for a few concerts, and maybe found that everybody is 20 years more mature, and who knows if they could have done something on a new album together. He is apparently still hurt over the way they fired him two decades ago. But I don’t care. I think FNM made Angel Dust what it was despite Jim. I never missed him.
I stopped reading at KFAD and AOTY are “unlistenable”. Everyone is allowed an opinion, unless your opinion is f*cking stupid. 🙂
Really? “Pumpkin Farmer”?? Stop trolling Jim. They asked you to come back, and you wanted to be an obstinate ass. This is what you get. Live with it, douche.
horror buff reviewing rom com, pretty Nickc,
I can’t believe this was allowed to be printed. I’m not worried about the 5/10 rating, it’s the wording and awful reasoning. And to say it’s not experimental? Rise of the fall, Black Friday, cone are all very left field from conformist music out there! Bee gees and Commodores….hahaha, you can tell its a troll.
@thepan, KFAD is diverse, but it is NOT experimental. Why? Well, basically every song on that album is pretty much straightforward; STAR AD is the closest the album gets to experimental. Angel Dust, on the other, has a lot of things happening in a single song (I also disagree that it’s more funk-oriented than KFAD). What’s more, as nutty as KFAD gets, I think AD is a darker album overall. Anyway, as far as this review goes, FNM not being a metal band (better than that so-called generic alternative label), is irrelevant because FNM have been covered by other metal magazines/website with lots of praise. And not that it matters, but if they are an “alternative” band, then they have way more metal influences than most alt rock bands.
I expect some poor reviews, but 5/10? That’s a score of average. Yikes. Only thing I would agree with concerning this review is that this album IS less innovative, but FNM did already say this album would be hearkening back to their early days. So yeah, it’s going to be less experimental. If this reviewer wants ingenuity like he says, why does he then praise The Real Thing and Angel Dust? They are more accessible/popular than their later two albums. It’s just inconsistent; If he wants experimental, KFAD delivers in a big way. I’m thinking there’s an unconscious bias here towards the funk sound which was most heavily featured in The Real Thing and Angel Dust. In the least, he should be able to articulate properly what he dislikes about this album… does he like ingenuity or not?
Don’t even get me started on the histrionic display which was the bee gees / commodores comparison and the equally outlandish statement, “everything you love and cherish about Faith No More is gone.”
this review I take with a grain of salt…but the 99 reviews claiming its their best ever I take with a grain of salt too
KFAD and AOTY are “unlistenable”? Younger me would be fairly uncomplimentary of the reviewer at this revealing statement…but I can’t be bothered.
Well, let’s see, they have a picture of “the fish”, Bill’s got his stomach out…I guess that’s how they would prefer the band to be known. I for one am glad that they have chose to move on.
Come on, it’s so obvious that all the new songs sound like The Bee Gees and The Commodores. Cone of Shame is pure Lionel Richie.
I think if your still whining that Jim Martin is no longer in the band and you discount the last 2 albums, your credibility is shot
I absolutely agree with this review , 100%.
It’s obvious King For A Day lacked a certain something by the name of Big Jim, by firing Big Jim him , it made the band less inclined to pursue artistic ingenuity in the form of long guitar solos.
[email protected]@r is such an obvious Commodores rip off.
Cone of Shame wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Lionel Richie greatest hits compilation. And you can’t pump your fist to Superhero without hitting a BeeGee in the frail pale hairy chest.
The Decibel guy is free to love and loathe what he will, but he’s heard a very different album from the one I’m hearing.
The caricature of the band is good, though. Shame the reviewer wasn’t.
I don’t wanna sound bias because we all love this band so much but this review is basically irrelevant. It’s a metal magazine and FNM isn’t metal at all. It’s like a horror buff reviewing a romantic comedy…….