Faith No More - King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime (2016 Remaster) [2LP UK Import]

Faith No More made one of rock's most gloriously unpredictable records with King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, here as the 2016 remaster on a UK-import 2LP.

Released in 1995, their fifth album followed guitarist Jim Martin's exit and found Trey Spruance, Mike Patton's bandmate in Mr. Bungle, filling the empty seat. Producer Andy Wallace kept the band sounding huge, but the real story is range, with the San Francisco group bouncing between genres with reckless confidence.

"Digging the Grave" is a short, sharp punch of a single, "Evidence" slinks into velvet lounge soul, and other cuts grind with alt-metal muscle. Patton sounds untouchable throughout, crooning one minute and screaming the next, while Billy Gould, Mike Bordin and Roddy Bottum keep the floor shifting beneath him.

Then there's "Take This Bottle," a country-tinged lament, and "Just a Man," which closes the record with a gospel-sized chorus. Not every fan knew what to make of it at the time, but its reputation has grown steadily ever since, and many now rank it among the band's finest.

The 2016 remaster gives the album a fresh shine, and spread over two discs, it's easy to appreciate how much ground it covers. This is a cult favorite that fully earns its devotion.