Horror movie atmospherics have a long and proud history in prog, but the eerie sonic tactics employed most famously by the likes of Goblin on Dario Argento’s movie soundtracks are rarely heard these days.
As a result, this Aussie trio’s liberal use of scary movie tropes and classically diabolical sounds makes for a pretty original and compelling listen. As soon as you’re greeted by the thunderclaps, creaking doors and church organ of Revelations, you know you aren’t listening to a Scouting For Girls album. And when the muttered prayers in Latin kick in, you’re likely to be getting seriously unsettled. After that, the central narrative of the piece is set in place – the tale of an alchemist persecuted for his study of other-worldly phenomena. ‘I know what I saw in that ungodly place,’ he protests. ‘A demon – I saw its face!’ The long, atmospheric instrumental passages of Requiem and Curis Regis might cause impatience in those who prefer their prog to rock hard at regular intervals. However, if you consider this to be essentially mood music, or the soundtrack to a horror movie as yet unmade, then it could well work its dark spell on you.
