Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

MOONCHILD TRIO

RIO/Avant-Prog • United States


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Moonchild Trio biography
Moonchild Trio is newest to time (2009) John Zorn's associated musical project. Trio's line up consists of drummer Joey Baron ( Masada, Electric Masada, Masada String Trio), vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr.Bungle, Hemophiliac, etc) and bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr.Bungle, Electric Masada, Secret Chiefs 3). Trio's music is composed, produced and often conducted by John Zorn. In some albums there are participated John Zorn as musician as well as some his associates (Ikue Mori, Marc Ribot, etc.)

Slava (Snobb)

MOONCHILD TRIO Videos (YouTube and more)


Showing only random 3 | Search and add more videos to MOONCHILD TRIO

Buy MOONCHILD TRIO Music


MOONCHILD TRIO discography


Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

MOONCHILD TRIO top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.81 | 21 ratings
Moonchild
2006
3.94 | 25 ratings
Astronome
2006
4.16 | 43 ratings
Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
2007
3.67 | 11 ratings
The Crucible
2008
4.79 | 5 ratings
Ipsissimus
2010
3.00 | 2 ratings
The Last Judgment
2014

MOONCHILD TRIO Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

MOONCHILD TRIO Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

MOONCHILD TRIO Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

MOONCHILD TRIO Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

MOONCHILD TRIO Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Six Litanies for Heliogabalus by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.16 | 43 ratings

BUY
Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

5 stars John Zorn's "Moonchild Trio" is a project of extreme contrasts. What else could you expect when the trio is made up of Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn and Joey Baron? To make this the most enjoyable and craziest music out there, Zorn was the only thing missing. His compositions always stretch the limits, but this group of extremely talented musicians stretch it to the breaking point. The question is, will it be the music or your head that will break first?

This is what I consider the best of the Moonchild Trio albums; "Six Litanies for Heliogabalus". These six kaleidoscopic tracks make up some of the most dynamic music out there, ranging from frantic bits of screaming and loud chaos to soft and almost sensual passages within each track. The thing that makes this one the best of the projects in their discography is that it is the most dynamic and variant of all of them.

You probably already know that Mike Patton can do amazing things with his voice and that there simply is no match for his vocalizations, same as you know that he and Trevor Dunn worked together in Mr. Bungle, and that Dunn's bass is some of the most amazing bass put on record anywhere, and that is proven here on this album over and over again. But Joey Baron, who has worked in another project called Electric Masada also along with Dunn is probably the least known of the three, but with his crazy drumming skills, he should be on a level with the other two.

Besides those three, on this album, Zorn plays the sax like a madman, and at times even can make you think they have captured a frantic squealing pig, that Patton is trying to mimic that pig as they torture it with an onslaught of pounding bass, and, of course, the excellent swashes of organ by Jamie Saft and further electronics of Ikue Mori. Add three other vocalists (Martha Cluver, Abby Fishcer, and Kirsten Soller) that come in with choir parts and other sounds, and you have the best and most concise of the Moonchild Trio albums.

Yes there are plenty of outbursts of mayhem and chaos, as you would expect, but in this case, there are also plenty of contrasts to that too. The harmonies done by the 3 other singers give you a feeling of peace and tranquility, yet underlying their sound is a feeling of unease, and when Zorn adds his sax to the choir with the twinkling of dissonant electronics and Patton's heavy breathing, (I'm talking about "Litany Pt. 3" specifically here), the unease just can't be denied. But get ready, Patton is about to let out the most hair-raising scream you've probably ever heard, and then the music melts into a heavy rock cavalcade of organ, wild bass and frantic drums in an amazing instrumental showcase. This is just an example of what to expect here, the most unpredictable music most people will ever hear, and most of them probably won't tolerate it.

The question is, are you prepared for this? I'll tell you now, you have never heard anyone scat like Patton does at the beginning of Pt. 4. The man is crazy. It you are curious and ready for anything, this is the album to hear out of all of their albums. Easily their best as a trio, and one of the best of any output by any of them. Notice I say one of the best as each one of them have had some amazing albums. Just know that this is avant-garde craziness. You'll laugh, cry, and run away in a panic at Patton's antics, but the fact that everyone else involved is just as amazing will either make your head explode or your speakers melt, and now we've come around full circle, the question is, are you ready for this?

