Tomahawk is not only making a major comeback this year but is also cementing its legendary status as one of the best supergroups of all time.
Joining Louder Sound’s elite rankings, the four-piece band was named among the greatest heavy metal supergroups that managed to live up to the hype.
Together with Murderdolls, Audioslave, Roadrunner United, Killer Be Killed and other notable all-star bands, the publication emphasized Tomahawk’s versatility and stylistic range through the blend of “Native American folk music to the dizzying yet infectious rock songs.”
Despite carrying the label of supergroups, Tomahawk admitted that they personally don’t place much importance on that title.
“I’ve never liked it and I’ve never felt comfortable with it and I don’t think any of us do. It seems sort of silly and unnecessary,” Duane Denison explained in an interview as cited by The Aquarian. “On the other hand, people want to call it something, so I’m not going to talk them out of it. I guess I can see why they might do that, but that certainly wasn’t our intent.”
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Tomahawk was formed in 1999 after vocalist Mike Patton of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle and guitarist Duane Denison of The Jesus Lizard decided to start a side project focused on heavy, riff-based rock music.
The duo was joined by Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis and Helmet drummer John Stanier and introduced their music through their self-titled debut album, released in 2001.
Recalling the planning stages of creating the group and their working relationship, the guitarist revealed that their shared musical tastes were what brought them together.
“John Stanier and I had been talking about playing together for ages, and then when Patton and I met up and started talking about doing something, John was my natural choice for playing drums,” Denison continued, adding “Now with Trevor [Dunn] on bass, he’s obviously been friends with Patton for decades now, so that is a pretty natural fit. We all get along and have very similar tastes, from food to comedy. So it works out really well.”
Two years later, the band released their follow-up record Mit Gas in 2003 and toured extensively across the U.K., Europe and Australia.
Amid this, Tomahawk experienced multiple hiatuses despite releasing five studio albums.
Among the band’s most significant recent milestones was its first live performance in 13 years.
The special event took place during an 18-song set at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, proving that their chemistry remained strong despite the long hiatus.
Related: ’80s Metal Band, Disbanded After 22 Years, Ranked Among ‘Best Supergroups’ of All Time
