Giallo!
- One Suite For The Murderer is a compilation of pieces inspired
by Profondo Rosso (Deep Red), a seminal thriller directed in
1975 by Dario Argento featuring a famous soundtrack by Goblin. It was
released in 2008 on the independent French label Musea Records in
collaboration with the Finnish Colossus. Some talented Italian
artists were recruited to interpret with their own music and lyrics
the scenes and the characters of the film, creating something new
while paying in the same time a due tribute to Dario Argento's work,
one of the best known Italian Gialli. In fact, "giallo"
is an Italian word that means "yellow" but that also
defines a genre of literature and film named after the colour of the
cover background of a series of cheap paperback mystery novels... All
the artists involved in this project showed
a great respect for the film that inspired it and for its mood.
Anyway, if you are not familiar with it, do not worry: the rich
booklet with its nice artwork and the extended liner notes will make
you understand what the music is about.
The
opener is a short instrumental track, "Frammento
Rosso / Intro", that sets the atmosphere. Composer and
keyboardist Alfio Costa (from Prowlers, Tilion, Daal) here plays
Grand piano and Minimoog with great effectiveness conveying a strong
sense of mystery and tension...
Then
comes the first suite, "Visions of Helga" by Dark Session.
Dark Session is mainly the brainchild of composer and
multi-instrumentalist Flavio Costa (from Tilion) who, with the help
of his brother Alfio (keyboards) and Hamadi Trabelsi (vocals), here
paints in black feelings and notes trying to explore what's behind
the mind of the murderer. This piece describes the part of the film
where a famous psychic, Helga Ulmann, perceives the evil presence of
a serial killer during a public meeting... Through his eyes and his
hands she looses her soul and her life! It's a prevalently
instrumental track that, in my opinion, perfectly fits the subject
matter mirroring in some way the images of the film with sounds and
words.
The
second suite, "Vecchi giochi" (Old Games), was provided by
Leviathan, a Roman band whose roots date back to 1985. Here the line
up features Fabio Amici (keyboards, Hammond), Fabio Donna (bass),
Andrea Moneta (drums, electric guitar) plus the guests vocalists
Pierfrancesco Drago (from Revelation and Arcadelt) and Rossella
Salvucci. This piece is divided into four parts and it was inspired
by the private investigations of the main character of the film,
Marcus Daly. The music and the intriguing lyrics by Beatrice
Pietrangeli describe this particular hunting game from the point of
view of the lurking murderer rather than that of the improvised
detective. So, Marcus Daly here becomes the pray. The first part,
"L'avvertimento" (The warning) begins softly with organ and
piano in the forefront and theatrical male vocals... The killer's
house is like a piano where he composes his troubled existence, every
fear is like a black and white sequence, a music from the heart that
is driving him insane, he's ready to strike and he's biding his time
in the dark... Thin deadly melodies soar on the second part,
"L'indagine" (The investigation), delivered by the
wonderful voice of Rossella Salvucci. The third part, "L'assassinio"
(The murder) features a long instrumental section and the rhythm
rises... Run away if you can, but beware! The killer knows where and
when he can get you... The final part, "La villa" (The
manor), is disquieting and darker than ever, there are some narrative
vocals and a church-like choir in the background, then the music and
lyrics lead you to the closed gates of mysterious, abandoned villa...
A great track!
 |
| Floating State |
The
third suite, "Suite dall'inconscio dell'assassino" (Suite
from the subconscious of the murderer), is the contribute by Floating
State, an experienced band from Bari featuring Marco Esposito
(vocals, classical guitar, flute), Grazia Stella (sax), Mimmo Ferri
(Theremin, electric piano, organ, synthesizers), Gigi Ferri (electric
guitars), Francesco Antonino (electric bass) and Beatrice Birardi
(drums, percussion, vibraphone). This piece is divided into ten
sections and begins where the previous track left you: in front of
the gate of the mysterious manor. You can hear the gate creaking on
its hinges, then the music and lyrics take you in and welcome you to
a nightmare where the insane instincts of the murderer, his feelings
and sensations unfurl as if they were on trial in a hazy court of
justice, accused by his subconscious. There's delirium and madness,
evil and mercy in this outstanding track that features also some
short excerpts from "School at Night (Lullaby)", from the
original soundtrack of the film.
A
short, evocative instrumental track by Alfio Costa, "Mirrors /
Outro", ends this excellent album where the music flows away in
perfect coherence without weak moments.
Various
Artists: Giallo! - One Suite For The Murderer (2008). Other
opinions:
Olav
Martin Bjørnsen: As
with all releases in what is often referred to as The Colossus
Projects, this one is also an outing that should appeal most to fans
of ‘70's symphonic rock, in particular those who enjoy long and
elaborate epic compositions... If you enjoy intense moods and
atmospheres, and find dark emotions fascinating, this is a release
that should have a good chance of providing many hours of joy...
(read the complete review HERE)
More
info:
Alfio and Flavio
Costa:
Leviathan:
Floating
State:
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