Well, the idea behind Moonchild came from the legendary John Zorn, a great source of inspiration for Mike Patton. I’ll quote what he wrote on the album; ‘Moonchild is the first realization of a project that has been gestating over three years, combining the hypnotic intensity of ritual (composition) with the spontaneity of magick (improvisation) in a modern musical format (rock)’. What this means is that we have an extremely chaotic album in our hands. Let me explain.

 

Ok, we have Mike Patton on vocals, Trevor Dunn on bass guitar and Joey Baron on drums. The first two mentioned have known each other from acts like Mr. Bungle and Fantômas. Joey Baron is unknown to me, but it appears that he is an incredibly talented jazz-drummer. The tracks are conceived, composed, arranged and conducted by John Zorn. They are rhythmic adventures that toy with your mind and concept of rationality. The drum patterns are simply impossible to follow, the (usually distorted) bass is doing things I cannot comprehend and Patton, well he makes even more unusual noises than with Fantômas. 

One moment you’re listening to a nerve-wrecking soundscape, the next moment all that you thought was songwriting is disintegrated in an instant. While rhythmical challenges are in abundance, not too much is done with melodies. Patton seems to play with the maximum of his vocal capabilities, hitting higher tones than any power metal vocalist can reach. As I write this, I see this is definitely a must-hear-to-believe record, so I’ll wont go into it any further.

 

In November there are some scheduled shows in Europe, and I will check that out. If what I’ve written sounds interesting and you’re into unconventional material, get it and it will probably end up pretty high in your year list. Weird, weirder, weirdest!!!