King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime

I think of myself as pretty open-minded, and as a Mr. Bungle fan, I'm open to experimentation and a lot of different things, but the most famous Patton project, Faith No More, is not one of those things. The only release of theirs with Mike Patton I really love is Angel Dust, but even that album hinted at the band's subsequent worse experimental ventures. I spent a lot of time in the Mr. Bungle Facebook group having to hear about this band so let's just say I'm overjoyed to let some of my thoughts be known.

The real elephant in the room about this album is that Jim Martin, the original guitarist, had left the band after Angel Dust over creative differences. I can see why, since their first three albums had a pretty logical post punk to alt rock/funk metal progression and then the curveball known as Angel Dust came through. It seemed as though the band were gonna continue throwing curveballs and Martin just wasn't there for it. Luckily, guitarist Trey Spruance from Mr. Bungle was called in to write and play for this album, a choice which, on paper, sounds amazing! Not so in practice however, as his experimental Secret Chiefs touch is thoroughly under utilized.

Right off the bat, we're met with Get Out, a track aptly named, because it'll make you wanna turn this shit off. Everyone does a fine job and all, but to what end? Think about what they're upholding here, does this song make you feel anything? Nod your head? It doesn't for me. It's just goofy, and despite the distorted guitar and big drums, it does NOT go hard in the slightest. A similar track to this one is The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies, another track which, for some reason, also simultaneously tries to be heavy and goofy, which again, become two opposing goals. These are some of the more metal tracks and they're played for laughs. Why?

Gone from this release are the catchy, anthemic pop sensibilities of The Real Thing and the restrained experimentation of Angel Dust. The restraints have been lifted, as each track is now dedicated to experimentation above all else, for no reason! I just can't say why anyone would want a pretty mainstream funk/alt metal band to play avant garde stuff. This album is Faith No More trying to be Mr. Bungle and it just doesn't work because there's no cohesion, no method to the madness, and no atmosphere. With Bungle you can point to motifs which tie the chaos together a bit, but not with this. Every track kind of goes off in its own direction, leaving us with an album that just lacks soul. It's unfortunate really; everyone on here is super talented, but the music just blows.

Normally I'd pick out a couple tracks here which are good, but I really struggled to find something I liked on here. I mentioned that the things that made the band good aren't there, but that's not entirely true. They do try to make Faith No More songs here, like Ricochet, a track clearly trying to fit itself into that uplifting, Epic-style The Real Thing mold, but it can't keep the energy going. Evidence is going for a much more funky, low key vibe like certain Angel Dust tracks, and while it's not great, it mostly succeeds. But generally, boring is the word for most of these tracks, lots of them are big nothings which don't go anywhere for various reasons. Often I'll listen to a track which seems like it has potential, only for it to never unfold into anything fun or interesting! Real screech to a halt type songwriting! It's an infuriating experience to listen to this album, because it really keeps you waiting and wanting.

Maybe I just don't like Faith No More. We could leave it at that, but I don't think that's enough. I really think this band is overrated and I do not understand why they're so huge, especially when it's easily one of the weakest collectives (studio output-wise) Patton has been in. For some people, this band gets a pass because it has the Patton seal of goodness, but weird/experimental music has to also work and go somewhere, and King For A Day just doesn't, at least for me. I know that other people like this, so maybe my disdain for this album is just a me thing. I'll stick with Fantomas and Bungle for experimental Patton though, because to my ears, this reeks.

EDIT: In hindsight, I was wrong about this being a totally awful album. My main qualm still stands, these songs have potential, but the band squanders it more often than not. The "no good songs" thing was totally untrue though, Cuckoo for Caca is a very endearing, over the top goofy song, as is Star AD. Those are my two biggest highlights for sure, but I'll shout out my second placers, Ugly in the Morning, Digging the Grave, and maybe even What a Day as well. To reiterate though, for every fun/good song, there are 2 or 3 that pretty much fail to make an impact, even when they feature 1 or 2 good parts. King for a Day is not a catastrophe like I made it seem, but it's still not a masterpiece.

Here it is, The best Faith No More album. Released in 1995 on the Slash record label. This album immediately flew under the radar just like everything else post-Angel Dust, and it's a goddamn shame, because this is Faith No More's masterpiece. There isn't a single thing I would change about it. The vocals from Mike Patton are perfect as always, Mike Bordin and Billy Gould lay down solid beats to every single song (check out the opening bass riff of the title track, fucking magical.) Roddy Bottum provides very melodic keyboard parts that help to convey a lot of atmosphere in the songs such as in "Ricochet" and "Cuckoo for Caca " Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance is on board for this release and plays guitar riffs that are both light and melodic and then heavy and rhythmic, beautiful and ugly, etc.