 The Crucible by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2008
3.67 | 11 ratings

BUY
The Crucible
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars "The Crucible" is John ZORN's MOONCHILD TRIO's fourth album. For those that don't know, this band was formed to some of ZORN's avant garde music, and this album is, as are the others, a combination of improvised jazz, doom metal, modern- classical music and power chord rock. Quite a quirky combination. Along with that, you get the vocal antics of Mike Patton (Faith No More, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle, etc.) who provides his crazy vocals and also scary readings from dark tomes, Trevor Dunn's heavy bass (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3), and avant garde drummer Joey Baron who has worked with Zorn quite often. John Zorn actually becomes part of the band on this album with his alto sax, and Marc Ribot also joins in on the track "9x9".

Right away, "Almadel" shocks you into paying attention as it stars out with Patton screaming at full high-pitched volume, the chunky bass comes in and soon Zorn's sax starts to squeal. It's not too long before the music morphs into a more melodic style that quickly veers off in to maniacal territory and back to melody again. Zorn carries the whole thing along with Patton as they determine the level of craziness to sanity moving from each with the greatest of ease. It's as wild as one would expect. How Patton doesn't blow his voice out is beyond me. His vocals are unbelievable going from wordless squealing and noise to growling recitations. After 5 minutes, the bass finally gets to shine through and the melodic singing returns as it follows Zorn's sax almost note for note. "Shapeshifting" (3:20) begins right away with a catchy bass and drum riff, and Patton begins to carry on, soon tearing all catchiness away and shredding it all to pieces with screaming sax and yelling, but with dark heavy bass and chaotic drums. Ha! For a minute you thought you were going to get into the groove here but everyone sees to it that we won't tolerate dancing here. Patton soon turns into a screaming wild cat and then a cannibalistic chanter.

"Maleficia" begins with a rumbling bass and airy effects probably brought to you by Patton. The music stays dark and forboding, yet quiet until just before 2 minutes before the sax and bass erupt into chaos and then fall back into dark rumblings again. As it goes on, the sax takes over with avant garde style screeching and screaming while the background continues to rumble along, the sax stopping only to let Patton incorporate Gollum-like vocals. "9x9" is definitely quite a bit different as Ribot's guitar adds a more rock-like riff with his guitar controlling things from going entirely off the rails. Of course, Patton sees to it that this not a typical rock song, but Ribot does his best to keep control of the situation. It's a nice (somewhat) change of pace after the chaotic craziness of the rest of the album. This is the closest thing to being commercial, but I doubt you'll ever hear anything like this on the radio anyway as it is hard to sing along with Patton (follow the bouncing ball everyone).

For the most part, the album then returns to the wild antics of before, but expect surprises like the melodic jazz section in "Hobgoblin" or the infectious bass in "Witchfinder". The music is mostly the wild crazy improvisational sound that you have been experiencing so far, but it's more than just noise. Its excellent musicianship and composition, melding together music styles that you wouldn't expect to be melded together.

The album is dedicated to Anonin Artaud, Edgard Varese, and Aleister Crowley. With a dedication like that, you should expect what you are hearing, but if this is your first experience with Moonchild Trio, you won't be ready anyway. But just listen to the layers of talent here, its quite amazing, and very, very unsettling.

 Astronome by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2006
3.94 | 25 ratings

BUY
Astronome
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars This is the 2nd album by John Zorn's 'Moonchild Trio' which consists of Mike Patton on vocal (mostly wordless), Joey Baron on drums, and Trevor Dunn on bass. You know with a line up like that, you are probably going to be getting into some deep Avant-Prog music. This album was actually the basis for an opera by theater director Richard Foreman. It is comprised of three acts, each act is a track on the album, and the acts range from 12 to 17 minutes long. Each section as noted in the Act titles are scenes. This is a noise opera and I have no idea how you would know what the story is.

