Goblin – Scary Good Music

A holiday like Halloween, centered around creativity, personal expression and marauding tricksters should be celebrated with an equally unique soundtrack. Yet, Halloween parties all over the world will inevitably play Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash” or Micheal Jackson’s “Thriller” at least once if not several times throughout the celebration. Hearing these overplayed songs on Halloween is equally as dull as “Little Drummer Boy” near Christmas, “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” during Hanakkuah, “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve, or Adam Sandler on Thanksgiving.

Luckily, The Rathuas has found an obscure band with a spooky name, perfect for anyone looking to add some truly creepy music to their Halloween mix – Goblin. Formed in Italy by keyboardist Claudio Simonetti in 1972, the band originally named The Cherry Five played prog-rock in the same vein as Genesis or Yes. But this changed in 1975 when director Dario Argento chose the band to finish the soundtrack to his latest horror film, Profondo Rosso. To keep with the theme The Cherry Five renamed itself Goblin and morphed their music into something decidedly darker but also greatly improved, and far more innovative than the British-style rock they had initially embraced. The results of the collaboration garnered critical praise for Argento and a top ten record in Italy for Goblin.

In 1977, after their second unsuccessful non-soundtrack release, the band broke up. However, by promising to shoot his next horror film Suspiria after the band created the music Argento was able to reunite Goblin. The soundtrack for Suspiria became Goblin’s best work and a perfect example of their creepy, intelligent sound. They combined heavy guitar riffs and droning electronic elements with spastic drumming and vocal chants to make songs that are truly sinister but very danceable at times. The title track stands out not only for its chilling cries of “witch!” but also because of the outstanding synthesizer solo.

Click here to listen to “Suspiria” by Goblin

Goblin was featured in a dozen other soundtracks including a heavy metal tinged effort for the Italian version of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead before the band eventually dissolved again in 1983. But none of those releases match the quality or overall eeriness of Suspiria and Profondo Rosso. Choose either soundtrack, turn down the lights, turn up Goblin and enjoy Halloween.

by: Harold Johns III