The Fantomas Melvins Big Band
“Millennium Monsterwork 2000”
(Ipecac)
This album was recorded live at the dawn of the new millennium on December 31st 2000 in San Francisco, CA. As the name of the band suggests, this recording consists of a monstrous hybrid of both Fantomas and The Melvins. The music is many things from thick, rich and chock-full o’ chunk to finger blisteringly fast and screeching and loaded with that patented Patton scat to out and out noisy and experimental. “MM 2000” features dual or duel vocals from King Buzzo and Mike Patton. If that’s not enough of a pairing to excite, then try Dale Crover and Dave Lombardo both on the drums. I’m not saying they share a seat, but they’re both on the drums. I think Dale’s body is draped over the bass drum and Lombardo plays or vice versa. Fans of Faith No More who recognize Patton’s name should rather go running for cover than to the record store to pick up this incredible album. This is an overall noisy, experimental slab of sounds with constant little joys and surprises in store for both fans of Fantomas and The Melvins. The closer attention paid to this album, the more the listener will be rewarded. Take note of little chunks of band member’s former band’s songs that appear such as when Lombardo reprises the double bass drum break from Slayer’s “Angel Death” or when Dunn plays a bit here and there from classic Bungle tunes. This is one fine album and I’ve only listened to the first nine of its eighteen tracks thus far. Thus, this glowing recommendation knows nothing of the second half of this beautiful monster recording, but I’ll put money on it that it won’t relent until the ending silence.
