Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Go to the John Zorn website  John Zorn - Moonchild [Tzadik - 2006]

With Moonchild ,John Zorn is again invocating the occult and devilry into musical form. But instead of using classical instruments as he has in recent pieces. He’s using Rock instruments to make a suite of songs, which bends and breaks the shackles of rockstructure. It summons up wonderfully intense and sinisterly brooding atmospheres, to revel in again and again.

Zorn has used long time collaborators Mike Patton (Peeping Tom, Fantômas), Joey Baron and Trevor Dunn (Trio Convulsant, Electric Masada) to make an album that is both captivating and structurally complex. Patton is in fine form, giving a breath taking vocal performance, twisting his voice from rabid growls to vocal noises to speaking tongues to creepy crypt keeper speaking in foreign language, possibly Latin. His voice soaring through many pitches and emotions. Joey Baron snakes out some wonderfully all over the place drumpatterns, that give the feeling of organised chaos, but also he touches down in ponding death toll cinematics and ritualistic abandon. Trevor Dunn uses his bass to create hardcore eruptions, punky stretches, cartoon start/stop noise and eerier black atmospherics, that could curdle milk. Though out the work there seem’s, to prevail the musty air of demonic visions and mist enveloped graveyards, sinister figures leering at you over blacked grave stones.

It stand’s as one of Zorn’s greatest works, that puffs up great clouds of sinister occultic groove to intense vein bulging rock and eerier ‘don’t look behind you’ creepy sound scapes. A blackly twisted soundwork, which I can see enjoying for many an hours to come, trying to unwrap it’s darkly macabre secrets. I recommend those who can make their way to Zorn's performance of this piece, at The Barbican the middle of next month, do so. Because it’s going to be one hell of a show, literally, I’m sure.

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

John Zorn - Moonchild
With Moonchild ,John Zorn is again invocating the occult and devilry into musical form. But instead of using classical instruments as he has in recent pieces...
080126   My Name Is 'A' by Anonymous ...
080126   You’re All Doomed - You’r...
080126   Abscess - Dawn Of Inhumanity(...
080126   The House With Laughing Windo...
080126   The Killer Must Kill Again - ...
060126   Whore's Breath - A Pot to Pis...
060126   Sebastian Tomb/Angel Brügger...
060126   Dirk Serries - 250804
050126   Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Herit...
050126   The Sun Ra Arkestra Under The...
Latest Articles

Creepy Images Books - Killer Art
Of all the cult/exploitation genres, Giallo stands as one of the more visually & art-based- be it with the grand/ dramatic location, choreographed murder...
231225   Creepy Images Books - Killer Art
221225   Best Of 2025 - Music, Sound &...
041225   The Spectral Sounds of The Pr...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom