A new lineup’s jams are merged in a unbroken statement of prog-rock authority

Interweaving studio and live recordings, Starless and Bible Black is King Crimson’s most spontaneous, yet ferociously commanding, work. The title song takes shape out of a noxious haze, as Robert Fripp’s gooey guitar drips off John Wetton’s skeletal bassline. “The Mincer” and “We’ll Let You Know” locate a similarly burping, menacing iteration of funk. While the restless roar of “The Great Deceiver” splits the different between Black Sabbath and Celtic fiddle, the atonal, writhing funk of “Lament” anticipates Fugazi, Jesus Lizard, and math rock by two decades.