GOBLIN

Profondo Rosso – Deluxe

Goblin’s work on Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977) might get most of the kudos – especially after Thom Yorke channelled their incantations into his own music for the 2018 remake – but their soundtrack to the director’s 1975 film is in fact the ultimate giallo score. The four-piece, led by keyboardist Claudio Simonetti, were drafted in after Argento and original composer Giorgio Gaslini didn’t gel, and Pink Floyd turned him down. Some of Gaslini’s work remained, such as the proggy “Wild Session”, performed by Goblin, but the key tracks are the band’s own: the frantic, dark rush of “Death Dies”, and the 12-bar funk of the suspenseful “Mad Puppet”. Finest of all, though, is the oft-repeated title theme, featuring doomy church organ, a jazzy time signature and some of the most driving bass ever committed to tape, courtesy of Fabio Pignatelli; Tubular Bells is clearly an influence, and perhaps also François De Roubaix’s music for 1971’s Les Lévres Rouges, but neither of those achieve the grandiosity and sheer heaviness of Goblin’s effort. Extras: 8/10. Classy packaging, including ace new illustrations from Italy’s Malleus, and the entire expanded score available for the first time fully on vinyl. All on ‘bloodied doll’-coloured platters, naturally.