On this album, the vocals are just another instrument in this small 3 person orchestra. Each instrument gets the spotlight, nothing on here is used as support or background, everything is important in the overall scheme of things. Overall, the album has quite a diabolical feel to it. Much of it is improvised, but it still seems like a tight composition, though most people just won't get it and write it off as noise rock. This is extreme experimental avant-prog like you've never heard before, even the most seasoned heavy metal or black metal lover will probably come out of this one with his or her ears smoking.

Act 1 is listed as 'A Secluded Clearing in the Woods/A Single Bed in a Small Room/The Innermost Chapel of a Secret Temple'. Right away, you get slapped in the face with a loud bass and soon everything else follows suit. Patton's vocals are wordless and quite insane. I don't know how in the world he can make the noises and sounds he does. No one else even comes close. The music is very heavy, for the most part, with a few quiet passages. After 5 minutes it calms down, yet it retains the chaotic feel. The bass builds and becomes heavy again. Screams, growls, yells and so on dominate. The meters are constantly changing. Another quiet section begins around 11 minutes, but it all explodes again at 12:30.

Act 2 is 'A Medieval Laboratory/In the Magick Circle'. It starts out ominous and subdued, but the bass provides loud chords and feedback, then Patton starts screaming. Crazy chaos ensues again. Certain thematic elements from the first act appear. There are some killer bass passages in this track, just amazing work whether you like the music or not. There are some nice quiet sections that are more prevalent through this track, especially in the last half, but that still doesn't mean its easy listening by a long shot.

Act 3 is 'A Barren Plain at Midnight/An Unnamed Location'. Bass and drums kick off the cacophony and Patton soon joins with his vocals and they go full bore for the first 2 minutes. Things break down a bit after that point and then build up again. How does he do those things without ruining his voice? Most people would blow out their vocal chords. Things get quiet and ominous at 5 minutes. The vocals in this section are amazing and surprisingly restrained, and the atmosphere is mysterious and interesting. At 9 minutes, there is a awesome bass and drum solo. Vocals soon return after a minute, and the entire thing ends on a chaotic and violent note.

No this is not something most people would appreciate. There is nothing typical about it at all. It is violent music to say the least. But it's thematically classical music with an amazing orchestra of 3 people. It is hard to believe three people can make this much noise and sound. Even in what seems like chaos, there are themes and structure, but there are several improvised sections too. In mixed company, I would advise listening on headphones, because you will probably end up clearing out a room otherwise. Yes, this work is genius, but it is hard to call it essential yet. Maybe with a little work, it could be, but with the amazing performances of the musicians and the excellent mixing and production, it isn't possible to give this anything less than 4 stars. This is Avant-Prog at its most complex.

 Six Litanies for Heliogabalus by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.16 | 43 ratings

BUY
Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Say the word 'Moonchild' to any Prog Rock fan, and you'll likely conjure images of a delicate elfin girl "...gathering the flowers in a garden / drifting on the echoes of the hours..."

Well, think again. This gut-punching album from John Zorn's Moonchild Trio will completely ruin any associations the word might have shared with Peter Sinfield's benevolent hippie whimsy. The '07 effort marks only my third pit-stop along an unguided, arbitrary weeklong tour through a truly intimidating discography (numbering over 400 albums as a composer and/or collaborator), and it feels like my itinerary was hijacked at gunpoint by a raving maniac with a Mensa IQ.

Of course trying to pin down the music of John Zorn will always be like trying to capture lightning in a bottle: a futile exercise that usually results in shattered glass and third-degree burns. Especially when such an eclectic artist is indulging his more hardcore inclinations, and they don't get much harder (or eclectic) than this.

Here's the man himself, quoted on the back cover of the CD (the emphasis is his): "POWERFUL SECRETS are revealed through INTENSITY and EXTREMITIES of experience". Boy, was he ever not kidding. This project makes even the outer limits of The Mars Volta sound like The Moody Blues...

The original trio (bass guitar, drums and vocals) was expanded here to a sextet, with an additional three-voice female choir adding depth and nuance to a distorted soundstage (Zorn himself, wrestling a demented saxophone, is only a guest at his own party). And the music itself might be described as pyrotechnic modern-art thrash-metal, with the spark in the gunpowder provided by vocalist Mike Patton, a familiar name to fans of the similar but much tamer Avant-Prog Metal ensemble MR. BUNGLE. Listen in amazement while he snorts, gags, coughs up a lungful of bloody phlegm, screams, gasps for breath, and at one point hawks his throat and expectorates all over the studio microphone.

