The Crucible

John Zorn (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 9, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tzadik
• ASIN: B001GU04RW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,846 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do it., January 8, 2009

By 

Wesley K. Long "The Kraken" (Mariana Trench) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crucible (Audio CD)

If you've been burned (and if you're reading this, you have) by past Patton/Zorn combos, relax. This one is really good. It's not the noise for noise's sake. It's not a quiet album, or an album with no apparent focus or rhythm. These are four (and a fifth musician, Mark Ribot on the most coherent track), very skilled musicians who have taken the best of their previous three efforts, added a bit of melody and tension without getting repetitive or predictable. In my opinion, it's the perfect album from this group, balanced, well-written, and gives each an opportunity to shine.

Now don't get me wrong, this is still Zorn, Dunn, Lombardo, and Patton. Make no mistake, this is a challenging record. But fans of any of the above will enjoy this one. The play "The Crucible" was seen as a witch hunt by some, and a test of faith to others. Zorn and co. play the accused and shine.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moonchild with a melody., December 23, 2008

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Crucible (Audio CD)

The latest record in the Moonchild project, "The Crucible" deviates from the previous records in the project in that, while its definitely a "loud" album, rather than being thematic-based material, there is a distinct element of melody on the record. In addition, the Moonchild trio of Mike Patton (vocals), Trevor Dunn (bass) and Joey Baron (drums) is augmented by the composer on alto sax and, on one track, guitarist Marc Ribot.

Like Moonchild though, the album consists by and large of intense, loud, rock inspired music-- Patton sings, grunts, screams and mumbles wordlessly alongside Zorn's sax, in its full up "loud music" mode (though perhaps a bit less shrill than on something like Buried Secrets/Guts of a Virgin), all over the top of the rhythm sections fierce performance-- Dunn is aggressive and assertive, filling a role somewhere in between traditional rock bass and guitar through a round, aggressive tone, and Baron is his usual monster, illustrating mastery over his instrument of a capacity not usually seen.

But there are massive differences between this and previous records by this band, and this is obvious from opener "Almadel". As opposed to a rhythmic pulse with Patton raging away on top of it, this one features a dueling improv between vocal and alto not unlike the Dave Douglas/John Zorn duels on Masada, then breaks into a Masada-like theme before expldoing into another dueling improv section. Zorn is downright inspired, railing away with energy and fire, Patton is intriguing and explosive, and the group is anchored by show-stealing performances from the rhythm section. This continues forth throughout the rest of the album, moving through different moods and sounds, from trading screaches a la "Litany II" of Six Litanies for Heliogabalus ("Shapeshifting") to a "Black Dog" (of Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO))-inspired blues rock feature for Ribot (who turns in the requisite brilliant and unpredictable solo) to bop-infused breakneck electric jazz ("Hobgoblin"). Along the way, we also get lots of haunting moods ("Maleficia"), a tribal jazz/rock sax trio performance where Zorn seems to channel late period Albert Ayler over Killing Joke (his soloing brough to mind "New Generation" off Ayler's much maligned New Grass) and at least one drum performance that stopped me in my tracks (closer "Initiate").

Bottom line-- there a lot to love here. It's significantly more melodic than Moonchild, and to its benefit. The closest thing in Zorn's catalog I can equate this to is his take on the Stooges' "T.V. Eye" on Rubaiyat - Elektra's 40th Anniversary (2 Disc Set). This isn't a jump cut record a la Naked City, it's something completely different. I waffled back and forth on 4 and 5 stars, but this is a really superb album. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very fun album, but not as original as the first three, May 17, 2009

By 

Steward Willons (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Crucible (Audio CD)

"The Crucible" is Zorn's most recent installment in his "Moonchild" project. Those who are familiar with the group know what to expect: Dunn's dissonant, distorted bass, Joey Baron's hybrid jazz/metal drumming, and Mike Patton's bizarre, non-verbal vocal madness. On this album, Zorn returns to the core group on the original Moonchild album, along with songs of average length. It is, in a sense, conventional insofar as the previous two albums were quite different.

I actually found this album slightly disappointing simply because I felt like I had heard this music before. On the one hand, I love the ensemble and I am happy to have more of the same; but on the other hand, I enjoyed how Zorn kept pushing the group into new territory, whether it was the operatic "Astronome" or the colorful "Six Litanies." Granted, it is different from "Moonchild," but to my ears, it's not substantially different and I don't see it as breaking a lot of new ground, which is, after all, what Zorn is best at.

Take the Naked City albums as an example: the same five guys created seven vastly different albums. I would love to see the Moonchild group do a string of albums in a variety of styles, all with their extreme intensity. I think they were on that path, so "The Crucible" seems like a step backwards.

However, I don't want to be overly harsh. "The Crucible" is a very very good album and it is a lot of fun. It's vintage Zorn, as good as most of his work. It's just not as exciting because it's not as original. Any fan of Zorn's extreme material will surely dig this recording, and if you like Moonchild, you will love this album.

One final notes: Marc Ribot makes a guest appearance on 9 x 9 and it works incredibly well. The track is almost like a conventional rock 'n roll song, but with Zorn's requisite strangeness and some odd meters. Although Ribot's presence could potentially dominate the texture of the group and thus fundamentally change the sound, I think he's a welcome addition, as least on a few tracks. I hope he shows up again on the next album, and for more than one song.