By: Deek

Posted: Nov 7, 2005

Mike Patton. Buzz Osbourne. Trevor Dunn. Dave Lombardo. These are the four people that make up the one and only Fantomas. First came the debut, a 30-track "concept" self-titled album based on comic books, with crazy and chaotic songs and one of the strangest structures I'd heard at the time. Next came the covers album of horror and scary movie themes that amazed many. The third release (not counting the joint live release with Melvins) was a 74 minute epic about someone going through surgery, with haunting passages and unpredictable bursts of sound. That all started in 1999, and six years later, Fantomas have once again come up with a 30-track "concept" album, this time based around the month of April in the year 2005. Exactly how they did that and released the album in early April, I don't know.

It opens with a track that is a 30 second build up with the slow drum hits and strange sound effects (a key element for Fantomas), and abruptly stops once Saturday the 2nd starts. In just over 2 minutes, April 2nd encompasses all aspects of Fantomas, from calm areas to pure insanity. Don't go to Work Unless it's Fun Day (April 3rd) and Er Tong Jie Children's Day (April 4th) are two of the strongest tracks on the album, with their slow start-stop-groove-grind. As the days go by, you get an all sound effects track (April 5th), a great "thrash-to-haunting-to-crazy-to-calm" track (April 6th), controlled clapping (April 7th), and so on and so forth. If you haven't figured it out by now, this is not your average album. Those that have the debut will find it hard to believe before hearing this, but this album is more insane than that one released six years ago. April 9th (Day of the Amazon Goddess) is another highlight. The 10th is the closest thing to an actual song, and it too is a highlight. The 11th (Eight Track tape Day) slows the pace to you can catch your breath before it blasts into their key sound half way through. The 13th (Blame Somebody Else Day) is amazing with it's doom-like asthetics, and 14th (International Moment of Laughter Day) is a great folllowing track. 16th (Rekindle Your Romantic Self Day) opens with tribal beats that give a great effect. After 3 more days, the 20th and 21st (National Puppetry and Kindergarten Days, respectively) come out, each starting softly, each closing with a brutal ending. These almost sound like they would be the climax of the story (if there's even a story line to go off of). The string of days from 20th through 24th is without a doubt the highlight of the album. The ending of the album is almost like the ending of a lengthy book: still edgy, but tame enough to close it out. Yet, the ending has got to be one of the best ever, as it takes the sound track from a Loony Toons cartoon with Bugs saying "Well what did you expect in an opera, a happy ending?"

One thing that can be easily overlooked is the musicianship. Among the chaotic randomness of the album, there is some brilliant musicianship among Buzz, Trevor and Dave, while Mr. Patton still utilizes his amazing vocal abilities.

This is insane. It's different. It's chaotic. It's just the thing the crazy or ADD person is looking for. You will find no repetativeness anywhere in here. Every metal fan should have at least one album by these guys, and this one is a great piece to have. If you want something that will confuse you, boggle your mind, almost down-right scare your sanity away, this is for you.

(NOTE: If you are planning on obtaining the CD, get the original version that came in a calendar CD case to get the full affect of the album, especially with the Days, i.e. Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun Day for April 3rd, for each of the 30 days of April. The artwork alone is priceless)

Rating: 9,5/10

Fantomas @ Ipacac Recordings

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