Trey Spruance Rejoins Faith No More for 2027, 31 Years After King for a Day

Faith No More are coming back in 2027, and the guitarist standing next to Mike Patton is a name few fans expected to see in that spot again: Trey Spruance.

On November 10, 2026, the band shared a new lineup photo by Travis Shinn. It shows Patton, keyboardist Roddy Bottum, bassist Billy Gould, drummer Mike Bordin and Spruance. Australia's Blunt Magazine reported that the photo was also posted on the band's official website above the 2027 tour dates. The first show is on January 15, 2027, at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium with System of a Down.

Spruance played on just one Faith No More album, 1995's King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, and left before the tour. Now, more than three decades later, he's back for what he calls an "insane victory lap."

What Spruance Said

Spruance shared the news on Instagram, along with photos of new Faith No More-branded Schecter guitars. Guitar World and Punknews both quoted his post. In it, he said it "means the world" to be invited to "strap on my big boy boots" and join the band for its upcoming shows around the world. He thanked Schecter for what he called "fine angelic weapons." And he said he'd be "aiming my damnedest to do the Hudson and Martin eras proud."

That last line matters. Spruance isn't just stepping in. He's taking on music written and recorded by two very different guitarists, Jim Martin and Jon Hudson, and he named both of them. He closed with something closer to disbelief: "Can't believe I get to take this insane victory lap with Billy, Roddy, Mike & Mike!"

Guitar World reported that several well-known players responded in the comments, including Anthrax's Scott Ian, Korn's Munky, The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman and Mike Vennart.

Who Is Trey Spruance?

If you only know Faith No More's hits, Spruance's name might be new to you. In the world of experimental rock, he's a major figure.

He started Mr. Bungle with Mike Patton in 1985, in Northern California, when they were still teenagers. Mr. Bungle became one of the strangest and most inventive bands of the 1990s, mixing metal, funk, jazz, surf, lounge music and cartoon soundtracks, sometimes inside a single song. Their albums Mr. Bungle (1991), Disco Volante (1995) and California (1999) still have a devoted following.

Spruance also leads Secret Chiefs 3, a long-running project that draws on Middle Eastern and Persian music, surf guitar, film scores and much more. It's music that asks a lot of a guitarist: unusual scales, odd time signatures and very fast, precise playing. If you've never heard it, it's a good way to understand why Patton keeps calling him.

Mr. Bungle came back in 2020 with a new recording of its earliest thrash demo, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo, with Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo joining Patton, Spruance and Trevor Dunn. The band played festivals after that, including Sonic Temple in 2024. Faith No More will play Sonic Temple in May 2027, which makes Spruance's return to that festival a nice bit of symmetry.

The First Time Around

Faith No More's guitar history is one of the most interesting in rock.

Jim Martin was the guitarist on the band's classic run, including The Real Thing (1989) and Angel Dust (1992). His heavy, metal-influenced playing was a huge part of the band's sound, and of why metal fans embraced a band that also played funk, rap and lounge music. He was fired in 1993.

Trey Spruance came in next. Guitar World says he joined in 1993. He recorded King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, released in 1995. It's the band's most varied album, moving from hardcore to soul to bossa nova and back. Blunt Magazine notes that the album includes "Digging the Grave," "Evidence" and "Ricochet." Spruance's playing is a big reason for the record's range. He handled the heavy parts and the strange ones with equal ease.

But he left before the tour. Dean Menta, the band's keyboard tech, played guitar on the road.

Jon Hudson joined after that. He played on Album of the Year (1997), and when the band reunited, he was the guitarist for its 2009 reunion tours and on Sol Invictus (2015).

So Spruance has a strange place in the band's history. He's on one of their most loved albums, but he never toured it. Blunt Magazine reports that he has made guest appearances with the band since leaving. The 2027 shows will be his first full tour as a member.

Faith No More's Guitar Chair Has Never Been Simple

It helps to remember how unusual Faith No More's sound is for a guitar band. Billy Gould's bass often carries the main riff. Roddy Bottum's keyboards fill the space that a second guitarist would fill in most heavy bands. Mike Bordin's drumming is heavy and tribal, and Patton can move from crooning to screaming in a bar. The guitar has to fit around all of that.

Each of the band's guitarists answered that challenge differently. Jim Martin played big, crunchy, metal-style rhythm parts and short, melodic solos that sat on top of the groove. On King for a Day, Spruance took a more varied approach, switching between heavy riffing, jazzy chords, surf-style picking and noisy textures depending on what the song needed. Jon Hudson's playing on Album of the Year and Sol Invictus was tighter and more song-focused, a good fit for the band's later, more polished sound.

That's why Spruance's line about doing "the Hudson and Martin eras proud" is so telling. A Faith No More setlist today could include songs from all three eras in one night. The guitarist has to play Martin's riffs with weight, Hudson's parts with precision and his own parts with all the color he brought in 1995. Few players could switch between those voices as naturally. Spruance, with his background in Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3, is one of them.

What About Jon Hudson?

Hudson isn't in the new lineup photo. Blunt Magazine pointed that out. We haven't seen a statement from the band or from Hudson explaining why, so we won't guess. What we can say is that Spruance named him directly in his post, which suggests respect, not a feud.

Why Now?

