Production
Coming eight years after their Tomahawk's previous album Oddfellows , and seven after the non-album single "M.E.A.T.", [1] Tonic Immobility was recorded at the L429 Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Vulcan Studio in San Francisco, California. [2] Much of the music for the album was recorded three years before the vocals, while singer Mike Patton was working with other bands, including releasing The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo with Mr. Bungle. Patton believed the music he received would have worked as an instrumental album, finding each of the songs to have already been evocative of a theme before he added any lyrics. [3] Guitar player Duane Denison called the band's sound "cinematic rock", believing that the group—several of whom have worked in film scoring—benefit from a shared passion for soundtrack music; the song "Doomsday Fatigue" in particular was inspired by the mood of western films and had the working title of "High Noon". [3]
Denison has described the songwriting for Tonic Immobility as having been inspired by current world events at the time, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, stating "It’s been a rough year between the pandemic and everything else. A lot of people feel somewhat powerless [...] For as much as the record possibly reflects that, it’s also an escape from the realities of the world. We’re not wallowing in negativity". [4] Patton stated that the song "Eureka" was inspired by his home town of Eureka, California, while "Doomsday Fatigue" drew from his experience of dwelling on negative news reporting during the pandemic, which left him "having a hard time getting off the couch and doing shit". [3]
Reception
Tonic Immobility has received positive reviews from music critics, with a weighted average score of 77% on Metacritic based on seven critics' opinions, indicating "generably favorable reviews". [10] Kerrang! magazine's Angela Davey rated the album 4 out of 5, describing it as "40 minutes of pure, undiluted chaos". [11] Davey highlighted the album's diverse-sounding songs, although noted that this meant the album did not sound particularly cohesive when played from start to finish. [11] Alec Chillingworth's review for Louder Sound called the record Tomahawk's "most immediate, raucous record to date". Chillingworth also praised the breadth of styles across the album, summing it up as "premium Patton, his band playing from the heart rather than to the crowd". [12]
Justin Velluci's review for PopMatters called Tonic Immobility "a true curveball", complimenting Tomahawk's decision to expand their sound compared to previous albums; writing that they do not "sound resigned to repeat the familiar tropes and traps of the past". [13] The magazine would later rank it as the sixth best progressive metal album of 2021. [14] Writing for Clash magazine, Ben Hopkins rated the album eight out of ten, calling it "a consistently immersive pull into a world that you don’t want to be in, but that you can’t quite escape". Hopkins felt that Denison's guitar work was the driving force behind the album's sound, comparing it to the mood of a David Lynch film and noting that it spans several genres across the length of the record. [15]
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Roddy Bottum and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest-remaining members of the band, having been involved since its inception. The band underwent several early lineup changes, and some major changes later. The lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bordin, Bottum, lead guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist/lyricist Mike Patton.
Michael Allan Patton is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techniques, wide range of projects, style-transcending influences, eccentric public image and contempt for the music industry, Patton has earned critical praise and influenced many contemporary singers. Patton is also co-founder and lead vocalist of Mr. Bungle, and has played with Tomahawk, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fantômas, Moonchild Trio, Kaada/Patton, Dead Cross, Lovage, Mondo Cane, and Peeping Tom. Consistent collaborators through his varied career include avant-garde jazz saxophonist John Zorn, hip hop producer Dan the Automator and classical violinist Eyvind Kang.
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout its career, the band is best known for music created during its most experimental era. During this time, it developed a highly eclectic style, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco, and funk, further enhanced by lead vocalist Mike Patton's versatile singing style. This period also saw the band utilizing unconventional song structures and samples; playing a wide array of instruments; dressing up in masks, jumpsuits, and other costumes; and performing a diverse selection of cover songs during live performances.
The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial noise, all of which received positive reviews in underground music publications and heavy college-radio play."
Shelton Hank Williams, known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his fusion of traditional and honky-tonk country music with rockabilly and punk rock. He was the drummer of hardcore punk band Arson Anthem, and bassist of Phil Anselmo's band Superjoint Ritual. He has released eleven studio albums, including five for Curb Records.
