In the 18 years since Roddy Bottum, Mike Bordin and Billy Gould first got together to form Faith No More, much has changed; within their group and the wider musical landscape.

Bottum, a classically trained pianist with a love for pure pop and rubber clothing; Gould, a punk prankster providing the piledriving bass foundation and Bordin, a polyrhythmic drummer deeply immersed in jazz lore, designed their group to incorporate the extremes of both their own influences and of those who joined them later. 'ALBUM OF THE YEAR' - the group's sixth studio album, their fourth with the irrepressibly confrontational vocalist and demented lyricist Mike Patton, their first with new guitarist John Hudson - is remarkable because it shows that their original vision has held up over the long haul, stronger and clearer, bigger and better than the fads and trends they've seen come and go during their time together.

Since their beginnings, back in 1982 in the California Bay Area that they still call home, FNM have driven deep into the madhouse of the American rock industry and the world beyond. They've been hailed as the most potent and revolutionary force to enter the metal ballpark by the British music press, been Top 10 single stars, toured themselves into the ground, fought, fallen out and made up again. They've developed a range of side projects and said farewell to several members as they've seduced, outraged and terrorized audiences all around the globe. Impossible to second guess, perilous to ignore, FNM shows were such tempestuous and nerve-shredding experiences that it sometimes seemed impossible that they could prevent themselves from exploding and leaving a sadder, emptier world to pick up the pieces.

Various group side projects and the experimentation of 1995's „KING FOR A DAY" album helped stave off that unthinkable occurence. Now, with the inaugural death's head drumbreak on 'Collision' leading into a sonic landmine not experienced round these parts since their watershed album „THE REAL THING", FNM are back and a sense of adventure, the thrill of danger and the joy of discovery is at hand. Whatever musical and personality clashes may have fed into the group in the past, there can be no mistaking what is happening here - the impress of one of the most lethally sophisticated rock outfits of the 90s rebinding and restrengthening their armoury.

„Collision" is the perfect launchpad and catchword for the musical gameplan that ensues. Perhaps the most distinctive musical styles and personalities of previous and founding FNM members have caused incoming guitarist John Hudson to raise his game, or maybe the guy's just a stone genius, but in him, FNM have found the perfect guitar player. He is wise and willing to go with the ever changing flow thrown up by these songs of millennium madness and psychic implosion, of bizarre social practises and shabby love affairs. Hudson is there every step of the way on this record alongside Patton's howls of anguish, his broken and distorted recriminations. He's there with his razor chords rearing up behind the low moans and menacing threats of „Home Sweet Home", providing the perfect foil and dynamic with his starburst breaks on the hypnotic „Strip Search" or grinding razor riffs on „Ashes To Ashes"

But Faith No More are a musical unit where every member counts - a fact that gives them cohesion and unparalleled depth and authority. Bottum is as capable of creating an awesome atmospheric cathedral of sound („The Last Cup Of Sorrow") as he is of slyly undercutting the horrified kiss of death that is „Mouth to Mouth" with spooked and playful cartwheels of sound. With Patton appalled and raging, „Mouth To Mouth" is a typically shocking and energizing FNM song, the group working overtime to give a labyrinth of textures, the whole thing unspooling like a movie nightmare born of the deepest fears imaginable.

Billy Gould and Mike Bordin remain the most individualistic and incomparable rhythm section in rock, providing the sort of surprising breaks flurries and mad funk you could easily dance to (provided you're double jointed, possessed of a sixth sense and an atomic powered pacemaker). But the startling twists, turns and tempo changes provided by the guys in the engine room are perfectly suited to the wild admonishments, diseased prayers, dark threats and general headspinning soul-blazing scenarios thrown up by the compositions on „ALBUM OF THE YEAR". As ever Mike Patton - projecting an astonishing range of characters and voices over the course of such instant classics as „Path Of Glory" and the charmingly evocative „Naked In Front Of The Computer" - is the equal of whatever comes his way. Throughout he turns in exactly the sort of seasoned performances you expect from a man who once claimed to have far more in common with „twisted people, street corner burns and whacked out weirdos" than certain major league rock stars. And a very good job it is too - aren't we all heartily sick of ponced-up preened up poser pretenders, isn't it time to let some real rocking renegades take the stand? Incendiary blazes with a full throttle ballistic roar, mentholated jazz boosted with dark thunder, manic war cries and screams at he end of their tether, soft luxuriant lullabies seasoned with paranoid relish and brutal images of terror and decay - FNM are once again displaying the unquenchable lust and desire to rip into the heart of the musical beast that first branded their name on the map. Returning with the bloodied jewels that emerges from their quest, they are cheesy balladeers and Metal Overlords, disco fireballs and malevolent warriors. And if you are in doubt, turn directly to „I Got The Feeling", simply the most overpowering blast of clear clean oxygen launched into the rock'n'roll universe for what seems like years. While others are too wrapped up in repression, regression and prevarication, FNM stride out there and that the wild, intoxicating and spirit-lifting side of life.

