Faith No More — Top 15 Alternative Albums of This Decade

We countdown the best alternative albums of the past 10 years and explore the meaning of the genre...

The word "Alternative" has been passed down through multiple generations of music now, and it's continuously changed. In the most classic sense, we think of it as the Generation X grunge forbearers like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, and everybody else from the iconic Seattle scene. At the same time, Pixies were alternative, and they came from Boston—same thing with Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers, both hailing from Los Angeles. Of course, we can't forget Melvins from Washington even though they sounded different from the general scene associated with their home state. Nowadays, what is alternative? Radio and the industry will tell you it's the folk pop we typically hear on "Alternative" stations. However, where are the guitars?

Truth be told, they haven't gone anywhere. Moreover, there have been some truly monumental "Alternative" albums this past decade—even this year. Most of these will even be widely regarded as classics someday. We wanted to highlight and countdown the Top 15 Alternative Albums of this Decade. They've got the hallmarks of the genre's timeless work, which we all still crank today. Some of these will be from quite recognizable names and others will be from people who still aren't afraid to keep a guitar handy when they're breaking the mold. The point is that Alternative music in the classic sense is stilling being made, and we wanted to spotlight that—even with some gems out this year! As a note, we are counting albums releases since June 2005 to keep in line with the exact decade.

13. Faith No More – Sol Invictus



The last time the world received a Faith No More album was in 1997 with the glorious and still highly underrated Album of the Year. Though the group hadn't recorded anything since then, their influence only heightened across rock music. Their re-emergence with Sol Invictus [Reclamation Records/Ipecac Records] remains one of the year's biggest triumphs. The album sees the quintet—Mike Patton [vocals], Billy Gould [bass], Roddy Bottum [keyboards], Mike Bordin [drums], and Jon Hudson [guitars]—resurrected in the most glorious manner possible.

It begins with the bright séance swing and military drum march of the title track and touches on a practically infinite myriad of sounds, styles, and sentiments throughout the next forty minutes. "Superhero" sums up their spirit in its title and reaffirms that with a barrage of riffs and those inimitable schizophrenic vocals from Patton. At the same time, Bottum's orchestral keys punctuate each moment flawlessly as Gould rips through grooves that could make you dance or mosh. It's "Motherf***er" that really stands evocative of Faith No More in this era. It mounts with true tension before a crescendo that's as classy as it is catchy. It's the quirkiest pop song ever. Would you expect anything less? There's still no one more alternative.

Listen To "Superhero"





—Rick Florino
06.15.15

See the other artists and albums on our Top 15 Alternative Albums of This Decade feature!

See what Deftones, Slipknot, System of a Down, and more have to say about Faith No More in this exclusive Feature!

'Sol Invictus' from Faith No More is available now via Reclamation Records/Ipecac Recordings.