31 DAYS OF FAITH NO MORE: “DIGGING THE GRAVE”
Spurred by a lazy crossword clue in The Onion (36 down, four letters: “Faith No More’s only hit”), MetalSucks contributor Anso DF dedicates every single day in August to celebration and exploration of the San Francisco alt-metal greats. Here we prove that history’s greatest band landed more than one commercial hit (crossword answer: “Epic” natch), we revel in FNM’s embarrassing wealth of winning album tracks (themselves often fit for chart topping), and we dip into the staggering best of the b-sides (ditto). Along the way, we survey the context of FNM’s big break (amid similarly seminal acts Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Ween) to the post-Nevermind, panic-based music commerce in which the brilliantly versatile, fearless powerhouse band operated until their 1998 demise. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Song “Digging The Grave”
Written by Patton (L); Patton, Spruance, Gould (M)
Released 1995
Appears on King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime album
Produced by Andy Wallace
Guitars by Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle)
Key lyric “I know you have a reason why/That knot is better left untied/I just went and undid mine/It takes some time.”
Single? Yes, King‘s first and a thematic continuation of “Midlife Crisis” and “A Small Victory.”
The climate Released four weeks ahead of its host album, “Digging” ended what seemed like ages of tense anticipation for FNM’s follow-up to Angel Dust. What better way to enter a new music era than with lotsa screaming, a drum solo, and no trace of FNM’s trademark keyboards?
Awesome song elevated to supra-awesomeness by chemistry shared by Mike Patton and his Mr. Bungle bandmate Trey Spruance. Where Patton shouts pitchlessly [sic], Spruance unfurls big, yawning broken chords; alternately, Patton’s measure-long tones often sit atop slamming Spruance downstrokes. Tasty.
Didja know? There’s a third harmony part down low in the second and third choruses’ “comf-ter-bulllllllllllll”. I didn’t detect it until like 1999.
-ADF
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METALSUCKS’ 31 DAYS OF FAITH NO MORE
9 “Digging The Grave”
8 “From Out Of Nowhere” (read)
7 “Last Cup Of Sorrow” (read)
6 “The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies” (read)
5 “Caffeine” (read)
4 “Falling To Pieces” (read)
3 “Stripsearch” (read)
2 ”Ricochet” (read)
1 ”Land Of Sunshine” (read)
