The Director's Cut
Film music and the artier end of the rock spectrum have enjoyed a slightly bent connection since the early '80s, when the noir-savvy California new wavers ofWall of Voodoomade clearEnnio Morricone's influence on their work. Fantomas's second album,The Director's Cut, is in that somewhat playful spirit. The all-star ensemble--ex-Faith No MorefrontmanMike Pattonwith members ofSlayer, theMelvins, and Patton'sMr. Bungle--adapts disturbing (or at least spooky) themes byBernard Herrmann,Henry Mancini, Morricone, and others. The bruising but often campy (there is no track 13) result works more often than you'd expect;Nino Rota'sGodfatherandHarry Lubin's (TV)One Step Beyondexcerpts are put through more than effective paces. It's clear that, despite the occasional (inadvertent?)Iron Maidenhomage, Patton and friends have no interest in keeping a straight face on this. That's fine, but Patton's goofy lyrical interjections on several of these tunes turns them into not-very-funny cartoons. Still, it's the rare sympathetic listener who won't be driven to check out obscure flicks likeDer GolemandThe Devil Rides Out.--Rickey Wright