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FANTÔMAS

RIO/Avant-Prog • United States


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Fantômas picture
Fantômas biography
Founded in San Francisco, USA in 1998 - Hiatus between 2008-2014

Another project formed by ambitious heavy metal singer Mike PATTON, FANTÔMAS was formed after the breakup of PATTON's previous band, FAITH NO MORE. He recruited a crack team of musicians, getting Buzz OSBOURNE from THE MELVINS on guitar, Dave LOMBARDO from SLAYER on drums, and Trevor DUNN from MR. BUNGLE (one of his other bands) on bass. However, no one could have predicted the bizarre direction the band would take. Showing some influence from John ZORN (one of PATTON's heroes, as well as someone he'd collaborated with), the band makes a totally unique brand of avant-garde metal, which only a genius like PATTON could ever pull off. Their music often consists of short blasts of heavy riffs as well as a fair amount of minimalism, along with PATTON's vocals, which generally don't even say words so much as just make noises.

The band's 1999 self-titled debut album is 30 tracks and 42 minutes long, and is intended to tell the story taking place in a comic book through music. Rather than songs there are "pages", and even today it stands up as probably their best. 2001's The Director's Cut is a collection of theme songs for films such as The Godfather and Rosemary's Baby, performed with a FANTÔMAS twist to them. The record isn't nessecarily their best, but it's by far their most accessible, and that makes it a good starting point. In 2002 the group toured with THE MELVINS as the FANTÔMAS MELVINS BIG BAND. This spawned a live album from 2002 titled Millennium Monsterwork. However, their next studio album didn't come until 2004, and the haunting epic Delìrium Cordìa. This record features one 74 minute song, and while one of the least accessible records ever released, is well worth listening to, simply because odds are it will scare you.

FANTÔMAS will not appeal to everyone, but those who enjoy the experimental side of music and don't mind some heavy metal noise attatched to it will adore this band. PATTON's vocals make some of their stuff worth the listen on their own. So they're recommended, just not to everyone.

: : : Bryan Adair, CANADA : : :

FANTÔMAS Videos (YouTube and more)


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FANTÔMAS discography


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FANTÔMAS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.51 | 62 ratings
Fantômas
1999
3.73 | 93 ratings
The Director's Cut
2001
3.33 | 77 ratings
Delìrivm Còrdia
2004
3.66 | 105 ratings
Suspended Animation
2005

FANTÔMAS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 15 ratings
Millennium Monsterwork
2002

FANTÔMAS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

5.00 | 1 ratings
Live From London 2006
2008
4.50 | 2 ratings
The Director's Cut Live: A New Year's Revolution
2011

FANTÔMAS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings
Wunderkammer
2014

FANTÔMAS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
An Experiment in Terror
2001
0.00 | 0 ratings
Fantomas / Melt-Banana Split
2005
0.00 | 0 ratings
Melvins / Fantomas - Sugar Daddy Live Split Series
2013

FANTÔMAS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Suspended Animation by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.66 | 105 ratings

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Suspended Animation
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by theaqua

4 stars Suspended Animation is an album that demonstrates that originality is what fascinates me most in a song, unlike beautiful melodies, we have a chaotic and atonal album that constantly challenges the listener with an unpredictable sound, but very creative, it is progressive, but not conventionally, each musician demonstrates a lot of skill in what it does, Dave Lombardo's insane drum kit, Mike Patton's versatile vocals and keyboard, Buzz Osborne's heavy and overwhelming guitar, or Trevor Dunn's consistent but interesting bass or simply the theme of the album which is to talk about April holidays and some very questionable ones, it's difficult to talk about the 30 tracks themselves because the way the flow of the album works is something I've never seen before, the 30 tracks are relatively short, but so experimental, which makes this album one of the most difficult to absorb, it is a very funny album, it is an album that will constantly amuse you because of how absurd it is, along with that, impressive musicianship and an excellent mix with a sound crisp and balanced, I'm not giving this album a 5 because, although I really like this album, it's not a rating I feel it deserves (although it's very close), Suspended Animation is a hilariously fantastic album, quite fun and avant-garde which I highly recommend if you want to hear something different.
 Suspended Animation by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.66 | 105 ratings

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Suspended Animation
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars How could you expect anything but craziness from a band that incorporates Mike Patton (one of the most talented and versatile singers ever from Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and the John Zorn driven Moonchild), Buzz Osborne (The Misfits), Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle), and Dave Lombardo (Slayer). Fantomas has always created quirky music, many times derived from cinematic influences.

