As most of you know, any project associated with Mike Patton is going to be a strange experience. Who would ever think to release a 74 minute song? Mike Patton. Who would mix styles like rockabilly and death metal? Mike Patton. And who in the world would mix cartoon/ children’s music with thrash metal? Mike Patton. Fantomas is one of the most unique and odd bands of the decade. Suspended Animation continues Mike Patton's legacy as one of the oddest musicians in the business.
Right when you lay eyes on the CD you can tell this isn't your ordinary band here. The CD case looks like a traditional Anime calendar for the month of April. All 30 songs represent a day of April and a holiday. The images inside the calendar for each day can be shocking. The first day on the calendar shows a boy crucified on a cross peeing on a fire. Odd? For most it is unless you find that kind of thing normal. The album's sound is of a children’s CD from hell. The first track begins with a typical bad quality voice from a children’s toy saying "Hi Play A Song" then the voice turns into the most menacing haunting voice I've ever heard on a record. Its demonic chuckle is freighting. It goes on to saying "Ready for take off" and then "fasten your seatbelts". That hellish toy couldn't be any more correct. You better fasten your seatbelts cause it’s a record like you've never heard before.
Mike Patton doesn't speak a word on this album. He uses his voice as an instrument and it’s truly fascinating what he can do with his voice. Ranging from monk chants to croaking to angelic singing his voice changes several times throughout some songs. This album can be thought of as a CD title: The Experimental Metal Tribute To Your All Time Favorite Children songs And Cartoons. All the hits are hear, Ring Around The Poise, The ABC's, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider and more. Not to mention your favorite anonymous Looney Tune sounds scattered throughout. Many of the clips of the children songs are twisted images of the real thing. The whole album is so wacky and unpredictable it’s hard to suspect what’s up next.
This album could also attract metal fans with its heavy, distorted guitar and drum solos. They have Slayer’s old drummer for Christ’s sake. Some of the songs are fast thrash influenced head-bangers, while some tend to enter the hard-rock area. Though if you want guitar solos, they're none. Though the songs don't need any solos because they perfect as they are and it wouldn't sound appropriate with the music. They’re also so many rhythm changes throughout these one minute songs that you could classify them as mini prog-metal epics. Sometimes I find myself listening to this album and I don't even realize that I'm on the next track. The songs go by so quick that if your not paying attention you mind find yourself 3 tracks ahead of the song when you last checked.
The musicianship is also good on this album. The drumming is excellent and the guitars serve their purpose well. I guess I also have to give credits to the children singing too. I really recommend not listening to this at night, because when you hear those children singing and the creepy atmospheres provided by all the weird effects, it’s freighting. A good majority of the album is downright scary. The whole album ends with a negative feeling with a quote from bugs bunny "Well what did you expect in an opera? A happy feeling". That sums up the feeling of the album. You never feel comfortable or happy and it’s a trying experience to listen to the music and even harder for people who aren't really used to strange music.
I can't really point out any standout tracks. All 30 of them have very similar song titles and most of them don't even go past two minutes so it goes by like breeze and you can't even remember which song you liked most was. The album is listened to as a whole, after all its only 43 minutes of what the album cover claims to be miniature holidays. I recommend this album to all Patton fans and anyone in search of really strange, different music. Its one of the better albums of 2005 and it's solid throughout. Do yourself a favor and go check this out. Besides who doesn’t like to be strange every once in a while.
