John Zorns newest project is a hardcore song cycle scored for voice, bass and drums. This powerful rock unit features three of his most illustrious, longtime cohorts who have worked together in bands such as Naked City, Fantomas, Mr. Bungle and Electric Masada and are keenly in tune with Zorns language and aesthetic. Musicians are always at their best in Zorn projects and Moonchild is no exception. You have never heard these players as up front, on the edge or as inspired as they are here, raging through eleven pieces of terrifying intensity. Drawing on preverbal language and the primal power of rock music, this is Torture Garden with an alchemical twistspontaneous, complex and evocative. Eleven new Zorn compositions executed with a ritualistic passion that will take your breath away.
"Moonchild" is the first realization of a project combining composition and improvisation in a rock format-- Zorn communicated his compositions and ideas orally to the trio-- vocalist Mike Patton, bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Joey Baron. The resulting record is one of deep tension and highly evocative mood, somewhat like a fusion of "Torture Garden" or "Leng T'che" and "I.A.O.".
"I'm not sure how it happens. In college I was checking out Artaud, Crowley and Varese and now here I am, many, many years later, recording music inspired by those same freaks. I would couple this release with the Melvins CD partly because I play electric and use distortion pretty much throughout. There is something very weird going on here and I have yet to fully understand it. "
(.... Trevor Dunn)
