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So named in honor of the anti-hero of a series of legendary French crime novels, Fantomas was formed by singer Mike Patton in the wake of the breakup of his previous band, Faith No More. After cutting a rough demo in early 1998, Patton recruited Melvins guitarist Buzz Osbourne, Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo to flesh out the recording. The group then played their debut show in San Francisco in mid-June of that year, as the group's record debut was a cacophonic cover of T. Rex's "Chariot Choogle" for the compilation Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan in 1998 (issued on John Zorn's Tzadik label), and toured throughout the summer. br /br /The spring of 1999 saw the release of Fantomas' self-titled debut album (the very first release on Patton's newly formed record label, Ipecac), which was followed by more touring. By tour's end, Fantomas was briefly put on hold as its members returned to their other bands, but by early 2001, the quartet had recorded a second album. Titled The Director's Cut, the album featured re-worked covers of movie themes, including The Godfather, Cape Fear, and Rosemary's Baby, among others (the band planned on including a version of "What a Feeling" from Flashdance, but had to cut it at the last second due to legal problems). The band spent the remainder of 2001 touring behind the album, as Patton hinted that the group may go directly back into the studio by year's end to work on an album of all new material. The new studio material was put on the backburner, while Fantomas and Melvins performed together live as a seven-piece supergroup, "The Fantomas Melvins Big Band," releasing Millennium Monsterwork in April of 2002. Finally, in early 2004 Fantomas released the haunting epic, Delirium Cordia. ~ Jason Ankeny & Greg Prato, All Music Guide |
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