It's an astonishing performance, but don't call it singing. Patton begins at a point where even Damo Suzuki might have hesitated ("Peking O", anyone?), and then leaps headlong into an exhilarating performance-art freefall. If your tolerance for unhinged guttural gymnastics is limited (and no one would blame you, if so), be advised to skip "Litany IV" altogether, which is entirely Patton, unaccompanied for eight alarming minutes and sounding not unlike the old Loony Tunes Tasmanian Devil in the middle of an existential crisis.

A few islands of relative sanity can be found within the roiling oceans of chaos: a groovy Neo-Krautrock organ jam in "Litany II" (shades of ELECTRIC ORANGE), and several interludes of ghostly pagan atmospherics, not inappropriate for an album named after a decadent 3rd century Roman Emperor. And a musicologist might be able to further dissect the mayhem with a clean intellectual scalpel. But doing so would kill the patient, and miss half the fun. The album isn't a thesis project: it's a musical judo exhibition, and that grey area between your ears is the block of wood waiting to be split in two by a well-timed kick.

 Six Litanies for Heliogabalus by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.16 | 43 ratings

BUY
Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by snobb
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Third in the line of Astronomic-related trilogy, this Moonchild trio's album is the best of all three.

Moonlight Trio is one of the most current John Zorn's project, and even from participating musicians line-up you can expect this project isn't so pleasant and easy listening, as Masada or The Dreamers. Mark Patton on vocals, Trevor Dunn on bass and Joey Baron on drums don't sound as very safe team of musicians, and guests are all the same - radical electronics artist Ikue Mori and Zorn himself, playing hard core free jazz attacking sax, between others.

Album's music than is what you expected - uncontrolled genius' madness. Possibly last time John's music sounded similar on Naked City releases, but there it was mostly punkish avant hard core. There, played by Moonchild trio, the music is eclectic mix of free jazz, brutal rhythms (rare example when even zeuhl influences could be recognised in Zorn's music), radical avant noise, screaming vocals (or just screams), some soundtracks themes, downtown atmosphere - and all mixed in one very theatrical brew!

If you're in mellow well-structured pleasant and comfortable prog for burgers, better leave this album where it is. If you're not very tolerant in what you're listen, and think Bjork music is extremal and almost extremist, better run from this album away. Believe me, most radical Bjork's screams sound as Moon Safari (nowadays Take That) comparing with "Six Litanies...".

This music will wake you up, will push your blood to circulate faster and your brains to work harder. Great album for those who is ready to listen to it!

 Ipsissimus by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2010
4.79 | 5 ratings

BUY
Ipsissimus
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by snobb
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars This is it! Most interesting Zorn-associated album of year 2010 and strong candidate to my year's top-5!

Newest to time John Zorn's project is most capable in my opinion between his existing bands for today. This release is their peak, condensed energy, groove and freaky magnetism!

Just try to imagine very groovy heavy metal (not hardcore!), played by NY downtown avant -jazz musicians with Mike Patton on vocals. This is it, this album. (For those not familiar with Patton vocals abilities I just can say there on this album he sings mostly on Diamanda Galas manner).

Music itself is very groovy, with Trevor Dunn's bass in the front of all sound. But there are no free improvs, generally music is composed according to metal prog rules. Marc Ribot's guitar is a bit on the second plan, but there are plenty of soloing and even scratching . Beside of groovy nature, album has drive, and all compositions just catch you from very first sounds.

Just to finish the picture please note there are many of growling Patton's vocals on this album as well!I am not a big fan of metal prog, and I like growling even less, but believe me - on this album it works!

My rating is 4,5, rounded to 5!

P.S. Listen to "Warlock" first - it's masterpiece!

 The Crucible by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2008
3.67 | 11 ratings

BUY
The Crucible
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Equality 7-2521

3 stars The fourth of the Moonchild trio (Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron) shows us that Zorn will continue to experiment and augment the basic line-up. This time we have John Zorn participating as a full member on alto-sax as usual, and Marc Ribot stoping by to lay down guitar on "9x9".

