: Album Of The Year

Sometimes, bands break up at the right time: Soundgarden, for example, packed it in just as its overblown grunge shrieking was becoming trite and self-parodic. By quitting when it did, the band preserved its dignity and its legacy. Faith No More, however, probably should have called it quits before putting out 1995's embarrassingly unfocused, justly ignored King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime. With singer Mike Patton and keyboardist Roddy Bottum involved in intriguing side projects (Mr. Bungle and Imperial Teen, respectively), it just doesn't make sense for Faith No More to keep churning out this sort of bombastic, funk-tinged metal. To the band's credit, the curiously titled Album Of The Year is by no means an embarrassment, and in fact a considerable improvement on its predecessor: Anthems like "Collision" and "Mouth To Mouth" are pumped-up monsters that would have sounded great on an album alongside, say, 1989's hit "Epic." But there's a lot of dreary filler, too, from slogging ballads like "Helpless" and "She Loves Me Not" to the gothic doom of "Ashes To Ashes" and the turgid "Pristina." After 15 years and seven albums—and more than a few great or near-great moments—it may be time for Faith No More to let its legacy stand and allow the terrific Imperial Teen to carry the torch from here on out.