Back in the 70s, Italian band Goblin were just about the most unsettling thing available on 12 inches of vinyl, with their propensity for horror film soundtracks such as Suspiria.
Now the original Goblin rhythm section have assembled a new line-up, and the spirit remains the same. It’s clear from songtitles such as Book Of Skulls, Mysterium and Dark Bolero that we’re not exactly in Aerosmith territory here. This is impressively disturbing fare, with funereal organ and eerie piano figures that seem to echo from a half-remembered nightmare (monks appear to chant on one occasion). And yet the album consists entirely of doom. Keyboard player Danilo Cherni conjures up some excellent Wakeman-esque flurries throughout, while the atmospheric Forest shows guitarist Giacomo Anselmion producing fluid guitar runs in the manner of Dave Gilmour in his pomp. The overall mood, though, does lean toward the darkly dramatic, with ominous crescendos aplenty, making this sound appropriately cinematic in scope. If you like your prog more on the Vincent Price side, then blow out all the candles and pour yourself a warm chalice of blood – this is for you.
