When Faith No More broke up in 1998[4] Mike Patton created the record labelIpecac Recordings, returned to work with his other band Mr. Bungle, and formed the metal supergroupFantômas withBuzz Osborne of the Melvins andDave Lombardo ofSlayer. Patton met Duane Denison in 1999 at a Mr. Bungle concert inNashville and the two began exchanging music and jamming.[5]
During May and June 2001, the band recorded theirdebut album in Nashville.[6] The album was released on October 30, 2001, it was produced by Joe Funderburk. After the release ofTomahawk, the band began touring extensively, playing in many countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, Europe and Japan. They generally headlined shows but were the supporting act for bands such asTool. When opening for Tool on their2002 summer tour of North America, the band was frequently booed for insulting the crowds.[7][8] Tomahawk also played at various festivals, including the 2002Big Day Out festival in Australia.[9]
Second albumMit Gas, recorded with producerJoe Barresi, was released in 2003. Tomahawk took part in the "Geek Tour" during 2003, which featured labelmates the Melvins and Fantômas.[10] During the band's early years they were known for dressing up as police officers in promotional photo shoots and during concerts.[11] The band went on a short hiatus from 2004 to 2006 after finishing touring forTomahawk andMit Gas in late 2003 as the members began to focus on other projects.
The band's third album,Anonymous, was released on June 19, 2007 through Ipecac Recordings. Kevin Rutmanis left the band during the recording; reasons for his departure are unknown.[12] For the album, Denison and Stanier recorded their parts in Nashville, and then sent their finished product to San Francisco where Patton added his vocals and samples.[13] No live shows were performed during this period.[14][15] Tomahawk remained inactive from 2008 to 2011.[16]
In July 2011, Mike Patton announced that Tomahawk was preparing to record its fourth album.[17] In early 2012, Tomahawk announced thatTrevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle,Fantômas,John Zorn,MadLove,Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant) would play bass for the band.[18] On April 21, 2012 the band releasedEponymous To Anonymous, a box set containing the band's first three records released on vinyl for the first time.[19] In late 2012, the band began playing their first live shows since 2003.[14][15] On December 3, 2012, a full-length video for first single, "Stone Letter", was posted online.[20]Oddfellows was released January 29, 2013.[21] The band were scheduled to play in Mexico for the first time on March 21, 2014 but withdrew due to an illness.[22] On April 9, 2014 the band announced they would be releasing two previously unreleased tracks from the Oddfellows recording session.[23] The single, entitledM.E.A.T., was first released on May 23, 2014 on vinyl.[24]
In February 2020, Duane Denison revealed that Tomahawk had been writing and recording new record material.[25] On January 21, 2021, a single called "Business Casual" was released, which also revealed the name of their upcoming fifth album asTonic Immobility, which has later been released on March 26, 2021.[26] Bassist Trevor Dunn remarked in 2021, "Me and Duane [Denison] and John [Stanier] recorded all of our parts for that record about four years ago actually. Duane had finished the music and I guess Mike was busy at the time, so John and I flew down to Nashville and recorded with Duane. Then over the years, we've just been waiting for Mike, and he's been doing other stuff so it took a while. I think thepandemic kind of helped spur it along because he was stuck at home, so he wrote the vocal melodies and the rest of the lyrics at his studio in San Francisco.".[27]
On October 15, 2024, Tomahawk announced that they would be performing at the 2025Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas, marking their first show since 2013, however, one month after the announcement, the entire festival was canceled due to logistical issues.[28]
The band's self-titled first album combinesrock with elements ofexperimental music,country music, andhardcore;[53] criticBlake Butler of Allmusic described their debut album as one of the most straightforward rock-oriented projects of Patton following his work with Faith No More, but he still notes their eclectic side stating that they are not a “mass-marketable band.”[54] Their second albumMit Gas features influences frommetal as well aspunk rock.[7][55] The album also includesinstrumentalsegues.[7] The band's 2007 albumAnonymous incorporatesNative American music elements.[13][56]Oddfellows features a more accessible sound which the band has labeled as "avant-pop".[57] The record includes influences fromjazz music.[58][59]
The band's first music video was for "Rape This Day" fromMit Gas, featuring a cameo fromQueens of the Stone Age'sNick Oliveri. No official music videos were released forAnonymous. For the release ofOddfellows in 2013 the band made music videos for "Stone Letter" and the title-track.[66][67][68] In August 2014, over a year after the release ofOddfellows, the band released a music video for "South Paw".[69] In addition to the band's four official music videos, there have also been a number of unofficial/fan-made videos.
