Tomahawk

An artist who never passes up the opportunity for a good collaboration, Tomahawk is one of the many musical projects led by Mike Patton, best known as the frontman of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. Tomahawk finds him working alongside a number of other notables from rock's underground, including members of the Jesus Lizard, Helmet, and the Melvins. The band's music is aggressive, hard-edged, and sharply dynamic in the interplay between Patton's barking vocals and the sharp, incisive tone of the guitar, all built around melodic structures that show the inspiration of heavy metal and '90s alternative rock, as well as a bit of prog rock for seasoning. Tomahawk hit a high note with their second album, 2003's Mit Gas, while 2013's Oddfellows was an adventurous and eclectic effort and 2021's Toxic Immobility confirmed they were still a potent force after an eight-year sabbatical. The Tomahawk story begins in 1999, when former Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison met Mike Patton after a Mr. Bungle show in Nashville. They began exchanging notes on song ideas, and decided to launch a project together. With John Stanier (a veteran of Helmet and Mark of Cain) on drums and Kevin Rutmanis (who had worked with the Melvins and the Cows) on bass, the new group headed to Nashville to record with producer and engineer Joe Funderburk, and their self-titled debut album was released by Patton's Ipecac Records label in 2001. Extensive touring followed in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, including a number of dates opening for Tool. In 2003, with producer Joe Barresi at the controls, Tomahawk completed their second album, Mit Gas, followed by more live dates. The various commitments of the musicians meant that it wasn't until 2007 that the group delivered their third album, 2007's Anonymous. Sessions were held in San Francisco, where Patton laid down his vocals and electronic samples, and Nashville, where the rest of the band went to work. Kevin Rutmanis left Tomahawk shortly before the recording of the album, and Duane Denison laid down the bass as well as guitar. The band was on hold for the next several years, and in 2012, Ipecac released Eponymous and Anonymous, a box set that offered their first three albums in one package. Tomahawk regrouped in 2013, with Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle on bass, and issued their fourth LP, Oddfellows, through Ipecac. A pair of outtakes from the Oddfellows sessions, "M.E.A.T." and "Curtain Call," were sent out as a single in 2014. Several years later, Denison, Stanier, and Dunn began writing and recording fresh material, and Patton later developed lyrics and vocal melodies for the songs. The result, Toxic Immobility, appeared in 2021.
© Mark Deming /TiVo