John Zorn: Electric Masada: At the Mountains of Madness : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Saxophonist John Zorn's Masada songbook is a massive repertoire of themes and compositions inspired by sacred and secular Jewish music -- rabbinical prayer, the anguish and ecstasy of klezmer -- that he originally wrote exclusively for his landmark acoustic quartet of the same name. Zorn now explores his Masada works in a variety of settings, including this scorching octet, caught live in 2004 on this double CD. At times, Mountains is pure super-rock, the triple-percussion assault pushing Zorn's horn and Marc Ribot's burnt-Hendrix, tortured-Sabbath guitar to the edge of sanity. There is a Mahavishnu-like lyricism, too, as keyboards and electronics brighten the torrent with light and tune. Zorn no doubt abhors the word "fusion," but there is none better to describe this wild union of fire and beauty.