SYMPHONIC HOLOCAUST

MORTE MACABRE was a short-lived so-called prog supergroup that included Nicklas Barker and Peter Nordins of Anekdoten along with Stefan Dimie and Reine Fiske both of Landberk and later of Paatos. Together the various members forged its one and only release SYMPHONIC HOLOCAUST which appeared in 1998 and featured eight tracks with slightly over 57 minutes of playing time. While the nearly 18 minute title track showcased a band collaborative effort as the grand finale as well as the short "Threats Of Stark Reality", the album primarily featured instrumental remakes of soundtrack themes that were mostly taken from European exploitation movies such as "Cannibal Holocaust" and "City Of The Living Dead." Also included was a version of the theme to the US film "Rosemary's Baby."

The album's bleak atmosphere and excessive dread were characteristic of its mellotron and synthesizer-rich motifs that focused on darkness, tension and anxiety along with the occasional heavy guitar outbursts. The use of the violin also added some melancholy but for the most part the album was characterized by synthesizer-heavy atmospheres accompanied by bass and drumming. The only vocals were provided by session vocalist Yessica Lindkvist who performed the "Rosemary's Baby" la-la-la bit. In many ways the album evokes the mysterious and haunting soundtrack film albums that Goblin cranked out in the 1970s and 1980s in Italy and the track "Quiet Drops" is featured as a Goblin cover. Another horror film score artist well represented on SYMPHONIC HOLOCAUST is Fabio Frizzi. The tempos are primarily mid-tempo to slow and brooding with only a few moments of guitar heft to contrast.

Somewhat of a mix of film score reworkings and structured prog jamming sessions, the opening tracks showcase faithful representations of Frizzi tracks with a mid-section written by the band itself although the three tracks pretty much flow together seamlessly. The fourth track "Lullaby" is basically the theme from "Rosemary's Baby" in disguise and showcases the unmistakable series of la-la-la's wrapped up in symphonic splendor but more than outlasts its welcome by extending past the 8-minute mark. The track was done infinitely better on the 2001 Fantômas "The Director's Cut" which was a much more innovative and interesting soundtrack cover album in virtually every possible way. In fact the album dips throughout the middle section leaving a long line of tracks that feel like nothing more than filler leave a lackluster taste in the mouth as they become less energetic and simply drift on in a sort of slumber.

The one and only real gem on the album is the sprawling title track which showcases the band's ability to craft its unique style of gloomy symphonic prog without resorting to interpreting others' works. In many ways it seems like the first part of the album was a mere fluffer for this near 18-minute score of hypnotic bass grooves, receptive keyboard stabs and atmospheric moods that range from pure desperation and despair to rage and annihilation. The track showcases a wide spectrum of variations that evolve and drift on throughout its lengthy run and all the ideas that should've been presented all along are finally left off the leash and the band is allowed to show off its stylistic approach without any proper respects being shown to the greats of the horror film soundtrack industry. The track pretty much blows the rest of the album away in virtually every way and when all is said and done perhaps a simple EP would've sufficed rather than a long arduous journey to get to this juncture.

This is an album that resonated with me strongly in the beginning but has offered diminishing returns over the years as the differentials between the lagging first half contrasts strongly with the excessively brilliant darkened prog success of the title track. The soundtrack covers have been eclipsed by Fantômas' brilliant film score interpretations and the repeated exposure only showcases the flaws of the first half in ever clearer ways. It was certainly a unique album for its day and still is in many ways but it could've been made so much better if the mid-section wasn't so dreadfully boring. As stated the first three tracks actually sound pretty decent more in the vein of the title track but for whatever reason the band dropped the ball on quality control and just threw it all in for the sake of steering the album closer to the hour's playing time. It's definitely a worthy album for the brilliant tracks on board that any lover of darkened prog will devour with delight however the inconsistencies keep it from ranking high on my list in the modern era.