Tomahawk Anonymous CD

Love him or hate him, there are few musicians more insatiably curious than Mike Patton. He maintains numerous projects and churns out records at a furious clip, each one drastically different from the next. In Tomahawk, he has finally found bandmates willing to change with him, as ANONYMOUS, their third full-length, clearly demonstrates a departure from previous outings. With a stacked lineup of metal all-stars including ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison and John Stanier from Helmet, Patton delivers one of his oddest yet most satisfying listens since the Faith No More days.

Based on "anonymous" late-19th-century transcripts of Native American songs and chants, the album finds Tomahawk reimagining these lost songs as haunting prog-metal. The trio creates a dark and affecting juxtaposition of ancient pagan chants and modern metal bombast, the results of which are anthemic, yet (remarkably enough) quite tasteful. Tracks such as "War Song," "Ghost Dance," and "Totem" all miraculously work as both earnest ethnomusicology and fierce, experimental metal.

Recording information: Lake Fever Productions, Nashville, TN; Vulcan Studios, San Francisco, CA.

Editor: Ryan Boesch.

Personnel: Mike Patton (vocals, keyboards, percussion, electronics); Duane Denison (guitar, bass guitar); John Stanier (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Mike Patton.

Alternative Press (p.177) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "ANONYMOUS might actually be Tomahawk's finest release to date....Distinctly and unambiguously modern."
Magnet (p.108) - "Bits of epic sprawl coexist with full-bodied thud rock, making for a diverse, exceptionally dark outing....Denison and Co. have tapped into this stuff's primal, if unexpected vein of power."
The Wire (p.59) - "Their riffs and rhythms start as Native-American style throbbing, but expand into post-punk space without becoming goofy pastiche."
CMJ (p.43) - "The arrangements shift from doggedly faithful renderings to drastic reconfigurations that stand out as some of the band's heaviest work to date..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.47) - "ANONYMOUS hypnotizes and enthralls with its traditional Indian instrumentation, constant rhythms and epic, horizonless depth."