The Legendary Shack Shakers are an American rock band from Murray, Kentucky that was formed in 1995 by J.D. Wilkes. The original line-up formed the band out of a shared interest in rockabilly, blues and Western swing. Subsequently, the band gained prominence in the alternative country scene with a sound that encompassed rockabilly, blues, country and punk rock and a lyrical focus on Southern Gothic themes. Over time, the band's sound shifted to emphasize country music.
Duane Denison is an American guitarist best known for work with the punk rock band The Jesus Lizard. He is also a founding member of super-group Tomahawk.
Tomahawk is an American rock supergroup. They formed in 1999 when singer/keyboardist Mike Patton met guitar player Duane Denison and the pair started swapping tapes with the intention of collaborating. Denison then recruited drummer John Stanier (Helmet), while Patton invited bass player Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins/ex-Cows). The group recorded three albums and toured extensively from 2000–2007 then went on extended hiatus, and reformed in 2013 with Trevor Dunn replacing Rutmanis.
Tomahawk is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Tomahawk. Recorded after a meeting between vocalist Mike Patton and guitarist Duane Denison, the album features members of Faith No More, The Jesus Lizard, Helmet and Melvins. The band toured with Tool in support of the record.
Mit Gas is the second studio album by the musical supergroup Tomahawk. It was released on May 6, 2003, through Ipecac Recordings, the record label owned by vocalist Mike Patton. Mit Gas charted in several countries, reaching the top 20 in Norway's VG-lista and the United States' Billboard Independent Albums charts.
"Duality" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It was released on May 4, 2004, as the first single from the band's third album, Vol. 3: . A music video was made for the song, which was listed as Roadrunner's greatest video of all-time.
"Before I Forget" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released as the third single from the band's third studio album, Vol. 3: (2004). It was cited by AOL as the top metal song of the decade. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2006.
"Spit It Out" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released as the second and final single from the band's 1999 self-titled debut album.
Lemon Parade is the debut album of American rock band Tonic, released on July 16, 1996, by Polydor Records. The album has sold 1,300,000 copies to date and reached platinum status in the United States. Lemon Parade featured three singles. "If You Could Only See" was a hit single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, reaching number one, and it also reached number 11 on the Billboard Airplay Hot 100, spending 63 weeks on the chart.
Anonymous is the third studio album by the musical supergroup Tomahawk. It was released on June 19, 2007, through Ipecac Recordings, the record label owned by the band's vocalist Mike Patton. Anonymous charted in Australia, Norway and the United States.
"Psychosocial" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone (2008). The song entered airplay on June 26, 2008 and was originally planned for release as a digital single on July 1 but was delayed and released on July 7. Slipknot performed "Psychosocial" live for the first time on July 9, 2008, at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington. In 2008, the song was featured on the soundtrack to Marvel's Punisher: War Zone.
Oddfellows is the fourth studio album by musical supergroup Tomahawk. The album is the first to feature new bass player Trevor Dunn, who has replaced previous member Kevin Rutmanis. Oddfellows was recorded live in the Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, after a brief period of rehearsal. Guitarist Duane Denison favored the location as its cheaper studio costs allowed for longer periods of song-writing.
Stone Letter is a single by the American supergroup Tomahawk. It was released on vinyl and as a digital download on November 23, 2012. The song appears on Tomahawk's fourth album Oddfellows.
"Throne" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by keyboardist Jordan Fish and vocalist Oliver Sykes, it was featured on the band's 2015 fifth studio album That's the Spirit and released as the third single from the album on 24 July 2015. The single topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and reached number 51 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
Violence Unimagined is the fifteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on April 16, 2021. It is the band's first album in nearly four years since Red Before Black (2017), the longest gap between two records in Cannibal Corpse's career, and the first studio album to feature producer Erik Rutan on lead guitar, replacing Pat O'Brien in February 2021 after nearly two years of filling in for him on tour.
