While it wasn’t their original plan, platinum-certified alternative metal outfit Faith No More have not hit the stage since 2016. The highly influential Californian band have often been cited as laying the blueprint for what would become the genre of nü-metal.
However, in 1998 lineup and label turmoil eventually led them to take roughly 11 years off, before reuniting in 2009 for a round of touring. Their comeback album “Sol Invictus” followed in 2015 amid a busy slate of touring.
While the group had planned to return to the road in the years afterwards, the pandemic took its toll on them in more ways than one. Like just about every other touring artist, tours were postponed amid challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus and the resulting restrictions put in place.
However, that extended period of downtime and solitude also negatively impacted the mental health of vocalist Mike Patton, leading the group to cancel all of their planned live engagements they had rescheduled for 2022.
Patton would later open up on his struggles with agoraphobia, an anxiety/behavioral disorder, which took hold over him during the lockdown. It was confirmed that his condition was the reason the group cleared their touring itinerary.
While he eventually went on to seek out professional help and has since resumed touring with his other endeavors, including Mr. Bungle and more, there has been little to no word as to any potential happenings from Faith No More — until now at least.
In a brief, and likely unwelcome bit of news, the band’s keyboardist Roddy Bottum has newly described Faith No More‘s s current status as a “semi permanent hiatus.” Bottum made mention of the band earlier this week while detailing the recent activities of his various projects via his Substack.
