The Melvins: I probably heard about them a decade ago, but haver never heard them. The most I know is that some of them rocked as part of Tomahawk.

Fantomas: Heard them live last year, loved 'em so much I bought the (second) album, but I understand they've undergone a transformations from "cells of sound, like a panel from a comic strip" to covering music from horror movies.

Big Band: A seven-piece, two drums, two-bass, two-guitar band fronted by vocalist Mike Patton (and I do mean vocalist, not singer) playing live on the real millennium.

First Impressions: I wasn't quite sure of this. Lots of solid rock, even metal, but pierced by caterwauling by Mike Patton. OK, so I was trying to watch Return of the Jedi and surf the net at the same time, so it wasn't the best environment.

Second Chances: I was listening and sort of walking round the kitchen looking for something to eat when the vibe hit me. The pulse had been building up with little interjections from Patton and I suddenly realised this was something you could dance to. Maybe not at the Metro, but maybe at some kind of new age ritual.

Who I'll Recommend It To: All my friends stuck on classic rock and metal. After years of suffering through a world that's traded leather and hair for light shows and latin looks they should even be able to accept the more "noisy" bits. You can hear rock elements from previous Patton bands, but it also brings reminders of Metallica, Anthrax, Pantera, and more.

Final Thoughts: This is like some big jam by a hard rock band fronted by a mad shaman. The production is just right, making you feel like you've gone deaf to the audience. I want to hear this on world shaking speakers. Then towards the end the album starts to chill out and quieten down into madness. Finally we're given a cutsie Melvins song, 'Skin Horse', and the only Fantomas song I can recognise, 'Cape Fear', then 13 seconds of silence. Nice.