Templars: In Sacred Blood

John Zorn’s Moonchild project released seven albums, gradually mutating from an improvising noise-rock trio (bass, drums, vocals) to the closest thing the composer has ever assembled to a conventional rock band. This is album number six, and features organist John Medeski throughout. The music is moody prog, and Patton is declaiming actual lyrics written by Zorn in a variety of languages on the theme of the Knights Templar and ancient Christian mysticism. The typical Zorn jump-cut musical style is largely absent here, replaced by a thudding heavy rock style that brings to mind Van der Graaf Generator and King Crimson sometimes, and the Melvins others.