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The Black Widow label in Italy
has released a very interesting package that includes a book and
a double CD. Together they offer tribute to horror films in general,but
more specifically to the work of Italian horror flick directors
Mario Bava and Lucio Fulci. The book is written in both Italian
and English and delivers a general overview of the horror genre.
It starts with the Universal horror films of the 1930s like Frankenstein
and Dracula,documents the British Hammer Studios films,and finishes
with Interview With A Vampire. It contains filmographies
of Bava and Fulci,as well as a recommended film list. More specifically,several
chapters deal with the Italian horror genre and its connection
to progression rock. The Italian band Goblin was most prolific
when it came to soundtracks. They produced many over the years
including Profondo Rosso and Suspiria,both directed
by Dario Argento. Argento was the director with the greatest tie
to progressive rock,using Keith Emerson to write and perform the
soundtrack to Inferno. The book provides a detailed breakdown
of each track on the double CD. All the bands and personell are
listed,including a paragraph or two on the connection between
the music and the films. It closes with an essay on the relationship
between music and the horror genre. For instance,how would The
Exorcist have fared without Mike Oldfield's signature "Tubular
Bells" in the soundtrack? The double CD features a host of
bands with styles ranging from death metal to pure progressive.
Each track is inspired by a classic horror film. Some interpret
the original soundtrack music while others are original compositions.
Appropriately, all are very dark in feel. Disc one contains 14
tracks. Al Festa contributes music from is own film, Fatal
Flames. It is more than a tip of the hat to Oldfield. Wounded
Knee delivers another remake from the soundtrack to Argento's
Phenomena,which stars a very young Jennifer Connelly is
a teenager with telephatic powers. Standarte finishes off the
first disc nicely with original music inspired by Fulci's The
Beyond. Disc two includes Ars Nova from Japan playing a tribute
to the film Poltergeist:"Ainsel" is mostly the
keyboards of Keiko Kumagai in a free-form exploration. Helden
Rune from Italy cuts loose with "Nocturnal Voices",inspired
by a television movie from Italy directed by Fabrizio Laurenti.
It's a gothic,moody,organ/synth-dominated piece with vocals that's
real creepy. The Morte Macabre boys,i.e. Landberk and Anekdoten,contribute
a remake of "Irrealtà di Suoni" from Fulci's
Gates Of Hell. As one would expect,there's a lot of mellotron
here. Somnambulist,the goth/metal band from Tennessee,create an
original track,"Laudenam",dedicated to the unholy three
(Fulci,Bava and Argento). The book and double CD make an interesting
combination. The book is very informative and the music is moody,dark
and haunting. Fans of soundtrack music,especially Italian horror
films,should consider this item.
