THE DIRECTOR'S CUT

Mike Patton, the genius behind Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and countless other projects is also the genius behind Fantomas. With Fantomas, he has explored a wide array of musical styles by putting his own stamp of craziness on it, but this project is one of his most eclectic. What you have in this album is a collection of movie soundtrack covers, most of which are from horror movies from composers like Henry Mancini and John Barry. Even though there are some very orchestrated tracks here, including the opening track "Theme from The Godfatther" don't let that fool you. The Godfather is very straightforward, almost something you would hear on an elevator, except with clean clear sound and amazing production which raises it above the typical orchestral cover. But after that, things turn sharply south.

Most of the tracks are crazy studies in extreme listening, from heavy harsh vocals and crashing guitars to mysterious sounding keyboards and deep voices, the tracks are mostly faithful to the originals, except that you have Mike's crazy vocals (he uses his voice effectively as an instrument and for singing throughout this album), the band's orchestration is all over the place and it is one wild, frantic ride for your ears. Scary atmospheres for the most part, amazing how the first track makes you feel so safe and lures you into this asylum of otherwise manic music. This is RIO in the extreme, so be ready for it, and most of the shock value of the extremes will be easier to handle.

So everyone has heard covers of movie theme music, but you haven't heard one like this. If you know Mike Patton and just how wild he can be, then you can imagine what this is like. Maybe this is one of Fantomas most accessible albums, but I don't think many untrained minds will get past the 2nd track without a blown brain socket. I agree it is the best Fantomas album and most enjoyable, because I admit I have a very hard time with "Suspended Animation" (which is a collection of songs that sound like cartoon music with sound effects and chaos from start to finish) and their other albums, but I find this one very exciting, original, groundbreaking and a definite masterpiece of avant garde progressive music, this album sets the bar for one of the best in that subgenre in my opinion. Essential and a masterpiece. 5 stars.