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Their latest release, “Spikes” has been scored by Phantom Soundtracks founder Darren Callahan, who has written drama for the BBC and the Sci-Fi Channel, as well as releasing over 40 albums of original music. Darren built the album on nights and weekends, after working his job as a biological engineer. As the title suggests, it’s is a mock 70’s slasher movie, and for such a stylised, formulaic (and oft clichéd) genre (teenage promiscuity leads to brutal consequences at the hands of a deranged individual, etc.) there is a pre-determined expectation of how the music should sound, and Callahan certainly delivers. The sleeve design depicts some gruesome images and telling captions (‘“The Sticks” - a muddy, abandoned part of the rail tracks, with tall grass and broken glass from teenage partying. Do these kids know what they’re in for?’) and the track titles: “Early Morning Killing”, “The Drive to the Sticks”, “Plans with Steve”, “Severed Arm”, “The Open Field”, “Grim Discovery”, “Killings Girls”, “Knots”, “Tracy’s Escape” to “Chase Through The Trees” - there’s very little is left to the imagination. The tracks instill suspense - with sharp repetitions, fear - with deep unnerving bass tones, shock - with drawn out minimalism and swathes of schizophrenic electronica with sheer horror at all the key moments... “Early Morning Killing”- whose electro-wahs are clearly intended to represent the killers preferred method of killing and torture, impailing! Using a piano and analogue synthesizers and recording equipment it’s context is bang on the nail (ha ha) and is reminiscent of classic scores, like John Carpenter’s “Halloween”, "The Exorcist" or films soundtracked by Goblin. Great fun and a must for genre film fans... and better than waiting to be asked to score a horror film! |
