Mike Patton could have been a rap-metal pinup with Faith No More; instead he has become one of art-rock's most prolific and unpredictable hydra-headed forces. From covering horror-movie themes and Italian pop standards, to spazzing out with Dillinger Escape Plan and Dead Cross, to collaborating with the likes of John Zorn, Sepultura and Merzbow, the dude does it all and then some, with his reportedly six-octave vocal range and alternately maniacal and dapper stage presence. No single playlist could encompass his many voices and personas, but here is our best attempt.
Mike Patton: A Crash Course in Avant-Metal's Man of a Thousand Voices
Go beyond Faith No More and Mr. Bungle with our career-spanning playlist
20 Greatest Comebacks in Heavy-Music History
These artists shook the world by rising from the ashes
25 Essential Thrash Albums
From Anthrax to Voivod
20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums
Linkin Park, Korn, Slipknot and beyond
15 Essential Grunge Albums
From Alice in Chains to Temple of the Dog
Hail to the Kings: M. Shadows Interviews Hetfield and Ulrich
Avenged Sevenfold singer gains audience with Metallica's founding duo in classic story
How Lamb of God Came Back After Randy Blythe's Arrest and Imprisonment
From Prague's Pankrác Prison to LOG's 'VII: Sturm und Drang'
Florida Death Metal's Gory Rise, Groundbreaking Reign: The Definitive Oral History
Deicide, Death, Morbid Angel and more tell the story of one of heavy music's most game-changing movements
Injuries, Pressure, Ciphers: Inside Alice in Chains' 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'
How Seattle rock giants proved the comeback was real with one of their heaviest records