Despite previous indications that Faith No More were merely “considering” recording new material, bass player Billy Gould has now confirmed the band have been working on their first album in 18 years for “probably a year and a half”. The untitled album is currently slated for release in April of next year.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the bassist for the alt-metal icons reveals that the band are “pretty far into” their seventh album. The record will be a totally independent product, produced by Gould and recorded in the band’s Oakland rehearsal space. The long-awaited album will be released via the band’s own Reclamation Records and distributed through frontman Mike Patton‘s Ipecac Recordings.
The band are currently readying the album’s first single, Motherfucker, a song they premiered during their July Hyde Park performance in London. The track will be released as a seven-inch on 28th November for Record Store Day‘s Black Friday, limited to 5,000 copies, with a J.G. Thirlwell remix on the B-side.
“We’ve been working on this idea for probably a year and a half,” Gould tells Rolling Stone. “We live in different cities and all have other things going on, so it’s a matter of checking in and focusing and working little by little.” Gould says the band have only just become comfortable talking about the new album.
“People ask me all the time, ‘What are you doing now? You’re working all the time, but what the hell are you doing?’ And you can’t say anything. ‘Oh, you know, just working on stuff; working on some projects.’ Who wants to start hype with nothing behind it, you know?” the Soundwave-bound bassist explains.
According to Gould, the album reflects the directions the individual band members have taken since releasing their last record, 1997’s Album of the Year. “I think this kicks things up a notch. And I think there’s parts that are very powerful and there’s parts that have a lot of ‘space,'” Gould explains.
“Everything we do, with our chemistry, the way we play; it’s always going to sound like us. It’s just what we do, that makes us feel good,” he adds. When describing the sound of the new album, Gould emphasised the record’s “space and scope”, describing it as “big, big sound-stage space.”
Remarking on the band’s new independence, Gould says, “There’s just something really freeing about knowing that we can make our own decisions,” adding, “It’s really empowering to say, ‘Wow, it’s our clock; we’re doing it on our own time. There is no budget, there is no timeframe. It just has to be good.'”
Considering the band’s past proclivity for incorporating disparate influences into their work, Gould jokes that the seventh album will feature shades of Justin Bieber and use of a vocoder. However, one should never try and put anything past Faith No More. “A little word of advice,” says Gould, “don’t.”
Watch: Faith No More – Motherfucker at British Summer Time Festival 2014
Know Your Soundwave 2015 Lineup: Part 1 – Flick Through For All The Soundwave 2015 Lineup Part 1 Bands!
Soundwave 2015 - Day 1: Know Your Lineup
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Faith No More (US): These recently reactivated alt-metal legends laugh in the face of genre and lay claim to one of the most untouchable legacies in music. They last played Soundwave way back in 2010. -
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Soundgarden (US): From the singular guitar wizardry of Kim Thayil, to the inimitable voice of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden's influence cannot be overestimated. This will be their first time playing in front of a Soundwave audience. -
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Incubus (US): The Calabasas, California heroes last appeared on a Soundwave lineup back in 2008. Since then they've added another album to their 16-year discography and further cemented their position as one of the alternative scene's most in-demand bands. -
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Lamb of God (US): Metalheads, prepare yourselves. The mighty sounds of these Virginia natives will soon be reminding punters why AJ Maddah just had to bring them back to complete their Soundwave hat-trick. -
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Ministry (US): Darker than NIN, heavier than Zombie, and more tongue-in-cheek than Rammstein, these guys rule industrial music like feudal warlords. The band are touring on the back of 'From Beer to Eternity', their final studio album. -
Antemasque
Antemasque (US): What started as an experiment between former members of The Mars Volta earlier this year is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing projects ever to come forth from the minds of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. -
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Gerard Way (US): With Jimmy Eat World having replaced My Chemical Romance in 2010, this will be the first time that the frontman of the defunct emo outfit gets to thrill Soundwave crowds. And he'll be doing it with his debut solo album in tow. -
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Mayhem (NOR): Pioneers in every sense of the word. Without Mayhem, we may not have black metal as we know it today. Expect their Soundwave debut to be a clinic on how to do pummelling drums, skin-crawling vocals, and razor-sharp guitar work the way they were meant to be done. -
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New Found Glory (US): Born in the hub of American pop-punk, Florida, these guys are considered among the godfathers of the genre's early-'00s expansion. This will be their third Soundwave outing and with a new album under their belts, it might be their best. -
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Fear Factory (US): Few bands command the kind of respect that these Los Angeles natives wield throughout the genres of metal and industrial music. It'll be their first time playing Soundwave and they've got a lifetime of classic albums to pick and choose from. -