This album is sort of a schizophrenic music experience. It's predecessor Angel Dust is usually called that, but, I'd argue that title is more fitting of this album instead, this album, as previously mentioned, has both very soft and heavy parts. Soft parts include the funk-oriented moods of "Evidence," "Star A.D," and the closing song "Just A Man." There are more ballad type songs on this album, including " Take This Bottle" "Caralho Voador, (Portuguese for flying fuck) as well as the title track. Then, we get to the heavier sections, these generally consist of more alternative sounding songs such as: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, Ricochet, and What a Day, these songs are in general kick ass 90's alternative metal songs in the vein of something like Helmet or even Therapy?. But then, we get to the pure unbridled metal sections on this album, starting with the songs "Cuckoo for Caca" and " Ugly in the Morning." these songs are truly heavy, featuring heavy, loud, in your face guitar riffing mixed in with Mike Patton's absolutely insane screaming. His screaming can get pretty intense on these songs, but, I love it and it should not deter anybody from listening to them.

The production on this album is absolutely perfect. Everything sounds crystal clear, but it still sounds alive and full of energy. Faith No More really upped their production values on this album and the one immediately following it. If every band had this type of production, Crypticide would be a happy man.

So, this album is recommended for fans of weird genre bending music, alternative rock fans, and even hardcore metal heads like myself and everyone else on this website. so invest in this baby and witness the amazing music experience you will have with this album, it's the best 56 minutes of your life you could ever spend.

Check it out, as well as everything else with Mike Patton

100/100

Faith No More is not an easy band to categorize, but they're not typically as difficult as they are on this album. The band has often used a variety of influences in their music, but they don't usually take over entire songs. Many songs on this album are from completely different genres, making this a bit of a shizophrenic listen. For instance, the band experiments with 1970's era R&B on "Evidence", country on "Take This Bottle", and big band funk on "Star A.D." Those are the two more outlandish examples. We even have saxophone solos on this thing.

However, the album is definitely based in metal. Half of the 14 songs are very clearly metal tracks. The band makes very good use of their always-present metal influences in presenting the metallic hardcore crunch of tracks like "Get Out" and "Digging the Grave". "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" features one hell of an opening thrash metal riff, and probably the greatest metal riff Faith No More has ever written. Even less metal tracks such as "Last to Know" and "Just a Man" feature strong metal elements. Some of these songs are the catchiest tracks Faith No More has ever written.

Guitarist Jim Martin, who was basically a thrash metal guitarist, is no longer with the band at this point, but Trey Spruance did an admirable job filling in and showed that he knew a thing or two about metal riffs as well. The metal tracks are much more straightforward this time around and are simpler riffs, but they are still energetic and get the blood pumping and the head banging.

How could we discuss a Faith No More album without mentioning Mike Patton? You were getting worried, right? Patton is easily one of the best and most interesting vocalists in rock music overall. He presents a wide variety of vocal styles on this album, from soulful crooning to blood-curdling screaming. His vocals can be calming and relaxing one minute and then filled with a terrifying malevolence the next. His screams are well-done and scary and his softer vocals show a range of talent that Patton has become well-known for over the years.

The only real issue I have with this album is its length. It is a very long album with 14 tracks. Some of these feel like filler, but I'm not sure if the album would have the same effect if any of them were taken away.

While this is not my favorite Faith No More album by any means, it is a very interesting album. It keeps the listener's attention even though it is a little long. The variety of styles keep the listener guessing as to what's going to be heard next. Faith No More is a very interesting band, and this album is just one example of this fact.

Faith No More were certainly odd, at least in their later albums. Following Mike Patton’s phenomenal debut with the band, they ceased altogether to be a more or less genre-constricted group, with mixed results. Certain ventures (I’m looking at you, Angel Dust) did not work at all, being nothing more than a sonic headache, but when they did it right they were a band like no other. King for a Day is definitely one of those better moments.

These guys had to be on something when they wrote this stuff, especially Patton. Now, this isn’t the most abrasive or mind-bending thing he’s ever done, but for this musical area – I refuse to call it a genre, simply because there are too many at work – he’s still pretty insane. In the smooth jazz of “Evidence,” for example, he can be completely mellow and soulful, but in the very next song spew bile-drenched fits of hysteria. Combined with the instrumentalists’ knack for performing in many different styles, such as jazz, heavy metal, and even ska, while being equally messed up and unpredictable, this makes for rabidly spontaneous music. It rarely feels like variety for variety’s sake, as much of it turns out fluid and well done.

Raucous metal tends to dominate a lot of the songs, providing a bit of a base on which to classify the band’s music. The band displays a respectable knowledge of metal itself, despite being what some might call a “mainstream” band, not exactly fitting into the more extreme genres like Mike Patton’s other work. Thrash metal, for example, presents influence in the riffs of some of the harsher songs, and there is quite a bit of general heavy metal in the song structures and the compositional aspects as well as the overall sound.

Patton’s lyrics have also shifted from the funk-based tendencies of his first album with Faith No More where he obviously didn’t have much input, being recruited when the material was already written. In their place there are both strange, crazed pieces and more intelligently composed bits of innuendo and randomness. You won’t find Mr. Bungle’s manic sex cravings here. There’s the classic “it’s always funny ‘til someone gets hurt/And then it’s just hilarious” line, not to mention some weird-ass malevolence like in “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies.”

Most of the songs, while a lot of effort is spent in injecting them with a healthy dose of variety, also have much care taken to still work as enjoyable works of art. There’s no retarded piece of boredom á la “RV” where the band just didn’t care if it sounded good. In other words, the sprawling, chaotic annoyances of Angel Dust are no more.

