MetalSucks

Faith No Mania continues!

Following the news that the legendary Faith No More are, in fact, reuniting, it has just been announced that they will headline the opening night of this year’s Download Festival in the UK. Slipknot and Def Leppard will headline the following nights.

Oddly enough, the FNM-inspired nu-metal acts that Mike Patton has repeatedly professed hatred for, Korn and Limp Bizkit, will play earlier that same day.

Will Patton make fun of Fred Durst from the stage? Will Nikki Sixx throw a fit that Motley Crue’s umpteenth tour isn’t nearly as newsworthy? Can FNM’s performance even possibly live up to expectations? I guess we’ll have to wait and find out.

On a side note: I know some non-European readers have been freaking out because the band allegedly has no plans to tour the rest of the world right now. All I can say is: chill. We have it from a good source that this reunion is going to last quite awhile. Just be patient.

-AR

The webernet rumor mill has been swirling for months with talk of a Faith No More reunion this summer, but to date no one in the band’s camp has commented on the matter. And that remains true today… sort of. In a press release announcing FNM frontman Mike Patton’s involvement with the score of the feature film Crank 2, the last sentence alluded to said reunion (emphasis added):

Patton has also provided vocals to several videogames including “Bionic Commando,” “Portal,” “Left 4 Dead,” and “The Darkness.” He also lent his voice to Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse (character name: Rikki Kix). Patton just wrapped up a trek across Australia with Fantômas as part of the Big Day Out festival. His upcoming schedule includes a performance with labelmates Zu (Mar. 19 @ Great American Music Hallin San Francisco), the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Apr. 17 with Rahzel (ex-Roots beatboxer) and the highly anticipated reunion tour with Faith No More in Europe this summer.

So, um… is it happening or isn’t it?

Click to read more…

So this one time a few years ago I randomly met this bizarro couple of an unsuspecting Indian dude and a very plus-sized middle-aged lady at a bar across the street from my old apartment. Old school reggae was blaring from the speakers, but the subject inevitably turned to metal, specifically our mutual love of Faith No More. It was decided that we would all go back to my apartment for a few night-cap beers and FNM listening sesh. When we arrived, said plus-sized middle-aged lady proceeded to whip out a bag of coke and cut some of the most equally plus-sized lines I have ever seen in my fucking life. The rest, as they say, is history.

ANYWAY, the MetalSucks Mansion Monkeys are hard at work on a time machine to bring me and Axl back in time to see Faith No More on the Angel Dust tour — but for now, this ripping MTV in-studio live performance of “Caffeine” will have to do. Note: Mike Patton’s ironic trucker hat 10 years before Ashton Kutcher and Williamsburg hipsters jumped on the bandwagon.

-VN

Every bone in my body tells me I should hate Crank, the Jason Statham action comedy that’s basically Speed with a person in place of a bus (Plot: if the dude’s adrenaline falls below a certain level, he’ll die.). But against my better judgement (and a cameo by – ugh - Chester Bennington), I found the flick endlessly entertaining. Fucking Amy Smart in the middle of a crowd of Asian tourists to get the heart pumping? If that’s not the definition of “high comedy,” then I don’t know what is.

Crank 2: High Voltage – which will somehow see Statham’s character returning for another adventure, despite the fact that he died at the end of Crank – will hit theaters in ‘09, and now comes the news that none other than Mike Patton will score the film. As if the news that Corey Haim is gonna be in the movie didn’t already have you excited!

I actually think Patton is a perfect fit, tonally speak – Crank had a real “anything goes” attitude to it, and if that doesn’t describe Patton’s music as well, then I don’t know what does.

-AR

[Thanks to MetalSucks Maniac John Randle for the tip!]

With seemingly every band in the world reuniting right now, it seemed like it was only a matter of time ’til the members of Faith No More decided to tour again. Frankly, there’s just too high a possibility of making a lot of money not to do a reunion tour. I know that’s crass, but we’re all big boys and girls here at MetalSucks so let’s just be real and admit that “We thought playing together again would be fun” is not the driving reason behind most of these reunions.

But I digress.

SO. Kerrang! is reporting this rumor that FNM are, indeed, now getting back together in ‘09, and that venues have even been put on hold, etc. Bassist/guy-who-gets-asked-about-being-in-FNM-more-than-anyone-else-who-isn’t Mike Patton, Billy Gould, has been tacitly denying the reunion, but in a manner which I personally find about as convincing as Pamela Anderson’s breasts.

Click to read more…

It’s old news by now that a new GN’R song, “If the World,” makes its official debut (e.g., not the debut it made when it leaked earlier this year) over the closing credits of the new movie Body of Lies. It’s the second new song Guns have officially released this year, and the second new song the band has done virtually nothing to publicize. Rumors keep circulating that Chinese Democracy will finally come out in late November, but meanwhile it’s October 10 and the band hasn’t made a peep.

ANYWAY, considerably less publicized is the fact that after the GN’R tune concludes, a second song, “Bird’s Eye,” plays over the closing credits – and it’s collaboration between Mike Patton, Serj Tankian, and the film’s composer, Marc Streitenfeld.

