Tomahawk

Tomahawk is an American experimental rock group from Nashville, United States. The line-up consists of Mike Patton, Kevin Rutmanis, Duane Denison and John Stanier. The group forms in 1999, when Patton, best known for Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and later Fantômas, meets Denison of The Jesus Lizard and the two begin exchanging tapes and music with the intention of working together. Denison then brings in Stanier, who plays drums for Helmet, and Patton adds Rutmanis, who has played with the Melvins and ex-Cows.

Formation and early years

Tomahawk starts as a collaboration between four musicians with backgrounds in alternative, metal and experimental music. Patton also founds Ipecac Recordings after Faith No More breaks up in 1998. Before Tomahawk's first album, he returns to work with Mr. Bungle and forms Fantômas with Buzz Osborne of the Melvins and Dave Lombardo of Slayer.

Patton and Denison meet at a Mr. Bungle concert in Nashville in 1999, and continue to exchange music and jam together. The band records its self-titled debut album in Nashville during May and June 2001, with Joe Funderburk producing.

Albums, touring and hiatuses

Tomahawk's first album is released in 2001. After that, the band tours extensively across the United States, Australia, Europe and Japan, usually as headliners but also as a support act for Tool. During Tool's 2002 North American summer tour, the group is often booed after insulting the audience. Tomahawk also appears at festivals, including Big Day Out in Australia in 2002.

The second album, Mit Gas, is recorded with producer Joe Barresi and appears in 2003. The band also takes part in the 2003 "Geek Tour" with labelmates the Melvins and Fantômas. In its early years, Tomahawk is known for dressing as police officers in promotional photos and on stage.

After touring for Tomahawk and Mit Gas ends in late 2003, the group goes on a short hiatus while the members focus on other projects. It then remains inactive from 2008 to 2011. The third album, Anonymous, is released in 2007 through Ipecac Recordings. Rutmanis leaves during the recording, and Denison and Stanier record their parts in Nashville before Patton adds vocals and samples in San Francisco. No live shows take place during this period.

Reformation and later work

In 2011, Patton announces that Tomahawk is preparing a fourth album. In 2012, Trevor Dunn replaces Rutmanis on bass, and the group issues Eponymous To Anonymous, a box set containing its first three records on vinyl for the first time. The band begins playing live again in late 2012. Its fourth album, Oddfellows, follows in 2013. The single "Stone Letter" is released before the album, and in 2014 the band issues the previously unreleased tracks "M.E.A.T." from those sessions.

In 2020, Denison says the group is writing and recording new material. The single "Business Casual" appears in 2021 and reveals the title of the fifth album, Tonic Immobility. Dunn later says that he, Denison and Stanier record their parts several years earlier, while Patton writes the vocal melodies and lyrics from his studio in San Francisco.

Sound and style

Tomahawk's music is described as alternative metal, alternative rock, experimental, metal and rock. Critics also describe the band as avant-prog, progressive rock and post-rock. In 2002, the group refers to its style as "cinematic rock", reflecting its members' interest in film soundtracks. Commentators note comparisons with 1970s hard rock acts such as Blue Öyster Cult.

The debut album combines rock with experimental music, country music and hardcore, and is described as one of Patton's more straightforward rock projects. Mit Gas includes metal and punk rock influences as well as instrumental segues. Anonymous brings in Native American music elements, while Oddfellows has a more accessible sound that the band calls "avant-pop" and includes jazz influences.