NON HO SONNO (OST)

Non Ho Sonno is one of my favorite Goblin albums. Although I adore their soundtracks for Profondo Rosso, Tenebrae and Zombi, I feel that Suspiria has essentially one great track (the main one) and a bunch of things that work well for a movie and some funky lounge music that bores me, and all of the albums without Simonetti and Morante (such Patrick and Contamination and Buio Omega) are interesting jazz/progressive scores, but not as good as the Simonetti driven stuff.

This album reunites one of the greatest rhythm sections ever--Marangolo (drums) and Pignatelli (bass) with Simonetti (keyboards) and Morante (guitar) and the classic Goblin feel is here. Sure, the drums have a different, more modern "big studio" feel (rather than the "traps" of old), but the way this band operates is the same--four instruments that alternately take center stage while crafting creepy, lush progressive rock.

The only real complaint I have about Nonhosonno is that (like many albums made in the CD era) it simply has too much material. The first six cuts are all good or great, especially Death Farm Animals, Killer on the Train, and the lush title cut with its floral ivory arpeggios, oscillating riff from Morante, and great stuttering drums fills by Marangolo. Had the album ended there or had another song or two of this caliber, it would probably be my second favorite Goblin record ever, right behind Roller, but that is only the halfway point of the album. So, since this is a soundtrack, most of the melodies in the first six songs are then revisited in shorter, less compelling variations that were needed for the movie. All of these reprises are pretty good--but with the exception of the porcine lurker, The Pig, the material was done best the first time Goblin gives it to you and this stuff feel like bonus track material, not part of the album proper. Additionally, you'll hear some of the themes repeated three or four or five times in a fifty minute experiences, which is a reprise or two or three too many.

Still, this album is highly recommended. Non Ho Sonno has about twenty minutes of music that compares to the best stuff on Zombi or Phenomenon or Tenebrae (not reaching the peaks of Roller or Profondo Rosso), and is superior to all the Goblin stuff without Simonetti, though Back to the Goblin, which has everyone but Simonetti, is almost as good as this. Nonhosonno is an admirable and worthwhile (and brief) reunification the RPI masters...