- DAEGAL ALMOND/METAL AS FUCK
- Despite their global renown and longevity as a rotating-lineup unit, Goblin have never played in North America.
It’s scary how fantastic Goblin sound at their best. When it comes to scoring a horror movie or a giallo (lurid crime and mystery thrillers that peaked in Italy during the early ’70s), these Italian musicians are the Maserati of film composers. Goblin will be forever revered for the three soundtracks they cut with director Dario Argento: Profondo Rosso (aka Deep Red, 1975), Suspiria (1977), and Tenebre (1982). They also won (g)rave reviews for their work with George A. Romero on his 1978 opus Dawn of the Dead (aka Zombi).
Goblin are the rare group who made the transition from progressive rockers to soundtrack auteurs; they also developed into dandy disco producers, something most prog musicians never attempted, let alone mastered. Their closest rivals are probably Pink Floyd, whose Obscured by Clouds, More, and contributions to Zabriskie Point rank among their best efforts. But more so than most rock bands, Goblin have become inextricably linked with their extraordinary film music, which viscerally captures feelings of dread, terror, and repulsion without resorting to moldy Hollywood mannerisms. It’s a tribute to Goblin’s creativity that these records easily endure when divorced from the garish imagery they’re augmenting.
Goblin play Neumos tonight with Secret Chiefs 3.
