DAWN OF THE DEAD / ZOMBI

This band is the creation of Claudio Simonetti, composer and keyboardist of Goblin, who are best-known for their contributions to the soundtracks of the films directed by Dario Argento. I was fortunate enough a few weeks ago to see Goblin play in front of a showing of the classic 'Suspiria', and it was just awesome! Here he has got together some younger musicians to assist him in revisiting some Goblin numbers, and giving them a fresh sound. Originally released in 2006, it now contains three bonus numbers, one of which is for me the absolute highlight of the whole piece. There is no need to know the original songs here, as Claudio has treated them afresh and these are new arrangements which capture the bombast and gothic darkness that make Goblin such a powerful live act.

Some of the songs sound as if they have been lifted straight from a horror set, while others are somehow even more dramatic with a menace and presence that is quite incredible. "At The Safari" contains some incredible percussion that threatens and drives, while others can be lighter in manner yet always with a brooding atmosphere which is Italian prog at its' very best. Although it does have to be said that the honky tonk of "Torte In Faccia" does seem somewhat at odds with the rest of the album.

Towards the end of the Seventies I was intrigued by Sky's version of Bach's "Toccatta and Fugue", which even made the charts in the UK. But that is a mere lightweight compared with Daemonia's "Toccata e Fuga" which takes the song to a far more dramatic and powerful level. It sounds a little quick to me, but the overall effect is stunning with the melodramatic keyboards combining perfectly with the chugging metallic monster that is the rest of the group. This album is definitely well worth investigating. www.blackwidow.it