Tomahawk

Known for seizing every chance to join forces with fellow musicians, Tomahawk ranks among the numerous side projects fronted by Mike Patton, the singer long associated with Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. The band unites him with several figures drawn from rock’s underground ranks, among them alumni of the Jesus Lizard, Helmet, and the Melvins. Its sound blends forceful, sharply contoured dynamics—centered on Patton’s raw, shouted delivery and the incisive guitar lines—with melodic frameworks that draw from heavy metal, ’90s alternative rock, and occasional progressive-rock accents.

The group reached an early peak with its 2003 sophomore release, Mit Gas, while the 2013 album Oddfellows showcased a wide-ranging and exploratory approach, and the 2021 set Toxic Immobility demonstrated the quartet’s continued vitality following an eight-year hiatus.

The Tomahawk saga opened in 1999 when Duane Denison, formerly of the Jesus Lizard, encountered Patton after a Mr. Bungle performance in Nashville. The two began trading song sketches and soon committed to forming a band. With drummer John Stanier (late of Helmet and Mark of Cain) and bassist Kevin Rutmanis (previously active with the Melvins and the Cows) aboard, the quartet convened in Nashville to record under producer and engineer Joe Funderburk. Their self-titled debut appeared on Patton’s Ipecac Records imprint in 2001. Extensive road work followed across North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, including several support slots for Tool. In 2003, again working with producer Joe Barresi, the band completed Mit Gas and resumed live activity.

Scheduling demands kept the musicians apart until 2007, when they issued their third album, Anonymous. Recording took place partly in San Francisco, where Patton added vocals and electronic elements, and partly in Nashville, where the remaining members tracked their parts. Shortly before those sessions, Rutmanis departed, leaving Denison to handle both guitar and bass duties. The band then entered an extended period of inactivity; in 2012 Ipecac issued the box set Eponymous and Anonymous, which collected the first three albums. Tomahawk reconvened in 2013 with Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn on bass and released Oddfellows through Ipecac. Two leftover tracks from those sessions, “M.E.A.T.” and “Curtain Call,” surfaced as a single the following year. Years later Denison, Stanier, and Dunn started composing and tracking new material, after which Patton supplied lyrics and vocal melodies; the resulting album, Toxic Immobility, emerged in 2021.