"Suspended Animation" is probably the quirkiest of all of Fantomas music, seemingly composed and played by musicians with ADD. The musical ideas come and go so quickly that it is almost impossible to grasp everything that is going on here. The album is based around cartoon-sounding music with a lot of samples and sound effects, plus complex music based on every day of the month of April and the holidays celebrated on a daily basis, which range from the popular April Fool's Day to the more obscure Plan You Epitaph Day or National Scoop the Poop Day. The 30 track titles are named mostly after the holiday names, and the average track length is 90 seconds long. However, when you listen to this album, it is impossible to distinguish one song from the other as they are all connected without hardly a pause and each track can have several different thematic elements, melodies and styles, never resting too long on any single idea. It's quite a mish mash of sounds, even more complex than some of Zappa's most complex music. But, as crazy and haphazard as it may seem, it is all composed and structured, flawlessly played by the amazing musicians involved. Much of this will probably go over the average listener's head.

Yes you get everything you expect. Loud, heavy passages, kooky sound effects, amazing musicianship, Patton's maniacal vocals, and a hell of a lot of unpredictability. It may be too much to take for many listeners, and I find that I have to be in the right mood to handle it. But, how do you take something so complex and just minimize it to being a chaotic jumble of musical ideas? The first time I heard this several years ago, I was speechless and not quite sure what to think of it all. But as my tastes have become more eclectic, I find this more and more enjoyable. I still consider it one of the most quirky and chaotic albums out there, but it makes more sense now than it used to. Just don't expect to be whistling it any time soon, and you'll be okay.

Because of it's extreme complexity, the thing that should make it a masterpiece is the thing that keeps it from being one. But, I can't deny the fact that the music is extraordinary and fun, amazing yet a bit frustrating to listen to. You'll find yourself laughing at times because of the humor, and laughing at other times because you have been pushed over the brink of insanity. 4 stars.

 Delìrivm Còrdia by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.33 | 77 ratings

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Delìrivm Còrdia
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Inspired by the very rare but terrifyingly real phenomenon of people remaining immobile but conscious through surgery due to an odd reaction to anaesthesia, this album-length track from Fantomas is a strange ambient metal opera taking the listener through the twists and turns of this predicament. It isn't just surgery sound effects, though - a diverse range of musical sounds pass by on the journey, yet at the same time I find that most of them aren't particularly memorable. As a project Fantomas has always been one to live or die by its concept, and here the idea is fun in theory but not so hot in execution.
 Suspended Animation by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.66 | 105 ratings

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Suspended Animation
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars A weirdly sunny album for the crushingly heavy Fantomas - don't worry, the riffs and vocal work are still as bizarre as ever, but they are augmented this time by the beeping and booping of children's toys, playful cartoon music, and giggling kids. Maybe Patton, Osborne, Lombardo and Dunn were in a particularly chirpy mood, but this is like candy floss for alternative and extreme metal fans - a brace of experimental brief tracks (with titles inspired by various holidays and festivals during the month of April) displaying a joyous playfulness and even a certain happiness which the dark aesthetic of extreme metal tends to spurn. Happy times.
 The Director's Cut by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2001
3.73 | 93 ratings

