By Darren Allison
Zoltan
are back with their new album / CD ‘Sixty Minute Zoom’ (Cine 11). The London-based
trio have again drawn upon their influences of film composer Fabio Frizzi and
the legendary Italian soundtrack giants Goblin in order to produce this
creative and unique homage to the much-loved Giallo film genre. To date,
Zoltan’s journey has been an incredibly interesting ride and Sixty Minute Zoom
really does emerge as arguably their most polished piece of work. The album
reveals a perfect coherence between keyboardist Andy Thompson,
bassist/keyboardist/guitarist Matt Thompson and drummer Andrew Prestidge.
‘Antonius
Block’ opens the album with a brooding, atmospheric pace, there’s also plenty
of haunting synths that flutter among the punchy sharpness of Prestidge’s
percussion. Zoltan provide a relevantly spooky and unsettling vibe through Side
One, especially with tracks such as ‘Table of Hours’. Whilst ‘The Ossuary’ is a
piece that begins with a sense of soothing electronic energy, don’t be fooled – as it switches direction
around the half way mark and instead pulls us into the realm of suspense and an
almost pulsating stalker theme. Zoltan cleverly keep you on your toes and guessing
throughout – it’s an almost stylised mystery tour which never allows the
listener to settle for a minute.
Side
Two is devoted entirely to the epic ‘The Integral’ – a twenty-one minute synth
symphony which captures Zoltan’s slick sense of unity. The piece arguably emerges
as an Italian Giallo suite, a rich mixture of electro experimentation and
rhythmic beats - a powerful, threatening groove which could have effortlessly
graced any classic euro horror of the day.
I
have to admire Zoltan’s continued commitment to the Italian horror genre, an
area to which some may consider (rather unwisely) as a defunct soundtrack
category of the past. There is a genuine passion behind Zoltan’s work, an almost
unflinching desire to assure that the Giallo soundtrack keeps its head firmly above
the water – and who can blame them? It’s a release which will certainly appeal to
fans of cult Euro horror and exploitation fiends.
Cineploit have released Sixty minute zoom
in a number of formats including Vinyl LP, CD and several mixed options – check
it out here http://www.cineploit.com/