Star-studded noise-mongers FANTÔMAS — who feature in their ranks FAITH NO MORE frotnman Mike Patton, MELVINS guitarist Buzz Osborne, MR. BUNGLE bassist Trevor Dunn, and ex-SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo — have been confirmed for the first-ever RockOut festival, set to take place December 6 at Espacio Broadway in Santiago, Chile. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are DEVO and PRIMUS, among others.
In a recent interview with Prog Sphere, Lombardo stated about FANTÔMAS: "It's one of the most amazing groups ever. I love that band. And I hope that Mike will say, 'Let's do this [again]!' My door is open. Mike and I, you know, we communicate. We have a great friendship."
Speaking to A.V. Club in 2008, Patton was asked if there was "still action with" FANTÔMAS. "It's slowed down a little bit because we've gotten distracted with other things, but I've started writing a new record," he said. "It's gonna be a bit of a stretch for us. I want to try to make an all-electronic record. I'm trying to figure out how to do that, the practicalities of doing that. So I don't think it will be out [for some time], but the band is still very much in my mind."
The brainchild of Patton, "Fantômas" is an anti-hero from a series of pre-WWI French crime novels, sometimes dubbed the "lord of terror."
FANTÔMAS' latest album, "Suspended Animation", came out in June 2005. The effort contained 30 tracks, each titled after a different day in the month of April.
FANTÔMAS' three previous releases regaled listeners with a sci-fi homage ("Fantômas", 1999), a celebration of the best in film composition ("Director’s Cut", 2001) and a one-song album ("Delirium Cordia", 2004).
FAITH NO MORE, which reunited in 2009 for a series of sold-out performances and international festivals, is currently recording its first full-length album since 1997's "Album Of The Year". An April 2015 release is expected.