Faith No More is one of the most influential rock or heavy metal bands. That much is clear! But the group’s wackiness and musical proficiency didn’t always receive the praise it deserved.

Yeah, sure, “Epic” was a gigantic hit. And the group’s cover of “Easy” made the charts. But you’re likely to find some of the bravest, most innovative rock music ever made when digging through the band’s discography.

I am often inspired and, generally, intimidated by this band. Here are Faith No More’s greatest 10 songs.

Top 10 Greatest Songs by Faith No More

10. “Digging the Grave”

Faith No More was one of the biggest metal bands of the 1990s for people with a sense of humour and a desire for adventure.

“Digging the Grave” is one of the few relatively straightforward rock songs released by the band during the mid-1990s. But the group’s musical proficiency and Mike Patton’s bizarre lyrics set it apart from the pack.

9. “Superhero”

Faith No More shone in absence. In the years that it was away, the group’s unwillingness to reduce its sound to the parameters of one single genre began being treated as a virtue. Internet audiences soaked up the back catalog. And the group’s reunion was received with great enthusiasm. I know that the Alt77 crowd was thrilled.

The “Sol Invictus” record was well received. The cartnooshily aggressive “Superhero” was the album’s catchiest and finest song. Little had changed in the group. Thankfully, the group’s collective drive towards the bizarre and hard-to-categorize remained just as strong.

8. “Surprise! You’re Dead”

If guitarist Jim Martin would’ve had his way, most likely, Faith No More would’ve turned into a full-fledged heavy metal band when Mike Patton replaced Chuck Mosley.

As it turns out, FNM’s was a way too strange a concoction of influences for something as straightforward as that. “Surprise! You’re Dead” with Marin and Mike Brodin’s terrifying guitar-drums gives a good idea of what things could’ve been like. I think we all missed out on a straightforward metal classic.

7. “Ashes to Ashes”

Faith No More seemed to revel in the public and the critics’ misunderstanding of their late 1990s work. Sure, “Album of the Year” ultimately spelt the doom of the band. But the record was just what the group’s numerous hardcore fans could’ve wanted.

“Ashes to Ashes” features Roddy Bottum’s creepy keyboards, Jon Hudson’s metallic riffs and Patton’s operatic singing and is one of the most satisfying listens of late 90s rock.

6. “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies”

Rather than retreating toward the rap-rock that could’ve surely prolonged their time in the charts, Faith No More chased their muse down some weird alleys for 1995’s album “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime.” I respect that and so do the band’s fans.

Few big-name bands were doing anything half as interesting at the time. And, certainly, very few bands made songs as spiteful and anger-filled as “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies.”

5. “Evidence”

There aren’t many better singers in rock than Mike Patton and never will be. It’s not just Patton’s tone or ability to sing notes that would send Rob Halford digging into his phone to find his vocal coach’s number.

Patton’s range is amazing, both as a vocalist and as an artist. The paranoid-jazz of “Evidence” is one of Faith No More’s best songs.

For those really listening, “Evidence” showed two things: FNM was ready to make truly weird, exciting music, and the hits were about to dry up quicker than a puddle by the pyramids.

4. “A Small Victory”

Few bands ditched their chance at success with more relish. Then again, few rock bands produced an album as good as 1992’s “Angel Dust.”

There were plenty of songs that left casual fans and record label financiers scratching their heads. But “A Small Victory” is undoubtedly one of the strangest songs to become a hit rock song.

Sounding in equal measure like an Asian movie soundtrack, a dance club filler, and a prog-metal tune, “A Small Victory” very much captures Faith No More’s wonderful embrace of weirdness and beauty.

3. “Epic”

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Faith No More sounded like The Red Hot Chili Peppers at the time of the band’s big break. Mike Patton’s rap singing and hairstyle resembled Anthony Kiedis’ style on “Epic.”

But won’t you dig deeper? You’ll surely hear some of the strangest sounds ever to make a colossally successful hit. It’s one of the finest rap-rock songs. And, even though Faith No More was capable of producing even better songs, this is still a landmark of 90s rock.

2. “We Care a Lot”

Yeah, Faith No More’s ideas were great from the offset. But you’re unlikely to realize that the 1985 Chuck Mosley-fronted band is the same as the one that recorded “Epic.”

It’s a good thing that “We Care a Lot” happened. It captures the group’s eccentric rap-rock intentions at their best. Mosley’s lyrics are brilliant, even if his singing abilities aren’t tremendous.

And it’s so hooky that it became a real hit many years after its release as a result of being featured in numerous television shows, movies, and games. I consider this a real gem.

1. “Midlife Crisis”

Faith No More had a perverse sense of baiting success and avoiding it once it came calling. “Midlife Crisis” wasn’t the single that the record company wanted. But it’s everything that prime Faith No More did best.

“Midlife Crisis” seamlessly blends elements of hip-hop, metal, alt-rock, and progressive rock. The lyrics are hilarious, and Mike Patton’s singing is grandiose, frightening, and immensely precise.

“Midlife Crisis” is Faith No More’s best song.