Mike Patton must laugh at rock bands that take extended periods between albums and complain of time restraints. Since the dissolution of
Faith No More in 1998,
Patton worked like a man possessed -- unleashing a steady stream of releases by the numerous groups he fronts -- among them
Mr. Bungle,
Fantômas, and
Tomahawk (not to mention that he founded his own label, Ipecac). Joining
Patton in
Tomahawk is a star-studded cast that includes former
Jesus Lizard/
Hank Williams III guitarist Duane Denison, former
Mark of Cain/
Helmet drummer John Stanier, and
Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis, who prove to be quite similar musically to
FNM's latter-day output (circa
Angel Dust,
King for a Day, and
Album of the Year). October 2001 saw the release of
Tomahawk's self-titled debut on Ipecac (produced by Joe "Jerry" Reed,
Emmylou Harris,
the Judds' Joe Funderburk), followed with a supporting tour. In May 2003, the supergroup completed another savage mix of experimental alternative metal titled Mit Gas with
Joe Barresi before founding member Rutmanis left the band. In 2007, inspired by Denison's visit to Indian reservations on tour as guitarist for
Hank Williams III,
Tomahawk switched gears and recorded
Anonymous, a concept album that combined spooky Native American-inspired songs with metal. The next few years were quiet for the band, as the members pursued other projects, and in 2012, Ipecac released a set of CDs that bundled all three
Tomahawk albums, titled Eponymous to Anonymous, before completing 2013's Oddfellows, which featured replacement bassist
Trevor Dunn of
Mr. Bungle. ~ Greg Prato