It’s been five years since we’ve seen new tunes come from Faith No More, with Sol Invictus being their last album. What have they been up to since?
When Faith No More announced their reformation in 2009, it was a long time coming. After all, they’d last released an album in 1997 by way of Album Of The Year, with an untimely split following soon after.
Though its members kept busy, the announcement of the Second Coming Tour was welcome, and Australian fans got their chance to catch the alt-metal icons live when they toured in 2010 as part of the Soundwave Festival.
A few years passed, but the group again returned for Soundwave in 2015, except this time, fans got the chance to hear cuts from Sol Invictus, their first album in 18 years, and first since their reunion.
Check out Faith No More’s ‘Motherfucker’:
Unfortunately, while the album was a huge return to form, its aftermath was somewhat disappointing. After all, with the group seemingly to split again following the record’s touring cycle, fans began to wonder if more shows were on the horizon, or (just maybe) a new album.
It seemed that the Faith No More story had fizzled out though. While frontman Mike Patton returned to his eclectic ways, forming new band Dead Cross in the meantime, his bandmates returned to their roots, performing a pair of Faith No More shows with mid-’80s vocalist Chuck Mosley.
Though these shows were in support of a re-release of their debut album, We Care A Lot, these would be the last Faith No More shows performed with Mosley, as the vocalist would pass away just over a year later.
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Again, a period of uncertainty arose for the band, with keyboardist Roddy Bottum claiming in 2018 that despite their inactivity, members of the band had been working on music together.
“I will periodically go to San Francisco and make music with those guys,” he explained. “What we do is a really special, unique thing that we kind of share — especially like me and Mike Bordin and Billy [Gould].
“So in the hopes of pushing things forward and making new music, we continue to do that, to get together and make new sounds and just have a dialogue about prospects and songs and where we go in the future.”
Check out Faith No More’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’:
In 2019 though, we received the biggest news to date, with cryptic messages on social media preceding the announcement of Faith No More’s first live dates since 2015.
“Five years, four colonoscopies, two root canals and a handful of prostate exams tell us that it’s time to carpe diem our asses back to Europe asap,” the group explained in a statement at the time.
While European shows were indeed announced, this tour soon found itself expanding outwards, with the band announcing their first Aussie shows since 2015 – and first headline tour since 1997 – to take place in May of 2020.
“Faith No More has taken many twists and turns over the years, and both Australia and New Zealand have been with us every step of the way; this is something that we have always appreciated,” explained bassist Billy Gould.
“Nevertheless, we realise that it’s been 20 years since our last proper tour there. If we wait another 20, we’ll be in our 70’s. This shit stops NOW!”
Unfortunately, the current COVID-19 pandemic saw these dates pushed back until 2021, though the group remain adamant in their plans to return down under.
“The circumstances that have forced this decision are well beyond our control but not being able to play for you all stings like a motherf*^ker,” they said in a statement.
“We wanted to figure out how to address our upcoming tour down there in terms of rescheduling and postponements but basically… We fully intend to make good on our promise to come down and perform for you all.”
Check out Faith No More’s ‘Epic’:
Unfortunately, the chances of Faith No More coming back to our shores with new music are slim. In fact, Bottum revealed in early 2020 that plans for fresh tunes are unlikely, with the group proud of the legacy they’ve created.
“You know, there’s no plans right now to record any new music,” he explained. “There’s no plans at all. I think we’re all at an age, or at a time in our lives, where looking back at what we’ve done is a profound place to be.
“I’m super-proud of what we’ve done in a way that I haven’t been before. I think maybe some years ago it did feel a little bit dirty, like we were taking advantage of the world by just going out there and playing old songs, but for whatever reason I’m in a different place with that right now.
“I think our legacy speaks for itself in the way the world is right now. It’s refreshing and it’s appropriately provocative to throw ourselves into the world again. It’s a good example of eccentric leftism, if you will.”
Regardless, the band’s members remain active with Bottum only yesterday unveiling a new project with boyfriend Joey, announcing that Man On Man’s debut single is set to be released next week.
At this stage, it appears that while it’s been five years since Faith No More released Sol Invictus, it might just be the last record we hear from them in some time.
However, if history has taught us anything, it’s that the group are full of surprises, and might just drop some new music when we least expect it. We’ll just have to have faith.
Check out Faith No More’s ‘Midlife Crisis’:
Faith No More Australia & New Zealand Tour February/March 2021
With special guests RVG
Rescheduled Dates
Monday, February 22nd, 2021
Spark Arena, Auckland, NZ (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketmaster | Ph: 0800 111 999
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
Horncastle Arena, Christchurch, NZ (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek | Ph: 0800 842 538
Friday, February 26th, 2021
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek | Ph: 13 28 49
Saturday, February 27th, 2021
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek| Ph: 13 38 49
Monday, March 1st, 2021
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek | Ph: 13 38 49
Thursday, March 4th, 2021
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, SA (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek| Ph: 13 48 49
Saturday, March 6th, 2021
RAC Arena, Perth, WA (All Ages)
Tickets: Ticketek | Ph: 13 48 49
Tickets on sale now via Frontier Touring
