With their fusion of heavy metal, funk, hip-hop, and progressive rock,
has earned a substantial cult following. By the time they recorded their first album in 1985, the band had already had a string of lead vocalists, including
's metallic guitar.
, was a more cohesive and impressive effort; for the first time, the rap and metal elements didn't sound like they were fighting each other.
In 1988, the rest of the band fired
Mosley; he was replaced by Bay Area vocalist
Mike Patton during the recording of their next album,
The Real Thing.
Patton was a more accomplished vocalist, able to change effortlessly between rapping and singing, as well as adding a considerably more bizarre slant to the lyrics. Besides adding a new vocalist, the band had tightened its attack and the result was the genre-bending hit single "Epic," which established them as a major hard rock act.
Following up the hit wasn't as easy, however.
Faith No More followed their breakthrough success with 1992's
Angel Dust, one of the more complex and simply confounding records ever released by a major label. Although it sold respectably, it didn't have the crossover potential of the first album. When the band toured in support of the album, tensions between the band and
Martin began to escalate; rumors that his guitar was stripped from some of the final mixes of
Angel Dust began to circulate. As the band was recording its fifth album in early 1994, it was confirmed that
Martin had been fired from the band.
Faith No More recorded
King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime with
Mr. Bungle guitarist
Trey Spruance. During tour preparations he was replaced by Dean Mentia. Mentia only lasted for the length of the
King for a Day tour and was replaced by
Jon Hudson for 1997's
Album of the Year. Upon the conclusion of the album's supporting tour,
Faith No More announced they were disbanding in April 1998.
Patton, who had previously fronted
Mr. Bungle and had avant-garde projects with
John Zorn, formed a new band named
Fantômas with
Melvins guitarist
Buzz Osbourne,
Mr. Bungle bassist
Trevor Dunn, and former
Slayer drummer
Dave Lombardo.
Roddy Bottum continued with his band
Imperial Teen, who released their first album,
Seasick, in 1996. A posthumous
Faith No More retrospective,
Who Cares a Lot, appeared in late 1998.
In 2009, after eleven years of dissolution,
Faith No More toured Europe without
Jim Martin but with
Patton as vocalist. A U.S. tour followed a year later.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi