Sol Invictus (album)

Sol Invictus
Studio album by Faith No More
Released May 19, 2015
Recorded 2014 in Estudios Koolarrow, Vulcan Studios in Oakland, California
Genre
Length 39:30
Label
Producer Billy Gould
Faith No More chronology
Album of the Year
(1997)
Sol Invictus
(2015)
Singles from Sol Invictus
  1. "Motherfucker"
    Released: November 28, 2014
  2. "Superhero"
    Released: March 23, 2015
  3. "Sunny Side Up"
    Released: 2015
  4. "Cone of Shame"
    Released: 2016

Sol Invictus (Latin for Unconquered Sun) is the seventh studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on May 19, 2015.[4][5] It is Faith No More's first studio album since 1997's Album of the Year, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career, and their first release on Reclamation Records. Sol Invictus is also the band's first album since 1992's Angel Dust not to feature a lineup change from after one consecutive studio album. The album marks the group's fifth collaboration with longtime producer Matt Wallace, though it also happens to be the third album he did not produce, his involvement being reduced to helping with the final mix.[6]

Background

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 era,[7] 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, a double album that includes their hit singles and b sides & rarities, in the UK on June 8.[8] Faith No More then played in major European festivals including, Download Festival in the UK in June, Hurricane and Southside festivals in Germany,[9] Greenfield Festival in Switzerland,[10] Hove Festival in Norway and Roskilde Festival in Denmark,[11] among other dates. The tour continued into 2010 with appearances at the Soundwave Festival in Australian cities throughout February and March.[12] During their tour, the band added covers to their repertoire including "Switch" by Siouxsie and the Banshees.[13]

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" - later confirmed as "Matador" - which led to speculation of new material.[14] They played Sonisphere France on July 7, 2012.[15]

In a January 2013 interview, Mike Patton suggested that the band would not remain active beyond the reunion tour, stating that "it's sort of petered out" and the band was "maybe a little too conscious for [their] own good."[16] In July 2013 Billy Gould hinted the band may record new material in the future, 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."[17] 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.[18] At that show, Faith No More debuted two new songs "Motherfucker" and "Superhero" (also known by fans as "Leader of Men").[19][20] 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.[21][22] On August 30, Gould said that the band was "considering doing something new", and might 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."[23] On September 2, Bill Gould revealed to Rolling Stone that Faith No More had begun work on a new album.[24][25] On February 10, 2015 the band announced the title of their new album, Sol Invictus, and was set to be released on May 19, 2015.[26]

"Black Friday" (2015)
30 second sample of the Sol Invictus song "Black Friday".

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Promotion

"Motherfucker" was the first single to be released from Sol Invictus. It was released on November 28, 2014 exclusively on 7" vinyl to coincide with Record Store Day's Black Friday. It was later released digitally on December 5, 2014. The "Superhero" single was initially scheduled to be released on March 17, 2015 on 7" vinyl, but was delayed to March 23 after the pressing plants suffered from adverse weather effects.[27] A free preview of the song was made available March 1, 2015 through several media outlets, including Marvel.com,[28] YouTube via Ipecac Recordings, and on BBC Radio 1's Rock Show. "Superhero" was also able to be purchased from iTunes later that day. BBC Radio 6 Music confirmed that "Sunny Side Up" will be the next single.

Music videos were made for "Sunny Side Up" and "Separation Anxiety" during 2015. The "Sunny Side Up" video, directed by Joe Lynch, is set in a nursing home,[29] while "Separation Anxiety" uses footage from the 1955 horror film Dementia.[30] On the 19th of September 2016, Faith No More released a preview for a music video for "Cone of Shame" that was written & directed by Goce Cvetanovski.[31]

Style

On Sol Invictus, the band drops the slap bass and rap techniques of prior releases, instead utilizing middle-range vocals.[32] Musically, the album continues the band's tradition of experimenting in various genres, including post-punk,[33] heavy metal, ska, and even dirges.[34]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[35]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubB+[36]
Consequence of SoundB[37]
NME[38]
Paste8.3/10[39]
Pitchfork6.0/10[40]
Rolling Stone[41]

Sol Invictus received a positive reception from professional critics. Aggregate review website Metacritic assigned a "generally favorable" score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 25 critics.[35] The album sold over 200,000 copies in its first two months of release according to the United World Charts. The album was included at number 5 on Rock Sound's top 50 releases of 2015 list.[42] Rolling Stone ranked it second on their list of the 20 best metal albums of 2015.[43]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sol Invictus"  Gould, Patton2:37
2."Superhero"  Bordin, Gould, Patton5:15
3."Sunny Side Up"  Gould, Patton2:59
4."Separation Anxiety"  Bordin, Gould, Patton3:44
5."Cone of Shame"  Gould, Patton4:40
6."Rise of the Fall"  Bottum, Gould, Patton4:09
7."Black Friday"  Bordin, Gould, Patton3:19
8."Motherfucker"  Bottum, Patton3:33
9."Matador"  Gould, Patton6:09
10."From the Dead"  Gould, Patton3:06
Total length:39:30