The basic formula remains the same: Joey Baron lays down his amazing, tasteful, complex drum work, Trevor Dunn plays heavily distorted, rhythmic base-lines, which serve as the foundation for most of the songs, and Mike Patton imitates the psychiatric ward with his vocals. Zorn's sax work really shines here. As always when he plays I can't listen to anything else. I enjoy what he's done here more than on the previous album, because while he played almost exclusively in the high resgister on Six Litanies, much of the just emulating Patton's vocals, here we see more of a full repitoire from him. A great dynamic that really fits in perfectly with the music.

Given the description and what you know of John Zorn, you would think this must be pretty avant-garde, obtuse stuff right? What makes this album work so well is that most of the time that assumption is dead wrong. When this album is at its best it's sickeningly catchy. Despite the complexity and the manic vocal and saxophone screaming, this comes off as a fun, mindless, summertime rock album in its feel. Joey Baron in particular performs with incredible groove.

While a majority of the album is as I described, it also has a much different side. Six Litanies was the "creepy" album, and The Crucible seems like it was meant to be the "evil" album. Some tracks really slow down the tempo, are heavier and darker, and feature Patton "singing" passages from the necronomicon of Lovecraft lore. The music certainly achieves its goal of being evil, but I think the album drags in these places. If Zorn continued with the funner side of things this would be a five star album in my mind.

"9x9" is a different track entirely. It features a "Black Dog"-esque guitar riff which the other performes build around. A nice Led Zeppelin tribute and a fine track.

I hope more people check this out as it didn't recieve the attention Six Litanies did. It has some slow points, but when the album moves it's truely great.

 Moonchild by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2006
2.81 | 21 ratings

BUY
Moonchild
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Man With Hat
Collaborator Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team

3 stars The beginning of something great.

Moonchild is the first album written by Zorn for the trio of Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, and Joey Baron. All three are experienced in the realm of avant-garde musics and having them play music composed by John Zorn is almost mouth-watering. Unfortunately, things would start kind of slow, as this album is not as impressive as the other works by the Patton/Dunn/Baron trio. But, never fear, this album can still pull its own weight, even if its a few pounds lighter than either Astronome or Six Litenies.

First it must be said that this music is not really progressive rock. In fact, there are times where this couldn't even be called rock, in any facet. At times this is avant-garde rock (not even avant-rock [yes, I distinguish between the two ;-)], but, for me, a majority of this disc would be classified as straight up avant-garde. Which is not a problem for me at all. However it needs to be stated that this isn't for the faint of heart (you could probably say that for most of Zorn's work though...). Thus, if you are put off my ample helpings of noise in your music stay away from this one.

For me Moonchild flows pretty well all the way through, at least musically. It would seem there is some sort of conceptual connection as well, though if there is it is honestly lost on me. The main focus here is atmosphere. Bleak, frightening, eerie, nervous, and ominous are the predominant feelings here. This is the music for a soundtrack for walking around a dark labyrinth, not knowing what is coming around each corner...sometimes there appears nothing but another dark room, other times a myriad of minotaurs jump and attach you from all angles. Most of this atmosphere is created by the excellent bass playing of Dunn and the (at times of suspense at least) tasteful, and careful drum beats of Baron. Likewise, most of the minotaurs are provided by the voice of Patton. (Though there are plenty of times where all three of them go at it with fifteen cylinders firing to create the havoc.) Admittedly, my favorite voice moments, for the most part, occur when Patton is adding to the atmosphere rather than injecting chaos.

The music seems to put a certain emphasis on the vocals, which has its ups and its downsides. It is doubtful that Patton ever says (or sings/screams/etc) a single English word on this album. This is really an excellent example of using a voice as a instrument rather than just a way to convey a message. (This should not come to a surprise to anyone familiar with Patton's body of work.) Again, it just has to be said...Patton can do amazing things with his voice. There are some moments on this disc where I just have to shake my head and am nearly convinced that something else must be making the noises this man can conjure up from his throat. Mainly this focus on the vocals is an upside because with the voice as the third instrument they work cohesively as a trio, instead of a duo with a singer. The main downside is both Dunn and Baron are not the emphasis, which is unfortunate because both of these man perform quite well throughout the disc. (Perhaps this fact is just to emphasize the atmosphere Dunn and Baron are creating.)