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Hollywood Undead (US): Helping to revitalise the oft-reviled genre of rap rock and bring it to new heights of creativity, Hollywood Undead's Soundwave debut was demanded by fans and will assuredly be something many are talking about the next day. -
Atreyu
Atreyu (US): Last month's news that this California metalcore outfit was back after a lengthy hiatus delighted fans worldwide. Now they're just hoping that they'll bring over some of the new music they've been working on when they make their Soundwave debut. -
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The Aquabats (US): Describing this California ska outfit is about as hard as not dancing whenever they're onstage. Though their visual style comes straight out of a '60s Z-movie, their tunes are vital, propulsive, and incredibly catchy. -
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Area-7 (AUS): With quintessentially Aussie rallying cries like 'Nobody Likes A Bogan', it's little wonder Area-7 were being requested before the dust had even settled on Soundwave 2014. Part of this year's strong ska contingent, these Melbourne boys are witty, energetic, and always bring a party. -
Godflesh
Godflesh (UK): At a time when everybody was figuring out what bandwagon to jump on, Godflesh were busy making some of the most original and ultimately influential music of the early '90s. Maddah was determined to get them for Soundwave 2015 and their first time at the festival is sure to be something unforgettable. -
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Crown The Empire (US): Aussies fell in love with this lot when they were here for last year's Vans Warped Tour Australia. Their frantic mix of metalcore and electronic noise made them an instant hit with crowds. And as Music Feeds experienced, they're charmers during interviews, too. -
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The Interrupters (US): Proud members of the Soundwave 2015/Music Feeds First Wave, The Interrupters are poised to be the next big thing in ska and punk rock. With a debut album produced by Rancid's Tim Armstrong, they've got the talent, the balls, and the ultimate seal of approval to take on the world. -
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Icon For Hire (US): The Illinois pop punk group almost literally burst onto the scene in 2011 with their Billboard-charting album, 'Scripted'. With a new studio effort under their belts and a fresh energy to inject into an often predictable genre, Aussies will soon see what all the buzz surrounding Icon Fore Hire is about. -
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Emily's Army (US): These guys started young and made headlines because drummer Joey Armstrong shares half his genes with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. But when you look past their youthful exterior and family connections, there's an interesting band with a mature sound that skilfully melds elements of punk, surf rock and '60s pop. -
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Patent Pending (US): Another band that Music Feeds was proud to announce as part of our First Wave, Patent Pending pair well-crafted pop punk songs with an irreverent style and a live show that is uplifting, dynamic, and often laugh-out-loud funny. -
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Fireworks (US): We fell in love with them in 2012 and now they're back to promote their highly anticipated third album, 'Oh, Common Life'. Last time, these Detroit punk rockers left punters with plenty of memories and they're sure to do likewise this time around. -
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The Bennies (AUS): Bringing some proper Aussie fire to a largely international lineup, The Bennies so impressed Maddah as a local act in 2014 that he promoted them to the Day One lineup for 2015. These Melbourne boys know how to work a crowd and their mega-tune 'Knights Forever' is sure to go off! -
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The Color Morale (US): This Illinois hardcore outfit was the subject of multiple requests by fans in the lead-up to today's announcement. We don't know why, but their critically acclaimed albums, uplifting live performances, and skilled songcraft might have something to do with it. -
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Monuments (UK): The First Wave needed to get progressive and who better to do it than djent-defying heavy metal internationalists Monuments. Their sophomore album, 'The Amanuensis', is already being hailed by taste-making metal blogs as the album of the year, and their performances are as unique and eclectic as their albums. -
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Nothing More (US): This Texas outfit trade in a brand of heavy metal that's informed as much by today's metalcore and post-hardcore scenes as it is by the forebears of the genre. Having recently unveiled their self-titled fifth album, Nothing More are ready to show Soundwave crowds their own blueprint for heavy metal in the 21st Century. -
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Deathstars (SWE): No Soundwave lineup could ever be complete without a little darkness from the Land of the Midnight Sun. The music of these Swedish gothic metallers is as sharp as their visuals, and their live performances are renowned for being phantasmagoric spectacles. -
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Ne Obliviscaris (AUS): The first unofficially confirmed band for the Soundwave 2015 lineup, these Melbourne progressive metallers are rising stars in the local scene. Consistently praised for their musicianship and songwriting, Soundwave could just be the push that sees Ne Obliviscaris ascend to the heights they've seemed destined for since day one. -
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The Treatment (UK): What happens when you take the bastard love children of Airbourne and Steel Panther, stick 'em in Cambridge, England, force-feed them AC/DC and Motley Crue, and throw 'em on a stage? You get The Treatment!
