The Director's Cut

Fantomas

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 10, 2001)
• Original Release Date: July 10, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ipecac Recordings
• ASIN: B00005JA7D
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,949 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Godfather (Theme) - Fantômas,

2. Der Golem - Fantômas

3. Experiment in Terror - Fantômas

4. One Step Beyond - Fantômas,

5. Night of the Hunter [Remix] - Fantômas,

6. Cape Fear - Fantômas,

7. Rosemary's Baby - Fantômas,

8. Devil Rides Out [Remix] - Fantômas,

9. Spider Baby - Fantômas,

10. Omen [Ave Satani] - Fantômas,

11. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - Fantômas,

12. Vendetta - Fantômas,

13. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion - Fantômas,

14. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion - Fantômas

15. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Fantômas

16. Charade - Fantômas

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Film music and the artier end of the rock spectrum have enjoyed a slightly bent connection since the early '80s, when the noir-savvy California new wavers of Wall of Voodoo made clear Ennio Morricone's influence on their work. Fantomas's second album, The Director's Cut, is in that somewhat playful spirit. The all-star ensemble--ex-Faith No More frontman Mike Patton with members of Slayer, the Melvins, and Patton's Mr. Bungle--adapts disturbing (or at least spooky) themes by Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Morricone, and others. The bruising but often campy (there is no track 13) result works more often than you'd expect; Nino Rota's Godfather and Harry Lubin's (TV) One Step Beyond excerpts are put through more than effective paces. It's clear that, despite the occasional (inadvertent?) Iron Maiden homage, Patton and friends have no interest in keeping a straight face on this. That's fine, but Patton's goofy lyrical interjections on several of these tunes turns them into not-very-funny cartoons. Still, it's the rare sympathetic listener who won't be driven to check out obscure flicks like Der Golem and The Devil Rides Out. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Fantomas is the supergroup made up of Mike Patton (Mr Bungle, Faith No More), Buzz Osbourne (Melvins), Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Gripp, Inc) and Trevor Dunn ( Mr Bungle). This CD is composed of music from motion picture soundtracks, as interpreted by Fantomas. 15 tracks. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the world of Fantomas!, September 22, 2004

By	Campbell Roark "tri-zeta" (from under the floorboards and through the woods...) - See all my reviews

Having finally gotten around to picking up Delerium Cordia, I still find the The Director's Cut is the most interesting and mind-blowing release of Patton's post-Bungle work. Thus far. If you're a fan of Bungle's darker material but tend to furrow your brow at Patton's more esoteric vocal albums, well, this is definitely for you.

These renditions of famous cult film themes belong in a dimension all their own. From the opening notes of 'The Godfather,' (quiet Italian melodies that quickly burn away into a precision battery of Death Metal prowess...) to the earthy and turntable-fied take on Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire walk With Me,' you get all pistons firing and all facets shining of Fantomas's demented and hair-raising theatrics.

The meat of this is Lombardo's drumming (anyone from Slayer is beyond reproach, in my book) and Patton's voice. As always, the man is unbelievably protean- few lyrics on this, but his vocal dynamics swing (effortlessly) from blood-curdling (The Golem) scream to ominously childlike- little-girl childlike at that- sing-song(Rosemary's Baby). In 'Cape Fear' he uses his shrieks as the string section of that film's classic theme- it works PERFECTLY! At times Patton works lines from the film into the music to add to the all-out creepy aesthetic, like where he chants "IT's EITHER YOUR OR THEM... you or them..." On the atmospheric rendering of 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,' and the obvious terror of, "What have they done to it's eyes!?!" from Rosemary's Baby.

Osbourene and Dunn are capable and consistent as always. But this is Mike and Dave's show, I think. Other instruments are used from tmie to time to flesh out the tunes. Now- There are a few tracks that fall short, where the theatrics come off as corny rather than threatening. 'Vendetta' sounds more like a Scooby Doo chase sequence. And 'Spider Baby' brings Rob Zombie to mind... ugh...

Their take on the Ave Satani in 'The Omen,' is blistering speed metal. Der Golem is slower sluggish metal crawl- which works considering the subject matter. 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion,' really grows on you, with it's circular progression and cries of "BLAGH!" it reminds me of Disco Volante. 'Charade,' is an excellent closer that veers from eloquent singing to jittery medicine-man gibberish and madness.

It's a short monstrosity, the Cd itself clocks in around 39 minutes... Wish they had done more. Wish there was a volume 2 with more covers of Ennio Morricone. Pick this up. It's so much better than anything you'll hear on the radio.

By the by, all of these films are well-worth seeing/owning. Check em out if you haven't.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another masterpiece from Mike Patton, July 10, 2001

By	Brian Collette (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

For Mike Patton fans this is definitely a 5 star album, and in case you weren't sure, there's actual lyrics/singing on a majority of the album, not just noises and screaming. For those strictly familiar with Patton's work with Faith No More or maybe even Mr. Bungle it rates more of a 4, certainly more of an aquired taste than Faith No More, though I believe that any Faith No More fan could find lots to like about this totally original (though ironically all the songs are in a sense "covers", reworked movie theme songs) album and in a perfect world there's a few "hit" songs on here definitely. Unlike the first Fantomas album, this definitely has a more mainstream-friendly sound, though you'll never hear it on MTV or Top 200 radio. Many songs could be compared to Patton's work with Faith No More on albums like "Angel Dust" or "King for a Day...", and the other songs could easily be compared to Mr. Bungle's "Disco Volante" or "California", and then of course there's a few that share the sound of the first Fantomas album. So in all, this album is a must-have for the Patton fanatic (which I'm sure there was no doubt in any of your minds about that, I don't think Patton could make an unlistenable, unintriguing record) and a possible new favorite for the person who's never heard Fantomas before or even Mr. Bungle (though I recommend listening to it first to see if it's for you).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best of the Fantomas material., April 18, 2005

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In many ways, "The Director's Cut" is the most accessible Fantomas album-- certainly it has more coherent song structures and actual lyric singing as opposed to soley vocalizations (although there's a healthy dose of that too). Its also in many ways the best of the rather intriguing Fantomas catalog. Brainchild of vocalist Mike Patton, Fantomas is a band in the style of John Zorn's Naked City-- effortlessly moving between genres and sounds with a hardcore metal feel to hold things together, but like Naked City's "Radio", this one opts for more coherent feels on a per track basis. This allows a listener unfamiliar with this sort of style the chance to find something to latch onto-- one of the things that can make Fantomas' work difficult is that the style shifts when you're getting the hang of it, this one is a bit more coherent, style shifts have more palpable melodies to work with-- the opening track best demonstrates this, "The Godfather" theme, stated on an accordian, then reprised in spectacular death metal fashion, moving into a relatively straightforward waltz with a reprise of hardcore noise. Throughout, Patton shows us his vocalization abilities, alternately screaming and humming as appropriate.

If you're looking for something more coherent, check "Der Golem", a fairly straightforward piece with a sludge metal feel and great grunted vocal, Patton's croon over the swinging "Experiment in Terror" or the totally bizarre (and yet extraordinarily catchy) "Spider Baby".

One other thing about Fantomas that bears mention-- they're traditionally an over-the-top band, with theaterical elements in the music heavily emphasized, this album is no exception, take the middle of the album, with the totally over-the-top "Cape Fear", "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Devil Rides Out" covers. And Patton skips track 13, just in case sonic theatrics was not enough. Although nothing will probably compare to the intonation Patton pulls out for "The Omen (Ave Satani)"-- so theatrical as to border on goofy, but somehow it manages to work.

Overall, this is a superb (if a bit short) album, definitely worth checking out.