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The Director's Cut
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars The second Fantomas album improves on the first by offering a more distinct concept - it's Fantomas doing various movie soundtracks, focusing on but not limiting themselves to the horror genre. Naturally, you wouldn't have expected them to play these without substantial rearrangement and reimagination (plus here and there the insertion of some appropriate lyrics to keep Patton in the loop), and it's the off-kilter take on the various material here which keeps things fresh and original and allows it to rise above the status of your typical album of cover songs. Terse and troubling, The Director's Cut sees Fantomas finding its feet and purpose.
 Fantômas by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 1999
3.51 | 62 ratings

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Fantômas
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars The debut album by Fantomas doesn't stake out an enormously distinct identity for the new supergroup, consisting of Patton and Dunn of Mr Bungle fame joined by Slayer's Dave Lombardo and Buzz Osborne of Melvins. Given the makeup of the group, it's not surprising that this starting point feels largely like a continuation of Mr Bungle by other means. (Dunn and Patton were spreading themselves thin at the time too with actual Mr Bungle work - California, the final Bungle release, came out only a couple of months after this.)

The album consists of short sonic snippets, more extreme metal-oriented in style than much of Mr Bungle and with a flair for the dramatic. I think the concept is that it's a soundtrack to this movie that does not exist, but to be honest that doesn't quite come through here (fellow Mr Bungle offshoot Secret Chiefs 3 would, via their Traditionalists alter ego, tackle a similar concept with a bit more flair some years later) - but that doesn't mean it isn't an intriguing listen, just that it's a bit obtuse compared to later Fantomas releases whose concepts are somewhat more upfront.

 Fantômas by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 1999
3.51 | 62 ratings

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Fantômas
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by aglasshouse

3 stars If you're at all familiar with famed avant-garde metal act Mr. Bungle or it's mastermind Mike Patton, then you shouldn't be at all unaware as to the contents of Fantomas. Or maybe you should. Who knows at this point.

Fantomas originates from the titular character in a 1964 French film (or the 1913 thing, whatever you please), which was directed by the late Andre Hunebelle who just so happened to be a master glass-maker. Who would have guessed? Anywho, after the group Mr. Bungle sort-of kind-of broke up in 1999 (even though, not really- 2004 about) and avant-garde fetishist Mike Patton wanted another way to oust his urges since Faith No More wasn't really cutting it. Thus, Fantomas was born from a horrifying musical Caesarean section unto the world. Seeing as the last album of Mr. Bungle (which came in the same year, 1999) had combinations of doo-wop and thrash metal, it's safe to say that whatever this 'Fantomas' thing can't exactly be called 'normal'.

A first question I asked upon first inspection of this self-titled record was, "how the hell do I listen to it?" At first glance the first connection you might draw towards is grindcore, a similar genre with very short track times as well. Don't. It's not that.

Allow me to take a moment of clarity for a second. Like any avant-garde album, criticism is hard to levy towards it. I mean, something so erratic can't be easily pinned down. Lyrical quality is of course non-existent, although I do commend Mike Patton for his impeccable variation between "KI-KI-KI-KI-KI-KI-KI" and "hyena screeching after being impaled with four spears" impression, both of which are like audio serenades. It is definitely metal, for sure. Dave Lombardo, drummer of Slayer, is of course delivers a very powerful performance (at least when he's actually on the mic), especially when the music goes full monty on the metal aspect. Other than that differentiation of bass and guitar by Trevor Dunn and Buzz Osborne is practically impossible amidst all the noise. They are rather nice when they get a minute's time to shred and hit a crazy solo.

But the aforementioned noise is the centerpiece of this. For what it is, which is practically nothing, it's well- produced. Mike Patton is a man who is very fond of nothing, such as that one time when he recorded himself for 43 minutes clapping and screaming in a hotel room in '96*. When he gets a chance to do some neat stuff, he does it rather well. Every time the album goes silent the silence feels heavy, which is a very dismal yet cathartic experience you won't find in really any other genre. The ambiance of the piece yields interesting material as well, like film audio-samples (presumably from Fantomas or films of its caliber) and other industrial noises, all which create an example of metal degradation, something I'm sure Mr. Patton was going for. Although there are many motifs in Fantomas, such as a certain falsetto that Patton does occasionally and extremely high pitched screaming, which do tend to lose their effect after a few listens.

