On both sides of a great ocean, many of us wipe the sweat from our brows and bury the faithful few whose selfless sacrifice left them literally blue in the face and ripe for zombiedom waiting for the release of one Live In Los Angeles, the official document of Daemonia's momentous appearance on ProgWest 2002's stage in Claremont, CA. A rain-laden season lent a gloomy air to that September day perfect. Keyboard-mastermind Claudio Simonetti and his cohorts bassist Federico Amorosi, guitarist Bruno Previtali, drummer Titta Tani burned up Seeley-Mudd Theater with a choice set of Goblin classics, several non-Goblin tracks integrated for good measure. A good deal of effort went into the preparation of this DVD release, which includes an additional audio CD of new "old" material.
Excellent camerawork by Andrea Karlin, Jay Stein and ProgWest co-organizer David Robin make Live In Los Angeles a wicked view, much more palatable than Mona Lisa's Live At ProgFest 2000. Extraneous (non-concert) tongue-in-cheek elements appear in places, a sign that Daemonia is a band out to have fun and kick out the jams in spite of a rather frozen front row. Airtight versions of "Profondo Rosso," "Suspiria" (vocoder by Claudio), "Demon," "Mater Tenebrarum," "Phenomena" and others yield no lag in player chemistry whatsoever. Claudio's recruits have metal backgrounds; most of the tracks are ballsier but this is to the benefit of the Goblin paradigm. Claudio's dextrous chops anchor these classics; select patches from a Roland XP-50 and Korg 01/W handsomely mimic (in some cases, substitute) the sounds of old. For piano, he drops down to a Roland RD-5000 digital piano. A mixer to his left adds the boost and clarity the sounds require to negotiate Bruno Previtali's leviathan tone and tasteful shredding. Speaking of Bruno, his solos on "Suspiria," "Opera" and particularly "Phenomena" elevate those tracks to another level and now seem incomplete without his augmentations. The FedericoTitta tag team does justice to Pignatelli-Marangolo as the rhythmic lifeblood is diffused throughout. Conspicuously absent are "Toccata E Fuga" and "Nonhosonno" convenient editing does not suggest these pieces were even performed.
Several promovideos produced between 1998-2001 are tacked on: "Profondo Rosso" (two versions) from Dario Argento Tribute (with original Daemonia guitarist Nicola Di Staso); "Opera" with orchestra from the Opera special edition DVD; "Suspiria," an even promo; and "Zaratozom," a patchwork of candid camcorder footage in Europe and Japan. A tribute to Argento's bloody giallo films, the "Profondo" video is a hoot, and the shorter version trims only the extended intro. Hit repeat!
The audio CD is nothing less than a brand-new recording of Goblin's legendary 1978 soundtrack to Zombi. The reincarnated Zombi adds to the original nine two new recordings in "Zombi Sexy" and "Supermarket" "At The Safari" is a new arrangement by Titta & Claudio. As with the Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, Tenebre and Phenomena material, so are these compositions reinvigorated. Ever the most poignant, "Oblio" is reborn with a sizzling monosynth solo in lieu of the original's sax. The most melodic piece, "The Hunt," is edgier and slightly more rockin.' "Torte In Faccia" reprises Claudio's great piano ability. The new pieces make fine complements to the initial recording, giving us more of what we crave. Three bonus tracks continue to fuel the addiction: a new version of Roller's amazing title cut, the aforementioned rendition of Bach's "Toccata E Fuga," and a full band version of the main title from Claudio's synthesized score for Dario Argento's Il Cartaio.
What more is there to say? It's always best to watch and listen. Live In Los Angeles could well end up being the DVD release of 2006!
See also:
Live...Or Dead
Live In Tokyo
Tracklist:
DVD: Live In Los Angeles
1. Introduction
2. L'alba Dei Morti Viventi
3. Demon
4. Band Introduction
5. Halloween / Tubular Bells
6. Inferno / Mater Tenebrarum
7. Opera
8. Suspiria
9. Phenomena
10. Zombi
11. Tenebre
12. School At Night / Mad Puppet
13. Titta / Drums Solo
14. Claudio / Piano Solo
15. Profondo Rosso
16. Phenomena (Bis)
Bonus Videos
Profondo Rosso (long version)
Profondo Rosso (short version)
Opera
Suspiria
Zaratozom
CD: Zombi
1. L'alba Dei Morti Viventi Dawn Of The Dead
2. Zombi
3. At The Safari
4. Torte In Faccia Pie In Face
5. Zaratozom Shriek
6. La Caccia The Hunt
7. Tirassegno Target Shooting
8. Oblio Oblivion
9. Risveglio Awakening
10. Zombi Sexy
11. Supermarket
Bonus Tracks
12. Roller
13. Toccate E Fuga
14. Il Cartaio
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