This is my favorite song on Tomahawk’s Anonymous album. The lyrics contain only 26 words, but it’s Mike Patton’s most powerful singing on the record.
As we’ve come to learn, this record was conceived by guitarist Duane Denison after he went on a tour of Native American reservations with Hank Williams III. As such, the songs on Anonymous are steeped (and seeped) in Native American music.
Which is why you get plenty of chanting (and Native American inspired percussion) on this record and on this tune.
Like I wrote, I’m a huge fan of this song. But not everyone is apparently. As Prefix Mag wrote, Patton “smothers the melodies of ‘War Song’ and ‘Omaha Dance’ with the same ambient synthesizers, clanking samples and wacko vocal spasms that he brings to everything that he’s ever done. Denison and [John] Stanier laid down their guitar and drums tracks before Patton got involved; I wonder whether the album would have been more emotionally powerful if he hadn’t touched it.”
No, Prefix Mag, that’s an incorrect opinion! We wouldn’t be writing the 365 Days of Mike Patton if he smothers everything he touches!! We wouldn’t be producing a year’s worth of Patton contact if all he did was “wacko vocal spasms”!!!
Anyway, the song is pretty fabulous and a real highlight on what’s one of Patton’s most interesting albums.
Previously from Anonymous:
To follow along on the 365 days of Patton, click here for a list of each day’s post.
Josh Katzowitz - Sports Writer/Author/Editor 