Tomahawk - Anonymous review

Release Date: 06/19/2007

Label: Ipecac Recordings

Lets start this by saying I love Mike Patton’s work. He is doing things with music that most people wouldn’t even dream of doing. With countless projects up his sleeve it was only a matter of time before they all sounded the same.

Tomahawk have often been referred to as Mike Patton’s most accessible band….The only project of his that has any chance of receiving radio airplay. If I were reviewing their first two albums then that statement would be correct. Unfortunately I sit here with Anonymous in my hands.

Everyone knows what they are getting into when buying anything involving Mike Patton. It’s usually not going to be an easy listen. It will be unpredictable and harsh. But when picking up a Tomahawk album you would at least think it would still sound similar to the previous two. Anonymous is not a Tomahawk album. Tomahawk write songs. There are no songs on this album, just little chants and jingles. This plays more like a Fantomas album.

That’s not to say that this isn’t good stuff. If you like Native American music blended with a bit of hard rock then this album is definitely for you! It is good in its own right…but maybe should not have been labelled a Tomahawk album. Why not add one more project to his already extensive list and create a band that play Native American music? That way we could avoid disappointment when purchasing this album expecting to hear actual songs.

So now Mike Patton’s most accessible band would have to be the largely Hip-Hop influenced Peeping Tom. God help us all!

Rating: 2/5
Choice Lyric: “Asgaya agi'a gihli”
Download: Mescal Rite 1