Although I can't really pin down specific tracks that I feel most in-tune with, I won't list any others than 'Page 26', which is so eerily...evil in it's intensity. Rarely have I found any other musical pieces that have instilled genuine discomfort in me more than this particular piece. Very interesting.

All in all I apologize for the disjointedness of some of my thoughts. I am someone who likes to write reviews of music while listening to the music itself. In doing so I sometimes channel the musical nature of it into the reviews themselves. What you just read is the product of a Fantomas-laden mind, and I'm sorry. As for the album itself, I suppose it hit its mark as a discomforting or overly-pretentious production, but it doesn't really break through any boundaries past that. Is it even worth proof reading this?

*THIS IS ACTUALLY TRUE

 Delìrivm Còrdia by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.33 | 77 ratings

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Delìrivm Còrdia
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Necrotica
Special Collaborator Honorary Colaborator

4 stars Mike Patton's sure an interesting person. He's surely one of the best vocalists of our generation (along with being an awesome composer/keyboardist), but his works are definitely not accessible. Take any of Mr. Bungle's records (perhaps excluding California, one that's actually a bit sane), for instance. The first album was pure insanity, blending funk, prog, jazz, and bunch of other wild elements into one giant mixing pot. Disco Volante was even crazier, bordering to downright creepy. After the Bungle years, he created a project called Fantomas, named after a French crime novel.

This particular work, the mysteriously named "Delirium Cordia," stands out from the others in Fantomas's collection because of it's sheer length, clocking in at 75 minutes. Basically, the record sounds like the equivalent of a horror movie soundtrack (something Patton might have intended to make, considering his mind), but with one exception: YOU are the victim. That's right. Especially if you listen with headphones, everything will feel like it's happening to you. This includes, but is not limited to: Surgery, voices, light piano sounds, indescribable noises, crashing waves, etc.

The members surprisingly have little to do in this album. Mike Patton is really the star of the show here, while the other members just generally do other supporting noises/riffs. Dave Lombardo actually contributes to some cymbal noise and drum rolls for ambiance, but little else here. Buzz "King Buzzo" Osbourne does really low, distorted guitar fills through moments of tension. To be honest, Trevor Dunn doesn't do much of anything here, aside from riffs with the other band members. Again, Mike Patton rules most of the music here.

As with most ambient listens, this record will turn off a lot of listeners. There are especially some moments that will scare the living hell out of you. When lying in bed in the dark, this becomes even scarier, mainly when you just anticipate something to happen in the utter silence of a part of the piece. However, there are some instances of relief from the sorrowful creepiness on occasion. For instance, there is a portion of the song where a Hawaiian easy-listening tune is being played. Don't hold your breath, though, as that will disappear soon enough.

Also, there are plenty of moments that sound like you are a victim, as has been said before. As an example, there is a portion where surgeons are operating on a body, and it sounds like the tools are scraping at you madly. Unless you are patient and can handle that creepiness, you won't last for even a minute of the incessant craziness going on. Likewise, some noises will leave your imagination to fill in the rest, as they're pretty indescribable.

Overall, this album is not for the light hearted in ANY way. If you are a Mike Patton fan, looking for risky and daring music, or a fan of ambient works, I'd suggest checking it out as it's quite good. Others, I'm afraid, might be turned off by this album.

(Originally published on Sputnikmusic)

 Suspended Animation by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.66 | 105 ratings

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Suspended Animation
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars SUSPENDED ANIMATION is the fourth album by the extremely bizarre super-group FANTÔMAS led by the always eccentric Mike Patton who once again doesn't disappoint in the weirdness department. On this installment in the FANTÔMAS universe we get a dual theme of incorporating their energetic speed sludge with cartoon music and other sounds of innocence ranging from children playing to little kids' toys. The album was released as a regular album and as a limited edition which is the one i have. This package is as bizarre as the music it holds. It is bound with one of those metal spirals that are on notebooks and it contains a mini calendar which has a page for each day in the month of April accompanied by the artwork of Yo[&*!#]omo Nara who blends the innocence of youth with dark and disturbing imagery.

