Fantômas (band)

Fantômas
Background information
Origin California, USA
Genres Avant-garde Metal, experimental, dark Ambient, doom Metal, noise, electronic music
Years active 1998–Present
Labels Ipecac
Associated acts Melvins, Slayer, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk
Website ipecac.com/bio.php?id=3 Ipecac Website
Members
Mike Patton
Buzz Osborne
Trevor Dunn
Dave Lombardo
Dale Crover (touring member)
Past members
Terry Bozzio (touring member)

Fantômas is an avant-garde metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California, United States. The band is named after Fantômas, a supervillain featured in a series of crime novels popular in France before World War I and in film, most notably in the 60s French movie series.

Contents

History

Fantômas began just before the collapse of Faith No More as a series of spasmic, avant-garde metal songs composed by vocalist and bandleader Mike Patton. Patton then sent the demos to guitarist Buzz Osborne (of The Melvins), bassist Trevor Dunn (of Mr. Bungle) and drummer Igor Cavalera (of Sepultura) with the intention of forming a supergroup. Cavalera declined the offer, but recommended who he thought would be perfect for the project: Dave Lombardo of Slayer, who accepted.[1][2]

In mid-2005, the band toured Europe with Terry Bozzio on drums, because Lombardo was on tour with Slayer. Lombardo returned to the band for the final dates of the tour, which concluded on September 15, 2005.

On May 13, 2006, Patton revealed to Billboard.com that a fifth Fantômas album has been planned. Of the album, Patton says "The next record is going to be an all-electronic affair. It's going to take some creative planning on how to record it and execute it, but there will be no acoustic instruments on it whatsoever. We're pretty much about to go into hibernation mode. I need to, once I have a little time, go back to the drawing board, and start writing the next one."[3] In November 2008, Rock-A-Rolla, a UK-based alternative music magazine, exclusively revealed on their website that the new album is currently being worked on and a tentative June 2009 release is possible,[4] however in the May/June 2009 issue of Rock-A-Rolla, in an interview with Greg Werckman, Werckman stated that Mike "hasn't even begun" recording the next Fantômas record.[5]

On July 21, 2011, Rock-A-Rolla revealed that Fantômas would be releasing their performance at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on Dec. 31, 2008 as a DVD and a standalone audio download, titled "The Director’s Cut Live: A New Year’s Revolution".[6]

Style

Though rooted in avant-garde metal, their music touches on many different musical genres, making liberal use of experimentalism and noise. Fantômas' music is also noted for its absurdism and offbeat sense of humor; one critic dubbed their style "dada-metal,"[7] a reference to the "anti-art" dada movement of the early 1900s. Critic Greg Prato describes their music as "completely original…especially when compared to the blah and predictable alt-rock of the late '90s."[8] Patton rarely sings conventional lyrics with the group, preferring his own bizarre style of voice music or scat singing.

The band arrange albums around concepts or themes:

Non-album songs

Fantômas have also performed a few songs which do not appear on their albums.

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
US
[9]
US
Heat.

[9]
US
Ind.

[9]
AUS
[10]
FRA
[11]
SWE
[12]
1999 Fantômas
  • Released: April 26, 1999
  • Label: Ipecac (1)
  • Format: CD
2001 The Director's Cut
  • Released: July 9, 2001
  • Label: Ipecac (17)
  • Format: CD
30 18
2004 Delìrium Còrdia
  • Released: January 27, 2004
  • Label: Ipecac (45)
  • Format: CD
183 7[13] 7 118
2005 Suspended Animation
  • Released: June 14, 2005
  • Label: Ipecac (65)
  • Format: CD
153 7[14] 12 49 129 43
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Live albums

Year Album details US
Heat.
US
Ind.
[9]
2002 Millennium Monsterwork 2000 (as The Fantômas/Melvins Big Band)
  • Released: April 1, 2002
  • Label: Ipecac (19)
  • Format: CD
45[15] 21
2011 The Director's Cut Live: A New Year's Revolution
  • Released: September 6, 2011
  • Label: Ipecac (129)
  • Format: digital download

Split albums

Year Album details
2005 Animali in Calore Surriscaldati con Ipertermia Genitale/Cat in Red (with Melt-Banana)
  • Released: August 2005
  • Label: Unhip (5)
  • Format: CD, LP

Video albums

Year Album details
2008 Live from London 2006 (as The Fantômas/Melvins Big Band)
  • Released: August 26, 2008
  • Label: Ipecac (102)
  • Format: DVD
2011 The Director's Cut Live: A New Year's Revolution
  • Released: September 6, 2011
  • Label: Ipecac (129)
  • Format: DVD

Footnotes

  1. ^ Zulaica, Don (1999-07-05). "Even Better Than the Real Thing? - Mike Patton Puts His Faith in Fantomas and Mr. Bungle". BAM magazine. http://members.tripod.com/~Nirrosive/articles/article10.txt. Retrieved 2007-06-06. 
  2. ^ Burton, Brent. "Fantômas Suspended Animation Review". Decibel Magazine. http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=100697. Retrieved 2007-06-06. 
  3. ^ Prato, Greg (2006-05-12). "Patton Juggling Numerous New Projects". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002502020. Retrieved 2007-06-06. 
  4. ^ Mike Patton Preps New Fantomas and Mondo Cane Albums!
  5. ^ Rock-A-Rolla Issue 20, May/June 2009 Rock-A-Rolla Website
  6. ^ Rock-A-Rolla.com >> Fantômas 'The Director's Cut' Live DVD And Album On The Way
  7. ^ "Fantômas & The Avant-Garde". fantomas-lives.com. http://www.fantomas-lives.com/fanto5.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-06. 
  8. ^ Prato, Greg. "Fantômas > Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fantmas-p370276/biography. Retrieved 2007-06-06. 
  9. ^ a b c d "Fantômas > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fantmas-p370276/charts-awards/billboard-albums. Retrieved 2010-08-03. 
  10. ^ "Discography Fantomas". Hung Medien. http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Fantomas. Retrieved 2010-08-03. 
  11. ^ "Discographie Fantomas" (in French). Hung Medien. http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Fantomas. Retrieved 2010-08-03. 
  12. ^ "Discography Fantomas". Hung Medien. http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Fantomas. Retrieved 2010-08-03. 
  13. ^ "Fantômas > Delìrium Còrdia > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/delirium-cordia-r659219/charts-awards/billboard-album. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 
  14. ^ "Fantômas > Suspended Animation > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/suspended-animation-r735328/charts-awards/billboard-album. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 
  15. ^ "Fantômas > Millenium Monsterwork 2000 > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/millennium-monsterwork-r583264/charts-awards/billboard-album. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 

External links