Search - Tomahawk :: Anonymous (Dig)

Not the Tomahawk of the past, but fantastic nonetheless

Tom Johnson | Always here, sometimes there | 06/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to Anonymous without knowing what Mike Patton project it was, those familiar with previous installments in the Tomahawk catalog might be hard-pressed to pin the work specifically on them. Where the earlier two albums focused on abrasive metal, the thematic Native American nature might cause some to assume that Fantomas was responsible, but there are also nods to Patton projects of the distant past - Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. But sure enough, this is all Tomahawk, delivering an album of music inspired by Native American Indians that befits the band name. How listeners feel about it may depend on how adventurous they are.



The Fantomas comparisons begin immediately when Anonymous opens with "War Song," an atmospheric start to the album filled with wailing vocals and churning guitar. "Mescal Rite I" follows, lending more credence to the belief that this is a Fantomas product - all vocals are Indian chants. In fact, Patton fills many of the rest of the album's songs with Native American chants with English vocals taking the helm on only a few of the album's tracks. What's most surprising is that they're the album's least interesting songs. When freed from typical song structure, the band seem to flourish with this material. Guitarist Duane Denison and drummer John Stanier are to be applauded for providing such stunning backing for Patton - not only is it rock that is significantly Native American-inspired, it's not cliched or laughable as might be the result of many others' efforts. It's actually beautiful.



As the albums wears on, however, rather than sounding like Fantomas it becomes more obvious that it's more that the album doesn't sound like Tomahawk specifically. The project just doesn't bear the stamp of the previous outings, so those picking up Anonymous looking for more in the vein of the self-titled Tomahawk album or Mit Gas might be in for a surprise - or disappointment. Tomahawk has evolved, it seems. In fact, "Antelope Ceremony" bears some resemblance, vocally at least, to California-era Mr. Bungle, while "Omaha Dance" sounds like it could have fit on Faith No More's final album, Album Of The Year. Only "Sun Dance" seems to fit the mold for what a Tomahawk song "should" sound like.



That's not to say the album is a disappointment - only that it's very different. It might just be Patton's most unusual project, and that's saying a lot coming from the guy who routinely makes weird screams and gutteral sounds with his voice on outings with John Zorn. What makes it so unusual is that, while working within a basic rock format, Tomahawk manages to make something so foreign to most listeners sound so inviting. Anonymous winds up being one of Patton's most satisfying releases in recent memory and comes highly recommended for adventurous, open-minded listeners."

The Snide Hipster Backlash

P. Church | San Francisco,CA | 06/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I went into my first listen of Anonymous with a bias against it, having read some of fan reviews here at Amazon and hearing some of my biggest fears about the project expressed. Primarily, the biggest flaw I ever find in Patton projects is an emotional distance from the music he does, which at times borders on what sounds like Patton's smartass sarcasm finding its way into the recordings. For instance, way back when Faith No More did a cover of "Easy Like Sunday Morning" it sounded like, vocally, he was making fun of the song rather than simply covering it.



So, when some reviewers expressed that Patton is "silly" here and not respectful of the source material, I thought "Oh no." Because that's sometimes a problem for Patton (I'm no blind worshipper of everything the man does even though I am fan.)



But, after numerous listenings, I can say I'm honestly shocked. I really did expect Patton to be too frivolous with the Native American source material. But then while listening, I asked myself: First and foremost, does this succeed as a Tomahawk album? The answer is a resounding yes. It is a tight, heavy rock album that integrated native American Music in a creative, inspired way.



After all, how many of us rock fans (and/or Patton fans) are connoseurs of Native American music? And is there really any reason, aside from a ridiculous sentimentality, to believe there is an obligation to "honor" it, rather than to look it as any other form of music that Patton has integrated into his vast music portfolio (filmscore, jazz, polka, hip-hop, death metal, and on and on and on?)



First, despite Pattons prolific pace of output, I still find it shocking that an album of this quality could show up just a few weeks after he finished up his Peeping Tom tour. Patton layers so much skilled, intricate vocal work into this album that it sounds MUCH more like a work of many years than the mostly shallow Peeping Tom album did--which was supposedly "years in the making." Clearly, Patton works best when he works fast.



