Review by Brian on May 24, 2015.

Back when I was young teenager I began to explore music outside of metal, I wanted to hear something that was different from all the run of the mill thrash bands that were being force fed to us metalheads. I knew of this band that toured with Voivod and they had a brand new album out. I went to my local record store, Blue Jays Records and Tapes, picked up the long slim cardboard box that housed the CD inside (remember those?). The cover art was different, the band name was written in plain block letters and it was titled The Real Thing. This was it! This is what I'd been looking for.

Faith No More made that transition easier for me because they still incorporated some metallic guitars and some undeniable metal riffs. The Real Thing spent the summer of 1989 in my CD player. Even though the band would never again enjoy the commercial success it did with that album, they would go on to greater things. In 1992 with their release of Angel Dust, Faith No More began to get more experimental.This is when Mike Patton began to shine as the vocalist and they would never be the same. Angel Dust is a masterpiece and has never been matched. The follow up King For a Day...Fool for a Lifetime did well to further their sound and is near perfect. However, Album of the Year was sub par by their standards and then they broke up and left us craving more.

Fast forward 17 years. I caught wind of the new single "Motherfucker", this was classic Faith No More. Spoken word, pseudo rap versus with the ultra catchy chorus with Patten's trademark vocals. I remained cautiously optimistic as I awaited to get Sol Invictus in my hands. Why not? It has been almost two decades since their last release and comeback reunion albums often fall short of past glories. At first I wasn't sure what I thought, but through several listens I realized that Sol Invitus is a triumphant return for Faith No More. Musically it falls somewhere between the last two releases, containing the best elements of both. It's as if they haven't missed a beat.

Sol Invictus has all the elements that we have become accustom to. Melding different genres, catchy choruses, sarcastic lyrics and Mike Patton's amazing voice. However this isn't just regurgitated shit that we heard 20 years ago. Sol Invictus is fresh and the appropriate comeback album, with a whole set of songs destined to become classics. Whether it be the quick paced and punk driven "Superhero", the doom laden and sorrowful majesty of "Cone of Shame" or the funky "Rise of the Fall" they all leave an imprint on your brain and have you singing them in the shower. The back to back Faith No More stamp is left right near the end of the album with "Motherfucker" and "Matador". To me these 2 songs have that classic feel.

Clocking in at around 40 minutes and containing couple so so songs makes this album a little too short for an 18 year wait. However the meat of the album is extremely strong and fans of the band should be pleased with it. So 25 years a later and Faith No More's music is still "The Real Thing"

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on September 15, 2018.

2 tracks totaling 32 minutes of black/death metal playtime is what this New Zealand based breed of blasphemers have summoned during the incantation. Here is something else I'm pleased to add to my wanted list in which seems to be growing by the day. Released through Pulverised Records is a potent stew of black/death metal that has welcomed the influence of death/doom into its maze of corruption. The artwork is the force behind this review. Had I not taken a lengthy stare upon the enigmatic and beautiful drawing I would be reviewing something else. 

There are two tracks on Vorant Gnosis , “Vorant” and “Gnosis”, so much for the song titles. They both are respectively diverse but share the influence of death/doom metal in the black/death metal formula. The ferocity and intensity of them both is truly something to be adored. I'm almost reminded of Lykheaon’s 2018 Ep Ominous Eradication of Anguished Souls that is similar in some aspects such as album length and the amount of vigor expelled. Vehemence, check, skillful use of doom metal sections on both tracks, check, and the will to successfully experiment with the sound without damaging the record sonically, check. The brawling vocals on the record parade around the war themed sounding tracks, while the drums boomerang back and forth between the traditional “war” metal and death/doom styles of playing. The guitar notes are gracefully picked on slower parts of the record such as on the 21 minute colossal display of speed and dirge in the form of “Gnosis”. It binds various forms of musical techniques to craft one coherent sculpture of might and chaos. 

For an Ep this can easily be categorized as a full length album that has exceed the standards set by many bands within the genre. To some degree I'm not surprised this monstrosity emerged from the underbelly of New Zealand’s black/death metal scene. Being so close to Australia and vice versa has contaminated the breeding grounds of acts sharing the same space; such being Grave Upheaval and Impetuous Ritual etc. The communion is real and they all seem to give their best whenever they are met with the challenge of pleasing the masses and lifting their musical capabilities to new heights within the genre. I hope this is merely an appetizer that is preparing us for a black/death metal butchering to come. Discovering this has made me eager to examine Verberis' earlier material. 

Rating: 8.2 out of 10