Customer Reviews

Tomahawk

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I realize this is Duane Denison's (Jesus Lizard and Hank III) baby, but when Mike Patton (Faith no More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Lovage, Peeping Tom, etc.,) is involved with anything...it's hard to ignore him. This may be Patton's most accessible project in a long time. It still has those incredible twists and turns all Patton fans have come to expect. To be quite honest, I don't know much about Denison, John Stanier (Helmet) or Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins), but after hearing this incredible disc I must come to the conclusion this is a pro bowl band.

The stand out songs are 101 North, POP 1, and God Hates a Coward. The album is a perfect vehicle for Patton's dynamic vocal range, and the music Denison arranged is perfect!!!

First a little information for the people who don't know. Tomahawk is the new band consisting of Mike Patton, Duane Denison, Kevin Rutmanis, and John Stanier. Also, I'll post the track list:
1. Flashback 2. 101 North 3. Point and Click 4. God Hates a Coward 5. POP 1 6. Sweet Smell of Success 7. Sir Yes Sir 8. Jockstrap 9. Cul de Sac 10. Malocchio 11. Honeymoon 12. Laredo 13. Narcosis

Any fan of Patton will definently want to pick this up as well as fans of bungle. Unfortunently there isn't as many crazy tempo changes as bungle but its definently nice to hear Patton singing full songs again. Adventurous FNM fans should look into this title but be warned that it is not quite as listener friendly. If you love FNM and hate bungle, you might do well to wait for Peeping Tom. Personal favorites on the disc are: Laredo, God Hates a Coward, and Sweet Smell of Success. But the whole cd is fantastic. Good Job Patton!

Mike Patton didn't lie when he said that Tomahawk would carry on the legacy of Faith No More. I thought there was no way that any band, no matter how talented, could come close to matching what Faith No More did; especially with just one album; but Tomahawk has. After hearing "Flashback", I couldn't say I was overly impressed. It has some great speed changes, but overall doesn't match up to the rest of the album. "101 North" absolutely blew me away. Duane Denison's, of Jesus Lizard, indie rock riffery fits perfectly with Patton's deep throated whispers. Patton's maniacal vocal-style changes are just as good as ever. "Point and Click" introduces us to Kevin Rutmanis', of The Melvins and Cows, catchy licks. "God Hates a Coward" builds up amazingly with Duane, Kevin, and Mike working together perfectly. It then enters the beautiful chorus of Mike's dark whispers. Duane, who wrote most if not all of the album, decides to pull a trickster move. The first four songs were, for the most part, upbeat and hard. This is when I would expect a slow rock ballad. "POP 1" did not fulfill my suspicions. Starting out sounding exactly what I expected it to sound like, it then popped out a bass intro. Then, like a sweeping tornado, came a heavy load of blistering screams, thrashy riffs, and pounding drums. I couldn't help but laugh when I figured out what Patton was screaming. Referring to the dull and boring mainstream music of today, he screams "This beat could win me a Grammy!". "Sweet Smell of Sucess" then satisfies my extreme thirst for a mellow song. "Sir Yes Sir" enters with Patton's trademark guttural vocals that, as usual, lead to an agrresive chorus containing beautifully crafted screams (yes, its possible) and even more beautifully crafted high notes. "Jockstrap" is by far the catchiest song on the album (it does the finger snapping for you). "Jockstrap, you rap; G-string, I sing", Patton strangely sings, while backed up by three musicians that sound like they have been working together for years. "Cul de Sac" is simply an outcome of all of these musicians quirkyness. "Malocchio" enters with a vengeance with a couple of screams. Patton shows off some New Wave styled vocals mixed with his deep-throated usuals; backed up by the heaviest riffs on the album. Patton gives one of his best performinces on "Laredo". He twists from high notes to dark throaty whispers with incredible ease. You will be singing "The cats in the bag and the bags in the river" in no time. The only possible minimal complaint I could possess would be that Tomahawk isn't extremely original. But that would be quickly discounted, because Patton said that Tomahawk is supposed to carry on the legacy of the late Faith No More. This album not only solidifies the genius that is Mike Patton, but also the ingenious of everyone he surrounds himself with. This all comes down to a simple, four word conclusion. Album of the Year.