Click to read more…

The bizarre career arc of Mike Patton continues with his latest project; the full soundtrack to the Derrick Scocchera film A Perfect Place. But the term “Soundtrack” does Patton’s work here an injustice; this is a bonafide film score worthy of a broadway production, running the gamut from showtune to lounge to old-time swing. Metal Bastard’s Mp3 Blahg has 3 tracks posted, so you best go listen if you’re a Patton completist or even a casual fan. Or at least peep “A Perfect Twist,” deep-linked below.

Mike Patton (A Perfect Place Soundtrack) – “A Perfect Twist”

-VN

Now that you’ve all come down from the Death Magnetic food coma, perhaps you’d be interested in reading about something other than the latest output from four millionaires. Back away from the ledge, you pimply faced virgins, because it’s time for your noise news.

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So rumor has it that Wolfmother are done. Which is fine by me – I always thought that band sucked anyway. Hipsters will have one less metal band to worship I guess, but, hey, The Sword are still going strong.

Here’s the now infamous video of a certain Monsieur Michael Patton expressing an opinion not dissimilar from my own:

I knew there was a reason I worship Mike Patton…

-AR

Happy Memorial Day to our U.S. readers, and we hope you’re enjoying your day off by stuffing yourselves silly with grilled meat and beer.

Mike Patton has done a hell of a lot of weird shit over the past decade, but as far as I’m concerned Tomahawk has been his best (read: most Faith No More-like) output since Faith No More. Tomahawk has consistently been his rockingest project to date, featuring a metal pedigee of Jesus Lizard/Hank Williams III guitarist Duane Denison, former Helmet drummer John Stanier, and Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis. And this song, from 2003’s Joe Barresi-produced Mit Gas, came closest to equaling the sound and ethos of latter day Faith No More.

Tomahawk – “Captain Midnight”

-VN

After briefly writing about pre-Mike Patton Faith No More singer Chuck Mosely earlier this month, I got to wondering: what the flying fuck ever happened to Mosely, anyways? I was purely curious, mind you; I’m sure there’s some nut case out there who only recognized Mosely as the one true front man for FNM, but I ain’t him. Still, there are songs from the Mosely years (Introduce Yourself and We Care A Lot) that I greatly enjoy, and it occurred to me that I never even knew, really, why Mosely had left the band (or had been fired from the band?).

So I did what any good American journalist would do, and headed over to Mosely’s Wikipedia page. Here’s the short version of Mosely’s life post-FNM…

Click to read more…

According to the Ipecac Records website, Mike Patton is working on yet another side project with Dan the Automator, with whom he collaborated for the Lovage and Peeping Tom projects. According to an update posted yesterday:

Also wanted to let you know that there is a new Patton project that is about to show it’s face. Yeah, another one. Seems that Mike and Dan the Automator have been cooking up some music and after a little marinating are about to reveal…….. CRUDO. Not much is known about Crudo, but we know this, they will be playing the super cool music festival, Sasquatch, at the end of May in the state of Washington at the Gorge.

Alright, cool, so more Patton music that sounds nothing like Faith No More. Alrighty then. I actually liked the Peeping Tom record, but still I’d love to hear something with more balls along the lines of Tomahawk. I’ll keep waiting.

-VN

I Am Legend, based on a brilliant novella by Richard Matheson, is going to blow cattle turds. You know how I know? The director sucks (Constantine, anyone?), the writer sucks (Batman & Robin), and this is pretty much the same creative team responsible for fucking up another brilliant piece of genre writing, Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, by turning it into by-the-numbers big budget Hollywood schlock.

Still, the news that Mike Patton will, in the words of last night’s press release, “lend his voice to the dreaded creatures” in the film is exciting. Remember when you first heard him on “RV” from Faith No More’s Angel Dust? Remember how wholly he inhabited the character of aging trailer trash? His recent voice-over work in video games such as The Darkness proves that the performance was no fluke: not only can this guy sing and howl his ass off, but he’s a legitimately talented voice over actor. And I wouldn’t be surprised if his interpretation of a post apocalyptic, vampiric ghoul was the best thing about the movie.

Of course, Patton isn’t the only metal front man in the VO game these days: Dee Snider was the voice of MSNBC for awhile, John Bush lends his pipes to Burger King commercials these days, and Patton’s former tour mate-turned-adversary Axl Rose did a vocal cameo as a DJ in one of the Grand Theft Auto video games. Now if only someone would greenlight Devin Townsend in Ziltoid the Omniscient: The Animated Feature Film…

-AR

Just ask ex-Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin. Our pal Nick over at The Deciblog reminded us of a hilarious fact we had forgotten about; Jim Martin is now a champion pumpkin farmer. Reports The Deciblog:

The results from yesterday’s Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California are in: Oregon farmer Thad Starr shattered the previous contest record with a 1524 lb pumpkin. Since the first place winner gets $6 per pound, Starr walked away from the event with $9144… Jim Martin, formerly of Faith No More, must be totally jealous: the highest he’s placed in the annual contest was 4th in ‘03 with a 1064 lb pumpkin. Not that he’s throwing in the towel on his alternative career anytime soon; Martin hit the leader board again this year for the “Biggest from a San Mateo County Farm Bureau Member” for his 977 lb behemoth. The pumpkin will be on view this weekend (Oct. 13 + 14) at the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival.

It’s good to hear that at least one former rock star hasn’t moved into producing and recording shitty bands or otherwise making a fool of himself. Seriously. Pumpkin farming is so metal.

-VN