This is not a review but a request to put out more information of Native American chants on PAR with Patton's representation on Mescal Rite 1... this information would be invaluable to anyone interested. email me at hurlyburly21grams@yahoo.com for recommendations. Thanks.

I love Patton, love Tomahawk's first two albums, and I'm probably incredibly biased and partial to giving anything Patton does a strong review.
Anonymous doesn't deserve five stars. It falls flat here and there. But when it works, it WORKS. Ghost Dance and Crow Dance are hair- raisingly powerful. War Song is pretty solid, and I love Sun Dance- probably the most linear and old- Tomahawk- sounding track here.
I imagine if you're a Patton fan, you're probably a pretty adventurous listener with a broad taste in music, and you'll more than likely enjoy this album. But if you're a strict metalhead looking for variations of Rape This Day and God Hates A Coward, you might want to sample some tracks and see where you're at.

I understand why the guys in Tomahawk wanted to make this album. And I like what the other reviewer said about it being an album that actually benefits from the title of the band. However, I personally don't dig it that much and like many others of you I have every Fantomas, Bungle, Peepingtom, etc.... out there (not all of which are good).

Unlike the other 2 Tomahawks, you really can't imagine the band touring with this one, and I don't think they have yet. Its just not accessable. You can't really ride around and listen to it in your car, and with the exception of one or two songs, you reall can't' sing along.

I know there is always the exception. I'm sure someone is frowning when they read this saying they'd love to go see this live and like singing along, but I'm betting that's the minorty.

I've been interested in much of Mike Patton's work since discovering Mr. Bungle years ago. I own every Bungle, Faith No More, Fantomas, and Tomahawk album. My favorite of his projects is definitely Fantomas, which is one of his most experimental, though it is tasteful and usually subtle.

My problem with this album is that Patton seems to be becoming a parody of himself. Tomahawk was never his project. Denison had started a rock band and Patton approached him about releasing it through Ipecac. Denison only asked him to provide vocals last minute. All the music had been previously written. The second album had a similar feel to the first one, with it's southwestern feeling peyote-warped hard rock sound. With Anonymous, it seems as if if Mike Patton has completely taken artistic control into his own hands, and made another Fantomas record. It doesn't feel natural to me, and I'm starting to really think of Patton as an egomaniac control freak. He did the same thing with Faith No More (see the gradual change from hard rock to complete genre hopping avant-garde). I am a big fan of experimental music, but this seems like one member has performed a coup and taken control of a band that 3 other guys started. I used to think Patton was a creative genius, but I now think he's a little childish in his constant struggle for attention. The only reason I gave this meandering, dull album 3 stars is because of the authentic Native American sounds and songs used and because it is an original concept (as far as I know).

I think I'm going to listen to some Secret Chiefs 3 now.

I read every single review of this album on amazon. Mostly, the milder complaints that I saw were "it wasn't what I expected" or it was "not like the other Tomahawk albums". I consider this complaint to be pointless. It's not even a complaint, it's an observation with a personal, annoyed agenda attached to it. Yea its different. Its REALLY different, but do you like it?
Second, the other complaint was not mild, it was forceful and it was always directed at Mike Patton: 'Patton should have stuck to Mr. Bungle' or 'Patton should have made this a different project (because its not like the other Tomahawk albums)'. One thing I found out, which maybe many of you have too is that Duane Denison (guitar player) is most responsible for turning Tomahawk into what it is now through "Anonymous". Denison was touring with Hank Williams III. Denison got curious about Native American Music. Denison did research for a year before coming up with transcriptions, and Stanier and Patton liked Denison's idea. That's how a band works.- MULTIPLE BRAINS INTERACTING AND CONTRIBUTING. Just because Patton is the guy we all know and remember does not mean he's the one calling the shots
Mike Patton has been and continues to be on the forefront of music's "celebrity doing what he/she's not supposed to do" section. You can't find that section in the CD store. Other immediate examples include Miles Davis and Bob Dylan. They both had a tradition in their sound and then changed it by going electric with Bitches Brew and Blonde on Blonde. Guess what? Tons of fans got mad at those two when they made albums that 'weren't like the other ones'. Grow up, get over it and listen with a curious and frightened ear.
And those of you who explored Tomahawk, but found nothing to complain about except Patton, you're worshipping him just as much as his adoring fans do because you can't stop writing about him. And you're not giving credit to the other two in the group for the album's sound.
If you're a fan of many genres, then you're already prepared to hear something different and simply respond to this album's sound. If you're a fan of heavy metal, but not much else, then I would NOT say skip this album. I'd say buy it now (or listen to the songs a few times each on myspace), because these musicians that you love want you to love something outside your genre. They're using their fan base to bring attention to a style outside what is normally published.

For what its worth:

1) I've Never Heard Anything Like This
2) I Love It
3) I'm Doing My Final Undergraduate Thesis On This Album As A Cultural Product