Anonymous is powerful, refreshing and better than the majority of recordings I've bought in the last 12 months. It sounds haunted, uprooted and wandering, and actually a bit mystical. And to me, that is enough for it to render some "truth" from its source material. And it takes Patton into new vocal territory. . . and with what the man has done in the past, one would have to wonder, is he ever going to run out of new ideas and vocal sounds?



Not every recording Patton has done in the last several years is some flawless object of adulation, and Patton fans often come across as blindly worshipful of anything he does, so I can kind of understand the desire to pick this album apart and try to find what's wrong with it. But some of the reviewers, like Eerievonevil sound like they are more hung up on their own ego, as promoting themselves as superior music fans. But that kind of review is not helpful.



Again, Anonymous succeeds as a Tomahawk project. And take the controversial musical history and fan-worship aspect of Patton out of this and simply listen to the recording as "Hard Rocking Band integrates Native American Music into its sound" and you will realize you are listening to a special, powerful, original recording that is not to be missed. . .not just by Patton fans, but by fans of great, boundry pushing music in general.



The cerebral, intellectual, technical aspects of Pattons skills are always present in his recordings, but he seems to guard his emotions, to be distant from his listeners, and in that way so much of his recordings in recent years seem like games, like exercises in mastering challenges, but lack heart. Anonymous surprised me because it does have an emotional heart that I've found missing in the majority of Patton's recordings.



But I know Patton is capable of covering material without sarcasm, to render a song with beauty and heart. . .anyone who caught Peeping Tom's final performance at the Fillmore in SF where he did an acapella version of "Llorando (Crying)"--much like the version heard on the Mullholland Drive soundtrack--knows what I'm talking about. And that's what I hear on Anononymous--it's one of the most powerful, honest vocal territories Patton has ever explored.



And let's not forget the band. The musicans on the album are in top form, making music that breaks away from what Tomahawk has done in the past while retaining a distinctive sound. If an album this good can't get five stars, I don't know what should."

Tomahawk, not Patton

czynski-2few | chicago | 02/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read every single review of this album on amazon. Mostly, the milder complaints that I saw were "it wasn't what I expected" or it was "not like the other Tomahawk albums". I consider this complaint to be pointless. It's not even a complaint, it's an observation with a personal, annoyed agenda attached to it. Yea its different. Its REALLY different, but do you like it?

Second, the other complaint was not mild, it was forceful and it was always directed at Mike Patton: 'Patton should have stuck to Mr. Bungle' or 'Patton should have made this a different project (because its not like the other Tomahawk albums)'. One thing I found out, which maybe many of you have too is that Duane Denison (guitar player) is most responsible for turning Tomahawk into what it is now through "Anonymous". Denison was touring with Hank Williams III. Denison got curious about Native American Music. Denison did research for a year before coming up with transcriptions, and Stanier and Patton liked Denison's idea. That's how a band works.- MULTIPLE BRAINS INTERACTING AND CONTRIBUTING. Just because Patton is the guy we all know and remember does not mean he's the one calling the shots

Mike Patton has been and continues to be on the forefront of music's "celebrity doing what he/she's not supposed to do" section. You can't find that section in the CD store. Other immediate examples include Miles Davis and Bob Dylan. They both had a tradition in their sound and then changed it by going electric with Bitches Brew and Blonde on Blonde. Guess what? Tons of fans got mad at those two when they made albums that 'weren't like the other ones'. Grow up, get over it and listen with a curious and frightened ear.

And those of you who explored Tomahawk, but found nothing to complain about except Patton, you're worshipping him just as much as his adoring fans do because you can't stop writing about him. And you're not giving credit to the other two in the group for the album's sound.

If you're a fan of many genres, then you're already prepared to hear something different and simply respond to this album's sound. If you're a fan of heavy metal, but not much else, then I would NOT say skip this album. I'd say buy it now (or listen to the songs a few times each on myspace), because these musicians that you love want you to love something outside your genre. They're using their fan base to bring attention to a style outside what is normally published.



For what its worth:



1) I've Never Heard Anything Like This

2) I Love It

3) I'm Doing My Final Undergraduate Thesis On This Album As A Cultural Product"