Pop Music Review : Faith No More Mesmerizes Moshing Fans at Palladium

For the past decade, Faith No More has been boldly taking its sound where few hard-rock bands have gone before. Over the years, metal, rap, funk, hard-core, even (on its current album, “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime”) country and gospel, have been stylistic grist for its musical mill. Binding it all together is the San Francisco quintet’s strong sense of melody, its powerful playing and the perceptive sentiments that saturate the songs.

All these elements collided to stunning effect at the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday. Titanic rhythms propelled FNM through anguished ballads (including the Bee Gees’ “I Started a Joke”), agitated thrashing and symphonic sprawls alike. New guitarist Dean Menta seamlessly assumed the departed Jim Martin’s fret duties.

“King for a Day” was mesmerizing. The Eastern-tinged intro hovered in the air, borne on discreet keyboard strains, then plunged into a serpentine groove that wound down to an eerie, protracted close. “This Bottle” resonated with a tragic country vibe strong enough to set the heavily moshing crowd a-swaying. The set also featured a startling rendition of the Cranberries’ “Zombie” and a touchingly faithful version of the Commodores’ “Easy.”

Though FNM’s records have suffered from occasional twinges of melodrama and mild hysteria, the stage is the great equalizer. The intensity of its live performance easily absorbed its quirky studio shortcomings.