As I've stated earlier most of the music flows pretty well for me thus its hard to isolate particular songs that I enjoy more than others. Nevertheless, special mentions must be made for 616, Equinox, and Sorceress (which features some divine drumming from Baron...easily the best drum work on the album IMO). Lowlights? A few. The greatest criticism of Moonchild is a lack of diversity. Many of the songs are in the same vein thus there is some aire of monotonousness. Especially as songs like Moonchild and The Summoning are not as captivating as other parts of the album.

All in all this is a good release by the "power trio" of Patton/Dunn/Baron. However, this is not one of Zorn's best works and should probably be kept for the last album (out of this trio's three albums). I struggle a bit in deciding on a rating however. For my personal scale of rating albums (which is based solely on the music itself) this would be a solid 3 stars. However, this is prog-rock archives, and as I said this is pretty far from prog-rock. I'll rate this a three stars with a warning of for the purposes of this site its much closer to 2.5 stars than three. This is recommended only for fans of any of the main protagonists or avant- garde music in general, and of course avant-garde rock (but not really avant-rock). 2.5 stars, rounded up.

 Six Litanies for Heliogabalus by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.16 | 43 ratings

BUY
Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Pnoom!

4 stars Rating: A

If you don't know what a litany is, there's no shame in that. I didn't either when I first picked up John Zorn's Six Litanies for Heliogabalus. Finally, though, I cracked open my dictionary and discovered that litany has two meanings:

1. a prayer consisting of a series of supplications and responses said alternately by a leader and a group. 2. a lengthy recitation

Both are helpful in understanding John Zorn's Six Litanies for Heliogabalus. The entire CD is structured as a series of calls and responses between the abrasive, heavy drum-bass-vocal trio of, respectively, Joey Baron, Trevor Dunn, and Mike Patton (you might recognize the latter two from Mr. Bungle) and soothing organ and choir dominated sections. Even on a smaller scale, though, this call-and-response format applies, such as at the end of "Litany I," where Mike Patton on vocals and John Zorn on saxophone trade off, Patton babbling (as usual), followed by John Zorn make his sound like a very musical cat in its death throes. The second definition applies specifically to "Litany IV," a purely vocal piece where we are treated to what indeed is "a lengthy recitation" courtesy of Mike Patton.

This still doesn't explain what Six Litanies for Heliogabalus sounds like, however. Six Litanies is a continuation of, a departure from, and an improvement on John Zorn's Moonchild and Astronome CDs. Like those two, Six Litanies features Baron, Dunn, and Patton, but Six Litanies works from a far more varied palette than just those three (who were the sole performers on Moonchild and Astronome). Six Litanies also includes jazzy organ, a beautiful female choir, John Zorn's own saxophone, and Ikue Mori's famous electronics.

This is the key reason why Six Litanies for Heliogabalus is an improvement on Moonchild and Astronome. Those CDs were amazing when chugging full throttle (as Six Litanies often does), but they had softer sections that felt a bit too much like noodling, and which occasionally failed to engage the listener. On Six Litanies, these sections are absent, instead replaced by the organ, choir, and electronics sections, which are atmospheric, beautiful, and above all captivating. Not only do they provide a needed break from the otherwise non-stop action, the keep the listener actively engaged, and they stand up in their own right, not just in context.

And, of course, I still haven't explained what this CD sounds like, except perhaps for the choir sections. In the bass, drum, and vocal dominated sections, the drum and bass hold down an ever shifting groove while Patton wails maniacally over the top. It's almost impossible to tell that only a bass is used, as it covers a wide range (including a tremendous amount of distortion). All of these sections are challenging and avant-garde - Zorn isn't the founder of extreme avant-garde for nothing - but because it is groove based (and because of the choir sections), Six Litanies actually contains quite a few hooks.