King for a Day captures the essence of a band committed to creating powerful and imaginative music. I would say this is their most “metal” album, what with The Real Thing largely funk-based and Angel Dust infested with mallcore. Faith No More didn’t keep this up, only releasing one more album, but for now they were going strong.

It seems to be popular to debate about this album. I've got the feeling that 50 percent of all FNM fans regard this as their favorite while the other 50 percent regard it as their least favorite. I'm one of those 50 percent that regard this as the weakest FNM album with Patton and the second weakest overall ("We Care A Lot" is the worst). I don't wan't to give this album a lot of crap though, because it still has it's golden moments.

The albums opener "Get Out" is a bad sign. It immediately shows the loss of their classic axeman Jim Martin and also gives (me) a bad hope for this album. After it's 2 minutes and 16 seconds are over it sounds better. It's the albums best track "Ricochet" that goes off and what a song. It doesn't really sound like anything they've done before but it shows that FNM got more great sides of writing great songs. Track 3 is a great relaxing song called "Evidence" and it's defenitely this albums "Edge Of The World" or "Easy". "The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies" isn't a great song because it goes in your right ear and immediately right through your head and out through the left ear. Track 5 and 6 are pretty interesting. "Star A.D." sounds very much like something by Mr. Bungle while "Cuckoo For Caca" is a great headbanger with a cool riff and crazy vocals by Patton. "Digging The Grave" is pretty nice and it was something of a hit but there's still some things I can't stand with it. The rest of the album is just "turn off your brain" music, it doesn't really say anything to me. It just goes right through my head.

The production is nothing to complain about although I like the prouctions on "The Real Thing" and "Angel Dust" more. It sounds typical mid-90's and is maybe a bit polished for the more mainstream rock / pop music. It's not too much to say about it. It's working...

The cast is great and even though I like Jim Martin I have to say that Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle) do a great job here filling up for old "Big Jim". Since Roddy's dad died around this time he hasn't done too many things on this album which is kinda sad because he's one of the greatest keyboardists ever. Bill Gould and Mike Bordin are great as usual. They can play whatever they want. The most shining star here is of course Mike Patton, the best frontman and singer ever. Just like on the previous two FNM releases he's doing a great job. After hearing "Angel Dust" you probably expect at least the same here? Well, you don't have to worry 'bout it 'cause you got it.

So finally to my last comments on "King For A Day... Fool For A Lifetime"...

I'm a big fan of FNM's stuff they did between 1987-1993. "Introduce Yourself" and especially "The Real Thing" and "Angel Dust" are some of the greatest albums I've heard. Unfortunatelly this one's not.

The best tracks here are "Ricochet", "Cuckoo For Caca", "Evidence" and probably "Digging The Grave". The rest are pretty much average. You listen to 'em all but if you're the type of FNM-fan that I am then you won't think too much things 'bout 'em.

I still recommend this album, FNM were a great band and since they're no longer around uss we have to take care of every little piece of their history that we can find.

I am all about Mike Patton. I completely worship anything with him in, even down to his weirdest ("Adult Themes" springs to mind). Anything the man touches becomes a work of genius. So you can imagine that this will be a pretty positive review for his main band's penultimate album, "King for a Day..."

However. Instead of non-stop praise for the album, I will TRY to focus on the negative points of the album that make this my least favourite Patton-fronted FNM album.

First off, the diversity: this is what we've come to expect with FNM - especially after "Angel Dust", still my favourite album of theirs. On this record however, it seems a little bit forced, as opposed to the smooth flow between genres on the predecessor. Jumps between raucous heavy metal to swinging jazz, and even soulful gospel singing are dotted all over the place, in what seems to me like "diversity for diversity's sake". I mean, saxophone solos and a verse spoken in some sort of Spanish dialect?! Come on!

The departure of Big Jim Martin has definitely left some sort emptiness to the compositions. They are more straightforward, easier to grasp songs than "Angel Dust", more akin to "The Real Thing". Though guitar has never been the focal point on a FNM album, there is definitely a different, harsher atmosphere to the album than before. More metal, less weird, I'd say.

The album goes on for too long... one or two songs are negligible... erm... less diversity... less weird... fuck it. Try as I might, this is a great album and I can hardly fault it.

The songs - forcibly diversified as they may be - are nearly all brilliantly written, memorable, catchy as hell and above all showcase the talents of each musician. Saxophone solos and Spanish dialect? What brilliant ideas! This forced diversity just means we get more aspects of FNM than ever before! The drums, the keys and the stings are all more than in order. Mike's vocals are so amazing I think I want to go listen to it all over again just for them. Pretty much uses his entire vocal range here, even down to the manic screaming of "Cuckoo for Caca" and "Ugly in the Morning". More metal, less weird? I certainly don’t care - I love metal, so I love this for what it is.

I love this album. It is amazing. It's just that every other Patton-fronted FNM album is slightly more amazing. DO NOT let this review put you off, I SERIOUSLY recommend this album for any fans of the band - who should already have it to be fair.