Personnel

Faith No More

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[45] 2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[46] 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[47] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[48] 12
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[49] 7
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[50] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[51] 4
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[52] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[53] 20
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[54] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[55] 27
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[56] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[57] 6
US Billboard 200[58] 15

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[59] 80

References

Citations
  1. "Faith No More Soundtrack a Stabbing in Their 'Separation Anxiety' Video". Spin. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Pertola, Petteri. "Faith No More - Sol Invictus". rockfreaks.net. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 Deming, Mark (19 May 2015). "AllMusic Review". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  4. "Faith No More Detail 'Hypnotic, Gothic' New Album 'Sol Invictus'". RollingStone.com. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. "Faith No More To Release 'Sol Invictus' Album In May". Blabbermouth.net. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. "Matt Wallace Return To FNM". www.faithnomorefollowers.com. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. "::official FAITH NO MORE site:: Error::". Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  8. "Faith No More: 'The Very Best' Greatest-Hits Collection Due In June". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
  9. "Hurricane Festival 2009". Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  10. Basti Fruehwirth. "Greenfield Festival: Intro". Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  11. "Faith No More Confirmed For Denmark's Roskilde Festival - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  12. "Faith No More, Jane's Addiction, Him Confirmed For Australia's Soundwave Festival - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  13. Faith No More covering "Switch" by Siouxsie and the banshees Melbourne 2010
  14. "Faith No More Performs Mystery Song In Argentina (Video) - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  15. Kiss, Queen With Adam Lambert And Faith No More Confirmed For U.K.'s Sonisphere
  16. "Mike Patton Says Faith No More Reunion Has 'Sort Of Petered Out' - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  17. "Faith No More - Could there be more? ~ Faith No More Blog". Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  18. NME.COM. "Black Sabbath to headline Barclaycard British Summer Time". NME.COM. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  19. "Faith No More Debuts New Music At London's Hyde Park; Video Available". Blabbermouth.net. 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  20. "Faith No More Perform Two New Songs in Concert". Loudwire.com. 2014-07-06. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
  21. "Is Faith No More Gearing Up For A New Album?". bloody-disgusting.com. 2014-05-30. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  22. "Official Faith No More Twitter feed".
  23. "Faith No More Is 'Considering Doing Something New,' Says Bassist Billy Gould". Blabbermouth.net. 2014-08-31. Retrieved 2014-09-02.
  24. "Faith No More to Release First Album in 18 Years, Plot U.S. Tour". Rollingstone.com. 2014-09-02. Retrieved 2014-09-02.
  25. "It's Official: Faith No More Begins Recording First Studio Album". Blabbermouth.net. 2014-09-02. Retrieved 2014-09-02.
  26. Grow, Kory. "Faith No More Detail 'Hypnotic, Gothic' New Album 'Sol Invictus'". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  27. "Ipecac Recordings". Twitter. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  28. "Faith No More Brings 'Superhero' to Marvel - News - Marvel.com". Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  29. "Video Premiere: Faith No More's 'Sunny Side Up' - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  30. "Faith No More". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  31. Faith No More (2016-09-19), Faith No More - Cone of Shame Preview, retrieved 2016-09-22
  32. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/faith-no-more-sol-invictus
  33. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6568772/faith-no-more-mike-patton-new-album-sol-invictus
  34. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/faith-no-more-sol-invictus
  35. 1 2 "Sol Invictus reviews at Metacritic.com". Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  36. Modell, Josh (19 May 2015). "Faith No More lost nothing in 18 years apart". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  37. Brennan, Collin (11 May 2015). "Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  38. Nicolson, Barry (8 May 2015). "Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  39. Prado, Ryan J. (May 19, 2015). "Faith No More: Sol Invictus Review". Paste. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  40. Camp, Zoe (19 May 2015). "Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  41. Grow, Kory (19 May 2015). "Sol Invictus review". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  42. Bird, ed. 2016, p. 28
  43. "Faith No More, 'Sol Invictus'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  44. FNM 2.0 (May 13, 2015). "Faith No More Sol Invictus now on sale -in Japan". Newfaithnomore.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  45. "Australiancharts.com – Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  46. "Austriancharts.at – Faith No More – Sol Invictus" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  47. "Ultratop.be – Faith No More – Sol Invictus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  48. "Ultratop.be – Faith No More – Sol Invictus" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  49. "Dutchcharts.nl – Faith No More – Sol Invictus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  50. "Faith No More: Sol Invictus" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  51. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  52. "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2015. 21. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  53. "Italiancharts.com – Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  54. "Charts.org.nz – Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  55. "Swedishcharts.com – Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  56. "Swisscharts.com – Faith No More – Sol Invictus". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  57. "Faith No More | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  58. "Faith No More – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Faith No More. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  59. "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
Sources
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (January 2016). "Top 50 Releases of the Year". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (208). ISSN 1465-0185. 
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