The only fault with Six Litanies for Heliogabalus is that Patton's vocals can get in the way of the music at times (this is rare, but it does happen a few times), though his solo piece is awesome, particularly where he imitates themes from the first three litanies solely with his voice. On the whole, Patton's vocals are amazing, but I feel that if Zorn were to take the format established here but use saxophone exclusively (no vocals), or at least make the saxophone more dominant and the vocals less so, I feel he could produce his best CD. Until then, that honor belongs to Naked City, with Six Litanies a not-so-distant third (Spillane tops it by a hair, but isn't as good as Naked City). A masterpiece, recommended to anyone with an adventurous ear. Among the best CDs released in 2007.

 Six Litanies for Heliogabalus by MOONCHILD TRIO album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.16 | 43 ratings

BUY
Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
Moonchild Trio RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Shakespeare

4 stars Probably the best possible review for this gem are these simple two words: Very loud! But, to keep my honour as a reviewer, I must offer this masterpiece a full review. This is the third production from the Moonchild/Astronome line-up, with Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, and Mike Patton at its core. Zorn actually appears on this album, with his sax, unlike the previous two. Also, a host of other musicians, including organist Jamie Saft, appear.

Six Litanies is comprised chiefly of haunting neo-classical, clashing with brutal metal, and insane vocal work. To be fair, there's a great deal of electronic music, and free jazz, of course, but the classical and metal are arguably at the forefront. I feel terrible calling these loud sections metal: but that's probably the easiest thing to do. It's really just heavy sections, played with lots of distortion, and rhythmic complexity, though not exactly metal. For the remainder of this review, when I use the term metal, all I'm referring to is a high point on the volume scale.

The vocal work has but three gears. One is extremely intrusive, and is typically in the spotlight here. The fourth track, aptly named Litany IV, is an eight minute opus of extraordinary complexity. It is so incredibly complex it sounds improvised, which it likely is to a small degree. However, a great deal of it is tightly composed, since Mike Patton performs it nearly the same during live performances. The second gear is nearly inaudible, where Mike and a troupe of female vocalists simply make sounds of soft laughter or haunting humming. An angelic chorus, the avatar of this album, is sung in this gear. The most obvious use of the second gear is during the second track, where giggling hovers over soft, keyboard led playing. The third gear is completely off, when the instruments take centerstage. Throughout the entire album, the only distinguishable word is, Heliogabalus. Besides that, all vocal work is entirely wordless.

The metal sections are actually quite interesting. There is, of course, a rhythmic emphasis from Joey Baron on drums, and Trevor Dunn on bass, but they are sometimes quite rudely interrupted by a hailing of squealing sax and vocal squealing from Patton. But both aspects always have a very musical quality, and sound great. I always found that avant-garde music perceives music on a very honest and very human level. Like visual art, there is no universal goal other than creating something that is pleasing to the eyes. Sure, there are rules of art that can be followed or disregarded, but in the end, all that matters is the glee that your pupils experience. The same goes for music: often the arrangements are precise, and following set rules, but very often, Zorn forgets all that and merely generates what notes would please the inner ear the most.

If you've got a lot of friends interested in more mainstream music, then I strongly suggest getting this album merely to scare the [&*!#] out of them. Even if you don't expect to ever develop an appreciation for this experimental genre of sound, you will be guaranteed to win every, Who has the weirdest song on their iPod, contest. Trust me: many friends have claimed to have found the most bizarre band ever, only to have me violently stick my phones in their ears and play any song on this album, and utter, You win.

Choir and organ sometimes threaten to transform the music to something beautiful, and even succeed on occasion. But fear not! The ravaging lows from the rhythm section and the piercing highs from the vocals and saxes destroy their progress in a mere second. And after defeating the beauty that briefly appeared, the rhythm section and the voices scuffle for spotlight. In this sense, Six Litanies is a perpetual battle between three factions. I must admit, I thought myself very experienced when it came to enjoying avant-garde music, but this album took much time for me to appreciate. But once it did, I loved it to an extreme degree. I proudly proclaim this a masterpiece of modern music, and my personal favourite of 2007. Zorn manages to force chaos and beauty to co-exist, to merge, to fight, to oppose, and to match. All six tracks are excellently loose and aggressive, and are similarly beautiful and haunting.

Thanks to snobb for the artist addition.

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.