Though Goblin are undoubtedly most famous for their iconic soundtrack work, shop it would be a disservice to the band to pigeonhole them as straightforward film-scorers. No slight on the folks whose passion is in movie music, cialis but what Goblin did feels entirely different from tradition. The Italian group, who got their start in the early 70s under the names Oliver and Cherry Five, didn’t write typical scores for films so much as they wrote groovy, propulsive and spooky prog-rock songs that doubled as perfect accompaniment to classics like Dario Argento’s Suspiria and George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.
Those soundtracks, along with several others the band wrote for Argento, remain much-beloved today. Thus, news that the reunited Goblin would be embarking on its first-ever tour of the United States, just in time for Halloween, was received with spectacular enthusiasm.
Tickets for the band’s Boston appearance at The Sinclair sold out months in advance, and the line of excited fans that snaked down the stairs, around the building and far down the adjacent alleyway only further cemented the momentous nature of this tour. Three-plus decades is a long time to wait for a band, and there were undoubtedly those in the audience who had endured it. Shirts emblazoned with vintage Dawn of the Dead artwork populated the crowd of buzzing fans securing their crowd spots, while red light poured from the stage and the venue pumped in a curious mix of free-jazz and grindcore as house music. The mood was vaguely ominous, but with a hint of camp; perfect for a band that calls itself Goblin.
Openers Secret Chiefs 3 took the stage first, with a rather stunning set that earned them a warmer reception than your average opening act. The amorphous group, which is led by guitarist Tony Spruance and boasts no consistent lineup or genre constraint, took the stage dressed in Sunn O)))-esque robes and tore into 45 minutes of complex and consistently intriguing instrumental rock. Following a chugging, proggy reworking of the theme to John Carpenter’s Halloween, the quintet shifted toward technical jams tinged with Arabic scales. Spruance’s fretwork on that front was particularly impressive. The suspense began to build once more after the Chiefs departed, and at last a dancer in torn clothes and zombie makeup emerged on stage to signal the arrival of Goblin.
Original members Claudio Simonetti and Maurizio Guarini took their places at opposite banks of keyboards taller than they were, while founding guitarist Massimo Morante and new rhythm section Bruno Previtali and Titta Tani populated center stage. From the first note, it all sounded just right. The Goblin of 2013 can still pull off the skillful balance of horror atmosphere and gloriously vibrant rock and roll at the core of their sound flawlessly. Sinister keyboard tones mingled with Morante’s versatile guitar work, backed by tight drums and bass to create everything from a sense of creeping dread to a head-banging proto-metal stomp.
There was a real sense of rhythm and variety to the performance, which took some unexpected turns while still delivering the tunes that fans were dying to hear. The setlist culled both from the band’s extensive soundtrack work and its handful of traditional studio albums, while psychedelic arrangements of film clips illuminated the performance at the relevant moments. Watching quick cuts of zombie carnage unfold as the band jammed on the Dawn of the Dead theme felt especially perfect.
Beyond sounding great, Goblin’s set was the rare reunion performance where the band seemed to be having just as much fun as the audience. Morante saluted fans with a smile and sign of the horns between most every song, and even unfurled a tiny American flag as he announced how excited the band was to finally be touring the United States. The whole band looked genuinely happy to hear the cheers that followed the opening notes of most every song, and that ultimately made the experience all the better. Goblin will be back to Cambridge for round two in December, and my advice is to seize a second opportunity to see them while you still can.