After an album of soundtrack theme interpretation and another strange album that only contained one track lasting over an hour, FANTÔMAS goes back to the formula of their debut and ups the surreality a few notches by delivering an extreme roller coaster ride of sonic madness. This is some frantic stuff this one but the sound effects and music are seamlessly blended together coming and going without notice and the production is absolutely brilliantly executed and is dizzying to the mind how long it took to blend all these sounds and musical outbursts together so well. Generally speaking the thirty short tracks which start with some kind of cartoonish sound effects are either inspired by or directly borrowed from various sources including Warner Bros and other Carl Stalling creations and then morphs into energetic speed sludge hysteria. Mike Patton only creates wordless vocalizations which seem to take the lead in directing the rest of the band to follow.

There are all kinds of different rhythms, moods and sound effects streaming at the speed of light throughout this one but if you are already familiar with Mike Patton's other works including the other FANTÔMAS albums you will hear familiar ideas only tweaked to be even weirder than before. This is a hard listen at first (and second and third!!!) but if you embrace the extremely demented creations of maddened genii then you might appreciate this one. This exists in a universe that few will dare to tread but for those who do be warned that even though you will find hummable melodies galore, the franticness of this wild concoction will demand multiple listens to get the gist of.

 Fantômas by FANTÔMAS album cover Studio Album, 1999
3.51 | 62 ratings

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Fantômas
Fantômas RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars After the end of Faith No More and near the end of Mr Bungle, Mike Patton suddenly needed a full time band again. The avant-garde bug was stronger than ever and suddenly the freedom to delve into the even more experimental side of music exploded into reality. Patton created FANTÔMAS, a name of a super villain in French crime novels in the early 20th century that was popular in print and films up into the 60s.

With Trevor Dunn also of Mr Bungle, Patton managed to score Buzz Osborne of the Melvins and Dave Lombardo of Slayer to join his ranks and accompany his need for pure vocal weirdness. And that is what we get with this eponymous debut release. Pure weirdness. But weirdness with lots of recognizable influences that sound really, really good if only for fleeting moments before moving on to the next.

The album cover actually is a poster for the 1965 movie "Fantômas se déchaîne" but ironically is translated into Spanish as "Fantômas Amenaza al Mundo" which in English means "Fantômas Threatens The World." The album is laid out as a comic book would be with 30 pages in 1 book. Chapter 13, however is three seconds of silence since they deem the number to be unlucky, a trend that continues on the next album. Poor number 13, i actually like it.

This is avant-garde metal here and if that is something you fear, i advise you to stay well away from these here bizarre offerings. The gist of the album revolves around Patton's desire to create experimental vocalizations which for the most part are fairly clever and worthy of expression. The band surrounding these idiosyncrasies accompanies these whims beautifully and totally delivers the goods.

This is an album that i didn't really take seriously upon first listen. I like many others was more floored by the followup "Director's Cut" which is a much more accessible take on this movie soundtrack idea, however, recently i have been giving this debut more scrutiny and i have caught the bug. This album is quite remarkable in fact. Yes, it is random in nature and yes, it is quite out of the ordinary but i have been a fan of Mike Patton's various musical entities for a while now and have adapted to his unique styles of expression.

This album is quite eclectic in scope and will appeal to those who have a wide ranging musical palette. It is truly one that needs time to soak in. It took me a decade for it to click although i admit this isn't something i've spun on a regular basis. Very unique, very clever but not an easy nut to crack. However, if you take the time to pierce its tough hardened shell, you may find something that you can appreciate, at least i did.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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