Review Summary: Pattons' insanity in Fantomas + The solid sludgey grooves of Melvins + live on stage = ooooh yeah
If you're reading this you should be well aware of
Mike Patton and what he's all about, so that will save an hour of explanation at this end. Further you may be aware that the
Melvins have been noted as one of the main influences of many famous grunge and metal bands today, such as Tool, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. So what happens when you put these two highly combustive elements together on stage? A pure energy that is hard to come by in the way of live performances. The Big Band commands such attention with the impeccable skill from the outstanding lineup, from Patton to King Buzzo, Dale Crover to the powerhouse Lombardo (of Slayer fame). Two drummers are completely necessary in this case.
Now to the performance, and what a spectacle it is.
Despite the insanity that Fantomas is known for, this DVD begins rather slow and steady, Patton croones (of sorts, with some creepy whistling) you into the set with Sacrifice (a cover of Flipper), almost lulling you into a false sense of off center security before you get hit over the head with the barrage of crazy sounds and effects that Fantomas is known for. And believe me, it is not a tap on the noggin, this is kiss upside the cranium with an aluminium baseball bat.
Page 27 immediately reminds the listener/viewer that Fantomas is here, and they're going to rip your face off. Each Fantomas song, despite being composed in a way that none of us common folk could work it (let alone play along), is played to perfection, each note is in the right place, and you can owe this all to Mike Patton. Patton, who stands in his console of keyboards and microphones, orchestrates the whole thing, commands the attentive eyes of all the crowd and his band members on stage.
You may be asking at this point, whether this is just a Fantomas concert? Certainly by looking at the playlist you can tell it is a rather Patton created affair. But to their credit, the Melvins know how to pump a seriously killer riff. Some may find that when playing live, the Melvins tunes can seem a little repetitive, yet here, the Melvins groove is injected at just the right place, in perfect contrast to Fantomas. Despite being so different in style, it just seems to flow so well, see it happen between Mombius Hibachi / Page 23.
On top of all this precision creativity is an unmistakable energy of a band having fun with what their doing, they even get down n dirty with a bit of Lowrider. They all play off each other in a way that brings the performance up from greatness to legendary.
All i can say against this performance, is that it is not for everyone. In the opinion of this reviewer, this is like having your ears licked by God himself, but it is an acquired taste. Too much Fantomas will probably drive you insane, one way or another. And further, for those hoping to see a lot of Melvins may be a little disappointed as the works of Fantomas seem to dominate the show (however, i believe the Melvins groove interjects at just the right moments for even better effect).
From this whole concert i could hardly say anybody who witnesses it, with an ear for Patton and his work will be disappointed... you even get Spider Baby as a closer. Further, the commentary with Danny DeVito (yes Danny DeVito) is a brilliant wee feature for the concert, with a bit of smack talk from some of the band members. What more could you want from this star studded ensemble?
Definitely get amongst this if you are a fan at all of Mike Patton.