Faith No More haven't released an album since Sol Invictus in 2015. A planned 2020 tour was pushed back by the pandemic, and in 2021 the band cancelled its remaining dates when Patton stepped back from touring to focus on his mental health. Blunt Magazine notes that a planned Australian return in 2020 was postponed to 2022 and then cancelled. The band's last Australian shows were at Soundwave in 2015.

So 2027 isn't just a reunion. It's the band's first proper return since all that. Having Spruance back makes it more than a nostalgia tour. He's one of Patton's oldest collaborators, and the two have kept working together in Mr. Bungle. It makes sense that when Faith No More decided to return, they called someone Patton already trusts on stage.

The 2027 Tour Dates

Here's the schedule as listed on Faith No More's official website when we checked on November 11, 2026:

The Australian and New Zealand shows are part of System of a Down's stadium tour, with Faith No More as special guests. Blunt Magazine spells the Wellington venue "Hnry Stadium," while the band's website lists it as "Henry Stadium." Check your ticket provider for the official name.

More dates may follow. Guitar World pointed out that with Ozzfest returning in 2027, Faith No More could end up on that bill too, but that's speculation, not an announcement.

The Guitars

Spruance's Instagram post showed Faith No More-branded Schecter guitars. Schecter hasn't published a model name or specs, as far as we've seen, so we can't tell you what's inside them.

What we can tell you is what the job requires. Faith No More's catalog needs heavy, tight rhythm tones for songs from the Jim Martin era, clean and textured sounds for the band's softer material, and the flexibility to jump between styles in the middle of a song. A guitarist who can play Secret Chiefs 3 and Mr. Bungle will have no trouble with the technical side. The interesting part will be how he handles the sound of Martin's riffs, which were famously thick and heavy.

If you want to understand that kind of heavy, groove-based rhythm playing, our Dimebag Darrell tone breakdown and our list of the best guitars for metal in 2026 are good places to start.

What It Means for Fans

For many Faith No More fans, King for a Day is the band's most underrated album. It was released at a hard time for the band, without the guitarist who recorded it on the tour. Many of its songs have been played live less often than the hits from The Real Thing and Angel Dust.

That could change. With the guitarist who wrote and recorded those parts back on stage, it's reasonable to hope for deeper cuts from that record. The band hasn't announced setlists, of course. But Spruance's return opens doors.

There's also the question of new music. The band hasn't announced any, and we won't pretend otherwise. But it's worth remembering that the last time Spruance worked with Faith No More in a studio, the result was one of their most adventurous records. If the 2027 shows go well, fans will naturally wonder whether this lineup has more to say. For now, the only confirmed plan is the tour, and that's plenty to look forward to.

It also gives Faith No More a little of the energy that Mr. Bungle had on its return. That band came back with a new purpose rather than simply replaying the old songs. Whether Faith No More does the same, or plays a greatest-hits set, will become clear in Rio in January.

What to Listen to Before the Shows

If the news has you curious about Spruance, here's a short listening guide. We're pointing you to albums rather than single songs, because his playing makes the most sense in context.

*Faith No More, King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime (1995).* Start here. It's the only Faith No More album Spruance played on, and it shows how much range he brought to the band. Listen for how often the guitar changes character from song to song, sometimes within a single track.

*Mr. Bungle, Disco Volante (1995).* Released the same year, this is the opposite end of Spruance's world. It's strange, dense, funny and sometimes frightening, and it shows just how far his guitar playing and writing go beyond rock.

*Mr. Bungle, California (1999).* The most accessible Mr. Bungle album, full of surf, exotica, pop and lounge influences. If you only hear one Bungle record, many fans would point you here. It also shows Spruance's ear for arrangement.

*Mr. Bungle, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo (2020).* The thrash side of Spruance, recorded decades after the original demo with Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. If you're wondering whether he can handle Faith No More's heaviest material, this answers the question.

Secret Chiefs 3, any album. This is Spruance's main project and where his writing is most personal. Expect surf guitar, Middle Eastern scales, film music and metal, often in the same song.

Then go back to The Real Thing, Angel Dust and Album of the Year and listen for the guitar parts Spruance will have to cover. That's the best preview of the job ahead.

The Bottom Line

Trey Spruance is back in Faith No More for 2027, 31 years after King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime. The lineup photo shows him with Mike Patton, Roddy Bottum, Billy Gould and Mike Bordin. The run starts with System of a Down at the Maracanã on January 15, continues through stadiums in Australia and New Zealand, then heads to US and European festivals through July.

He wasn't on the road the first time. This time, he will be. And for a guitarist who has spent his career making some of the most adventurous rock music around, that "victory lap" sounds well earned.

For more stories about guitarists and the bands that shaped them, explore our Guitar Talk section.

Sources - Faith No More official website, tour dates, checked November 11, 2026: https://www.fnm.com/ - Guitar World, Phil Weller, Trey Spruance rejoins Faith No More, November 2026: https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/trey-spruance-faith-no-more-2027 - Punknews, "Trey Spruance rejoins Faith No More for 2027 shows": https://www.punknews.org/article/89473/trey-spruance-rejoins-faith-no-more-for-2027-shows - Blunt Magazine, Trey Spruance and Faith No More's 2027 Australian tour: https://bluntmag.com.au/music/trey-spruance-faith-no-more-return-australian-tour-2027/