album review (2016-may issue) : It’s been a busy year for Mike Patton. Between his reunion with Faith No More and his work with the Nevermen, we just can’t seem to go more than a few months before we get more Patton. Frankly, that’s never a bad thing. The singer has mastered the art of mysteriousness—and impressive feat, given his ubiquity these days—while also churning out masterpieces of experimental rock and roll. As diverse as his projects have always been, they’ve always managed to be monuments of composition, an act that belies his bizarre stage and public persona.
As interesting as Patton is as a front man and singer, he takes a bit of a second seat on his latest release, the reunion between him and Norwegian composer John Kaada. It’s been well over a decade since Kaada/Patton’s debut release, Romances, first wowed audiences, but the magic remains unfaded on their latest collaboration, Bacteria Cult.
Kaada has always been a bit of an enigma in the orchestral world. While the money, these days, is in scoring big budget feature length movies, Kaada has grown a cult following (one worthy of Patton himself) by remaining largely outside the realm of cinematic scores, save for a few small European films. Instead, he’s made his mark composing ethereal works of instrumental magic that transcend the conventional styles of modernity. Alternatively grounded and surreal, Kaada weaves a magical spell that hooks you from the deepest, darkest part of your brain.