What people don't seem to realize is that Patton knows exactly what he is doing at all times. It doesn't matter if his style changes dramatically because that is what he is all about! He is about proving to all of the meatballs out there that he can do whatever the hell he wants to do, and can do it just as well if not ten times better than anyone who picks a single genre of music and sticks to it. I can listen to everything he has ever taken part in - even the weird stuff like Maldoror - because I trust him. You should too - you'll be in good hands. Tomahawk's self titled debut is some of the most original stuff I've ever heard - and hes not afraid to sing nicely along with his gruff and spastic voice. The band backing him is equally amazing as always - Patton wouldn't work with crap players. Tomahawk is mainly guitarist Duane Denison's band, and he is prodigal as well. Some of my favorites include "Point and CLick", "Pop1" and "101 North". If you're not an ignorant, one-sided meathead, you WILL like this album.

Funnily enough, I actually got this after I got Mit Gas (Tomahawk's second album) and, upon first listen, I admit it didn't really do it for me. However (as you can see from my oh-so-rare 5-star rating) I persisted with it and it grew on me. Oh boy, did it ever. I can safely say that there's not a single song on it that I don't like. Occasionally I might not be in the mood for a certain track, but that's me and not the album.
A few people have mentioned to me that they've been unable to make the transition from other Patton projects (namely Faith No More and Mr. Bungle) into the more recent stuff. I can understand how some would have difficulty listening to Maldoror and Fantomas, but Tomahawk's a totally different kettle of fish.
That's like comparing jazz to a kiwifruit.
Denison's music (whilst not extremely complex or all that original in itself) is married perfectly with Patton's twisted lyrics and powerful vocals. This is meant to be played at a loud volume and hopefully you'll get on your neighbour's bad side by doing so.
Also, as a side note, I REALLY like the artwork on both the Tomahawk albums, but especially on this one.
See them live if you can, they sound awesome in the flesh. If you can't, buy their albums and hope there's more to come.

For fans of the legendary Faith No More who are beginning to miss the more straightforward side of the chameleon-esque Mike Patton, the genius singer/composer is finally making a triumphant return to his hard rock roots with his latest Ipecac signed super-group. Following in the footsteps of his still fresh Fantomas ensemble, Patton's newest band Tomahawk gathers some of the greatest veterans in Noise rock from all corners of the world. Uniting the earth shaking propulsions of Kevin Rutmanis (The Cows, The Melvins), the rhythmic guitar blasts of Duanne Dennsion (Jesus Lizard, Hank Williams III, Dennison-Kimball Trio, Firewater), and the bone crunching blows of John Stanier (Helmet), Patton has at his command quite an arsenal of earsplitting talent. The results however are far from being all muscle and might. Yes, there is still plenty of heaviness a la The Melvins and more than enough of Dennison's mathematical destruction to satisfy even the most rabid of Jesus Lizard fans, but the noise is carefully kept in check with the actual songwriting always staying in the forefront of the artists' minds. Instead of simply opening the floodgates for a torrent of sound, Patton and co. release a balanced hurricane that sets all of the tense riffs and fierce vocals atop a flowing wave of smooth, crooning melodies. This careful balance of calculated noise and downright poppy song structures are the key to Tomahawk's ingenuity. Most importantly though, Tomahawk's debut marks a turning point in Mike Patton's career. With Tomahawk, the stubbornly non-commercial singer has finally re-embraced the sound that made him a star, no matter how brief his fame actually was, and he effectively demonstrates that even the most deceivingly accessible of songs can contain an extreme sense of complexity beneath its surfaces if executed correctly. While calling Tomahawk pure rock would be at the least misleading, for musicians that have produced albums ranging from pure noise montages to mellow country ballads, the band's true mastery of the foundations of traditional rock are surprisingly solid. Tomahawk's immense success as a rock based project not only gives its members a credibility boost as artists, but once again proves the vast scope of Mike Patton's personal talents that have absolutely no intentions of being held back by Avant Garde guidelines or pretensions. For any prolific Avant Garde artist, perhaps the greatest feat of all is creating a sincerely intelligent rock based album, but as Tomahawk deftly displays, Patton and his cohorts are more than able to meet the challenge.

This album is the most straight-forward rock that you could expect from a band featuring Patton since Faith No More. This is almost certainly a result of Duane Denison's leading role in the project, rather than the band being under Patton's thumb. This album is mostly hard rock, with a sound as cutting and chilling as an axe on metal. There are occasional gentler moments, such as Point and Click, which serve as something like an oasis between the crushing riffs of the harder songs. The drums are simplistic, but particular catchy, the riffs are hardcore enough for the strongest rock fan, but enjoyable enough for the casual listener, and of course Patton's vocals turn this work into a masterpiece. For particular album highlights, see '101 North', 'God Hates a Coward', 'Sir Yes Sir' and 'Laredo'.

