If you’re a fan of Italian prog rock or cult horror films, then the legend that is Goblin needs no introduction.

For the uninitiated, Goblin is responsible for some of the most striking and incredibly memorable horror soundtracks of all time. In many cases, like with Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Profondo Rosso, the cult popularity and infamy of these films simply would not be the same if it weren’t for the band’s surreal, darkly psychedelic scores.

Beginning in September of this year, Claudio Simonetti’s recent reincarnation of Goblin will be touring a screening of the Argento classic thriller, Tenebre (or Tenebrae), while performing its underrated synth-heavy soundtrack in full. This is not an event that you will want to pass up.

The film, a classic example of the giallo genre, deals with a murder-mystery novelist, who becomes entangled in a web of murder and intrigue himself, as a serial killer goes on a rampage that seems to be inspired by his stories. Even though it is less stylistic as say, Suspiria or Inferno, Tenebre still invokes a sense of surreal dread, like an inescapable nightmare.

Watch the trailer below:

The soundtrack, recorded by a reunion of the three of the original four members of the then-disbanded Goblin, chills with gothic organs and chromatic synthesizers. The score itself is a mix of keyboard-driven Tangerine Dream-esque soundscapes and surprisingly danceable rock that can be almost described as “poppy”.

The soundtrack was lovingly remastered and released on vinyl by the fine folks over at Waxwork Records last year.  If there was one record that I’d find in someone’s collection over from Waxwork within the last 12 months, it was almost always Tenebre. This was a popular record and just a quick sampling will tell you why.

Keep an eye out here for dates and locations for the Tenebre tour once they’re announced. It’s going to one hell of a killer show…

-KH

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