Faith No More were one of the most distinct, unusual and unpredictable bands of their era. They might have started out playing a zeitgeist-y brand of funk metal, but they soon grew tired of genre conventions. By the time they released 1992’s astonishing Angel Dust album, all bets were off. From then on, they dabbled in suave lounge-core, scabrously heavy metallic riffing and some oddly faithful covers of everything from The Bee Gees to... er... the Eastenders theme music.
As such, they are a band that inspired thousands of musicians, but are extremely difficult to replicate. Here, five new bands that capture their restless creative spirit.
Nova Twins
The biggest band here by some margin, and one you’ve doubtless already heard of. Nova Twins have only released a pair of albums since 2020, but in that time they’ve been nominated for BRIT, MOBO and the Mercury Music Prize for their 2022 effort Supernova. That’s impressive enough, but the fact that they’ve done it by mixing hip-hop, electronica, hard rock and something that is quintessentially their own makes it even more so. They don’t sound anything like Faith No More if we’re being honest, but that desire to fuck with all the formulas means they’re an obvious modern equivalent.
MSPAINT
Essentially a band from the hardcore scene – not strictly something you would usually associate with Faith No More – MSPAINT are a total oddity in that world, hence their inclusion on our list. As much as they do have the bounce and aggression of classic hardcore, the Mississippi quartet’s fantastic debut full length Post-American is full of synthy twists and funky turns at every junction. There’s a clear desire to manipulate their chosen genre into all manner of odd new shapes at every opportunity, something they very much have in common with FNM.
No Terror In The Bang
Formed in 2019 in Rouen, France, from the ashes of cult avant garde metallers Pin-Up Went Down, No Terror In The Bang describe themselves as a “cinematic metal band”. We’re not entirely sure what that actually entails, but if it simply means they take massive groove riffs, odd time signatures, quietly chilling piano parts and the dexterous vocals of Sofia Bortolzuzzi, then they’ve nailed it. It’s the kind of mash up of styles that FNM made their name from.
Melted Bodies
This LA band possibly have more in common with the wackier side of FNM vocalist Mike Patton’s Mr. Bungle project, with albums called things like The Inevitable Fork featuring songs called things like Hot Dog Contract. But their killer fusion of funk, extreme metal, manic synths and bizarro imagery will surely appeal to the more open-minded end of the Faith No More fandom.
The St Pierre Snake Invasion
Okay, so The St Pierre Snake Invasion are not exactly new, having formed all the way back in 2010. But this year they released their third album Galore and it feels like something of a rebirth for the band, so they’re going on the list. Where before St. Pierre were a noisy and chaotic hardcore band, Galore has seen them reinvent themselves as a band who can veer from that style into suave, loungy crooning at the flick of a switch. It’s a seriously impressive album, the best thing the band have ever done by some considerable distance, and has massively set them apart from their peers. That more freeform style certainly has nods to FNM too.
