Fantomas, The Director's Cut (Ipecac) 9
Mike Patton is a total nutcase who has injected much needed experimental wackiness into 90s alternative rock, via his contributions to Faith No More, his long-standing band Mr. Bungle, and recent avant solo projects, the more rock-ist, Tomahawk, and Fantomas. Fantomas is Patton, longtime Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, Melvin's guitarist Buzz Osbourne, and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, whose 30-song debut features every vocal sound imaginable from Patton, without ever being able to make out a word. The Director's Cut continues that pattern, but one can actually recognize some of the songs, which are all covers of film noir and horror theme music, including Henry Mancini's Experiment in Terror, Ennio Morricone's Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspician, The Godfather, Der Golem, Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The album owes much to John Zorn's work in Spillane (1987) and his Naked City projects. Fantomas' explosions into grindcore fury and Patton's Tasmanian Devil spittle-splattering vocals recall Yamasuta Eye's work in Naked City. Elsewhere, however, Patton croons in sweet falsettos, provides spooky atmospheric backgrounds, and disjointed bossa nova rhythms. As a guessing-the-theme grab-bag, this album is both challenging and highly entertaining.
