Goblin is back!

Inspired by the 70s horror film icons who brought us Suspira, Zombi, and Tenebre, Goblin Rebirth features the original drummer Agostino Marangolo and bassist Fabio Pignatelli, alongside new keyboard players Aidan Zammit and Danilo Cherni, as well as guitarist Giacomo Anselmion. Together with guest musicians Arnaldo Vacca, Roberta Lombardini, Francesco Marini, and Dorraine Zammit Lupi, they bring us eight tracks of newly incarnated Goblin horror.

The album opens with ‘Requiem for X’, which has a theatrical, atmospheric intro, using bells, piano, synths, and percussion. This flows into a rock song with funky basslines, haunting synths, and incredible dramatic tension. ‘Back in 74’ has even more funk, and through the synths the spotlight is really on the amazing bass licks by Pignatelli. The guitar and synth playing over the foundation of synth, bass, and drums seem to form a storyline in your head, and the music-box outro is also nice and creepy. ‘Book of Skulls’, while also funky, has a very trance-like synth-driven atmosphere, while ‘Mysterium’ has a stable base but very strong and far-out synth and guitar elements throughout it, which makes for a very intense experience.

One of the things that really impresses on Goblin Rebirth (Relapse) is how varied the music is: the changes of pace, key, and dominant instrument within each song, while somehow managing to stay thematically linked. ‘Evil in the Machine’, opens with an amazing bass riff, the use of the vocoder creates a space-horror feel, and the guitar riffs almost give you the physical claustrophobic sensation of being stuck on a spaceship with a rogue AI. In addition is the contradiction between the organic and synthetic in the song ‘Forest’; on the one hand the synths don’t seem to match something as earthly as a forest, on the other hand the vocals by Roberta Lombardini and the bass, drums, and guitars really do evoke the natural world. The resulting balance is truly spectacular. ‘Dark Bolero’ out of this world; the addition of cello, played by Francesco Marini, is darkly exciting, as are the choral vocals. It also features percussion by Analdo Vacca, who does an even more spectacular job in ‘Rebirth’, the final song on this album, which also features some impressive acoustic guitar.

If you are fond of the old Goblin, like the musicality of Ayreon, theatrical or progressive rock, horror and 70s soundtracks, you should totally get this album.

Seriously, it is that good.

9.0/10

LORRAINE LYSEN