Nonhosonno

by Donald A. GuariscoThis soundtrack, which marked the long-awaited reunion of Goblin with director Dario Argento, has plenty of the gothic atmosphere and sonic firepower that defined the group's sound on past soundtrack classics like Profondo Rosso and Suspiria. Sadly, Nonhosonno lacks the strong and varied melodies that also defined those past efforts. The first half offers up a few solid instrumentals in the traditional Goblin style: "Non Ho Sonno" fuses classical-styled keyboard frills with gritty guitar riffs in the group's time-tested prog-metal style and "Killer on the Train" creates a creepy yet catchy soundscape by wrapping pulsating synthesizer riffs around the crunch of a Metallica-styled rhythm section. Unfortunately, the second half gets bogged down in hookless "atmospheric" tracks ("Associated Dead") and solid but unexceptional variations on the themes introduced in the first half ("The Swan"). The end result works well in a film but doesn't work well as a stand-alone listening experience. In the end, the highlights from the first half of Nonhosonno are strong enough to make the album worthwhile for Goblin fanatics, but other listeners might want to think twice before picking it up.