Mike Patton is one of the all-time greatest alternative rock singers. Fact. His voice is so damn distinctive and captivating that it has been imitated by countless alt-rock singers, and his lyrics and delivery are so otherworldly that many look upon him as some kind of heavy metal prophet. His is, of course, best known for fronting influential alternative metal band Faith No More. Having seen them recently (at Hyde Park supporting Black Sabbath), I can tell you that when he is FNM mode he is a demonic, cartoonish frontman who prowls around the stage screaming obscenities and making dumb faces. They are without doubt one of the best metal bands I’ve ever seen. But Patton is much more than Faith No More’s singer. Other projects include Mr. Bungle, Fantômas and hectic metal band Tomahawk, the last of which I saw at Dour Festival in Belgium last year. He has also done a range of odd solo projects – one of these was a collaboration with beat-boxing rapper Rahzel, which I had the strange pleasure of seeing one year at Reading Festival. Patton messed around on electronic equipment and looped his own distorted vocals while Rahzel rapped and beat-boxed over to make a progressive fusion of electronica, rock and hip hop that has stuck with me ever since. Mike Patton continues to keep his fans on their toes.
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