It's interesting to see this CD in retrospect to 'Mit Gas', because you can see the evolution of Tomahawk. I'm not sure which I prefer, but one thing I can say is this: 'Tomahawk' is well worth your money, and even if it takes a few listens, the effort is well worth the result.

Mike Patton has done it again. The musics are little different than his previous projects but surely is a great achivement. All the songs are different than each other and that makes this album truely enjoyable. Not a single song is boring and you want to skip. Mike Patton's voice is ungodly superb like always. Very powerful like Menard James Keenan (Tool) but very open and free. Some of the songs have high pitch vocal which perfectly blends with the music. "Pop 101" is a great composition with a great melodic guitar sound.
Don't listen to this album in a birthday party or car full of your stupid friends who like to jam with nonsence band like Good Charlette or Blink 182. Listen when you are alone and listen again and I will guarantee you will be looking for their other album which is Mit Gas and this one is just as great.

. . . in an abandoned brewery. That's my glib, off-the-cuff description of this album, anyway. What at first blush seems to be a series of aggressive rock songs with mostly indecipherable lyrics turns out to be a series of character studies, or vignettes, of several different people somewhere in the American south. Each song leads to the other, both lyrically and musically, as if we were hearing these people from the point of view of a malevolent, free-floating spirit, catching snippets of their internal (and sometimes external) monologues, histories, actions, fantasies, outbursts and, above all, heartbreak, as each story seems to tell a tale of personal disillusinment and/or betrayal (in one form or another).

But somehow, it's all still rather humorous, too, in that blacker than black way that only Mike Patton can pull off. The man is literally possessed, I think, as he gives vent to the thousands of voices and vices that swim deliriously through his concsiousness. And Duane Dennison's music, while remaining seemingly straightforward, flows from song to song with a surreal, subconcsious, stream-of-consciousness ease that belies the apparently straightforward chorus/verse/chorus structures we hear on the surface. (Listen closer and you'll hear wonderfully inticate and dynamic guitar, bass, and drums and that are, I've come to realize, among the best I've heard in quite some time.)

Prior comparisons to David Lynch's Lost Highway, or an endless midnight drive down a two-lane blacktop road, hit the mark precisely; those trying to "name-that-influence" (Faith No More, Jesus Lizard, or, most bafflingly, the overrated Radiohead) miss the mark entirely.

Tomahawk sounds like Tomahawk and no one else.

Give this album two or three listens and, like me, you'll be hooked.

With no more Faith No More some may be wondering which of Mike Patton's myriad projects will fill the void. That band may be Tomahawk, if they keep working together. Their debut is the kind of album that makes you think, "This band could be really great." Tomahawk's debut release is still a cool CD. It is yet another album that reveals the relentless performances of Mike Patton, one of the craziest visionaries in music. Guitarist Duane Denison (from Jesus Lizard) is the other man behind this project. Since he wrote most of the music here, it's probably misleading to say this is Patton's undertaking. Still, when the Patton name is attached, one gets certain ideas... Anyhow, what they've whipped up is something that both rocks sinisterly and is ambient & weird. Denison's guitar is often used more for spooky and strange sonics than riffs. This album was financed by Patton and Denison, so production values are low, and the mix doesn't always support Patton's voice. Actually, that's the main problem...the recording is a bit flat at times, and Patton's voice sometimes carries so many effects that it's tough to hear him. The strange thing is that it's mysteriously catchy...addictive like cookies. As always, Patton is one of the most dynamic voices in music: menacing and violent with "101 North"; baritone crooning in "Sweet Smell of Success"; evil whispers to distorted screams in "Sir Yes Sir". Musically, of course, it's very entertaining. "God Hates a Coward"'s low-end bass rumbling bears phrasing similar to Tool. "Narcosis" sounds like Eastern monk music. "Laredo" is a dynamic piece with grinding riffs a killer hook (but don't sing around others or they'll think you're nuts). "POP 1" is a noisy piece with Patton screaming, "This beat should win me a Grammy!" That's classic, I say! With a little more money to spend on the overall production, this band could be something great.