Fantomas
http://www.ipecac.com

styles: experimental rock, metal
others: Mr. Bungle, Melvins, Faith No More

The Director’s Cut
Ipecac Records, 2001
rating: 8.0
reviewers: dunc

Check it out. Mike Patton, deranged genius of Faith No More, continues to be willfully avant-garde/uncommercial/ mad cap? No, not really; just the most creative artist since Bowie. On paper this kind of self indulgence looks like a bad idea. Buzz Osbourne of the Melvins, Dave Lombardo of Slayer, Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle and Patton on Vocals, team up to do Death Metal/grind core cover versions of mainly film soundtracks.

None of them are straight covers, and you would be right to guess they basically butcher them. Cape Fear, The Godfather, Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, Mancini, John Barry, Lynch’s Fire Walk with Me get the Patton treatment - he raps, screams, croons, gibbers, howls, whispers, sings, laughs, cries, chants, woo-has etc. through all the tracks. "The Godfather" has him chanting "The Godfather, The Godfather, The Godfather, Woo- Ha! Woo Ha!".

Highlights for me were the cover of "Vendetta," which is deathly funky and "Cape Fear’s" guitar coda, you know the riff. Oh, and Mancini’s "Experiment in Terror". "One Step Beyond" has the sinister chant "Dream, little one, dream", before "Cape Fear" creeps in. It’s pretty scary, really.

Although it at first seems a right bloody messy of noise and guitars (and screaming), I think there is some sanity to the madness and conclude that it is beautifully produced. Sort of death metal for movie buffs and audiophiles a like. There’s even some kind of deadly nursery rhyme about "Frankenstein and Dracula and even a Mummy, are sure to end up in some ones tummy". So it’s funny, too. I find "The Omen" one funny. "Minmus, Corpus, Manimus". Speed metal cover version of the Omen Soundtrack. Yeeha! It has some chants as well. No need for attention span either; the tracks are mainly short and intense. Anyone like Ennio Morricone – They’ve done "Investigation of a citizen above Suspicion", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", and "Charade" by Mancini.

What can I say? If you’ve got an open mind and some time to spare this is great. It’s completely unique. It’s not the party animal record of the year. You may not be able to play it to your friends. But fuck it, I deny you to not love it. You just might have to endure for a bit with it. For me an unmissable experience. Take 13 is just 6 seconds of nothing. Pawn your Grandma for it. I love it, so you must too. Whatever you think it might be like, it won’t be, just check it out. Believe me. There’s something for everyone. No reggae though.

1. The Godfather
2. Der Golem
3. Experiment in Terror
4. One Step Beyond
5. Night of the Hunter [Remix]
6. Cape Fear
7. Rosemary's Baby
8. The Devil Rides Out [Remix]
9. Spider Baby
10. The Omen
11. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
12. Vendetta
13. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
14. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
15. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
16. Charade