The Italian horror movie industry may be no more, but its music definitely lives on. The absorbing and, sometimes uncomfortably, intimate sounds that helped define those films has not just been captured by Amorosi Dressel, it has been built on and developed. DeathMetha draws you in, it pulls you in deeper and deeper with each listen.
The Italians are ahead of the curve when it comes to a few things. Food. Cars. Horror movies. True, the industry of the latter might have faded away leaving giallo films to prowl television sets late of a Saturday night, to stalk internet forums and to haunt the dreams of those who watched grizzly slashers such as Tenebre or the nightmarish Suspiria. Dario Argento is the godfather of these chilling titles, alongside many others. And if Argento is the one responsible for bringing these gruesome tales to the eyes of the world, it is Goblin who brought it to their ears.
With a dizzying number of members, this multi-instrumental group wrote music filled with suspense and tension and inspired contemporaries like John Carpenter and modern musicians like the soaring SURVIVE or Anton Maiovvi. Maiovvi’s public addiction to all things blood stained is plain to hear in his stabbing synthlines and looming atmospherics. And it goes further. His label, Giallo Disco, pays homage to the silver screen psychopaths of the 1970s and 80s. For the man, the imprint, and for all fans of electronic music and terror alike, the announcement of the partnership of Heinrich Dressel, a modern day master of synth movie scores, and Federico Amorosi, Goblin’s very own bass player, will send some serious tingles up many spines.
DeathMetha is an album of eight tracks steeped in the traditions of the slasher film, soaked in the blood, sweat and tears of all things giallo. With a contemporary ear, Dressel Amorosi mould music to a film never made, conjuring sounds for scenes never written. Not an easy feat by any measure, yet a challenge this duo make look easy. The collection is introduced by the simmering tension of “Naked Body Found In Campitelly” before the emotive chords and thought-provoking atmospherics of the title piece. The allure of prog-rock, the captivating combination of electronic instruments with the warmth of Amorosi’s bass-work, permeates the album. The string wizardry of the Goblin guitarist comes to the fore in pieces such as “Black Lake O.D.” and “Kasili” where thick lines accompany clean analogue beams from Dressel. Amidst the suspense of an unseen threat, a threat formed in key and note, the duo also explore the less dramatic with no less of a sense of purpose. The ultra smooth driving grooves of “Thasette,” a perfect complement to a detective montage, or the pensive “Tema De Monika.” The end credits come with the intricately woven “Asylum Coronae,” a deep dreamscape that is simply superb.
The Italian horror movie industry may be no more, but its music definitely lives on. The absorbing and, sometimes uncomfortably, intimate sounds that helped define those films has not just been captured by Amorosi Dressel, it has been built on and developed. DeathMetha draws you in, it pulls you in deeper and deeper with each listen. This is a score that at times might have hairs on end but ultimately is a wonderfully detailed and engrossing example of a style pioneered by Goblin, a style cherished by Giallo Disco, a style that will undoubtedly continue to enchant and entrance a new generation.
DeathMetha is available on Giallo Disco.