Rap and funk, grunge and techno, progressive and pomp, hardcore, queercore and for all I know, applecore - they've all come and gone and probably are due to come round again very soon. but Faith No More, taking a little bit of each and whole lot more besides, steer their own course and they've stayed strong and now, they are stronger than ever.

„ALBUM OF THE YEAR" it is then. How could anyone ever accuse these guys of false modesty?

KEY MOMENTS AND TRIVIAL BITS..

1982
Mike Bordin (born 11/27/62 in San Francisco), Roddy Bottum (born 7/1/63 in Los Angeles) and Bill Gould (born 4/23/63 in Los Angeles) form Faith No More.

1983
Chuck Mosely joins as vocalist.

1984
Jim Martin (born 7/21/61 in Oakland, CA) joins as guitarist. Faith No More signs to Mordam Records, a San Francisco independent label run by Ruth Schwarz.

1985
Release first album We Care A Lot

1986
The band signs with Slash Records, a Los Angeles-based independent label who has distribution through Warner Bros. Records. Anna Statman is the A&R; person responsible for making the deal. This deal later develops into a split deal between Slash and Reprise Records, another arm of the Warner company. In the UK, London Records from the Polygram company, sign the band.

1987
APRIL: The album Introduce Yourself is released.

1988
FEB: Faith No More plays in the UK for the first time.
MAY: A second UK tour sees Chuck Mosely's final shows with the band. A 'critics choice' in the UK, the band cannot break in the US.

1989
JAN: Mike Patton (born 1/768 in Eureka, CA) joins as new singer.
JUNE: The Real Thing is released.
SEPT: Start a five-week US West Coast tour with Metallica.
OCT: Another UK headline tour.
NOV: European headline tour.

1990
JAN: Tour the US with Voivod and Soundgarden. „Epic enters singles chart in the UK at #37; the band does another UK tour.
FEB: The Grammy nomination for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock performance. They don't win.
APRIL: Another UK tour sees the single „From Out Of Nowhere" reach #23 in the UK charts.
JUNE: The Real Thing goes US gold (500.000).
AUG: Release concert video You Fat Bastards - Faith No More Live At The Brixton Academy, London. Headline the Reading Festival in England and tour Australia.
OCT: The „Epic" single hits the US top 10 (#5) and the UK Top 30 (#25) in the US (1,000.000 sales) reaching the #11 spot (It moves to double-platinum in 1991).

1991
FEB: UK-released live album, Live At Brixton, reaches #20 in the UK album charts.
MAR: Win five BAMMIE (Bay Are Music Awards) awards.

1992
JUNE: Release Angel Dust LP, immediately go on tour with Guns'n'Roses in Europe.
JULY: Single „Midlife Crisis" reaches the UK top 30 singles at #18.
JULY/AUG: Tour US stadiums with Metallica and Guns'n'Roses.
NOV: Angel Dust reaches US gold (500.000 sales).
DEC: Tour the UK/Europe with L7.

1993
JAN: tour of US with Babes In Toyland and Kyuss.
FEB: The band's cover of The Commodores single „Easy" reaches UK #3.
APRIL: Tour Japan.
MAY: Tour Australia and New Zealand. Angel Dust goes gold in Australia.
JULY: After another successful European tour, the band headlines 50.000-capacity Phoenix Festival in the UK.

1994
JAN: Jim Martin leaves the band.
SEPT: Andy Wallace is confirmed as the producer of FNM's forthcoming album, marking the first time an album has been done without Matt Wallace at the helm.
SEPT/OCT/NOV: The band commence with, and complete, the recording and mixing of King For A Day Fool For A Lifetime. It is recorded in Woodstock, NY at Bearsville Studios and mixed in Manhattan at Soundtracks. Trey Spruance from Mr. Bungle, records al guitar parts for the album.
DEC: Dean Menta is added as the new guitarist.

1995
FEB: „Digging The Grave" is released as the first single from the new album on the 20th.