REVIEWS BY MARK R. HASAN, AARON VON LUPTON, GEORGE PACHECO, JESSA SOBCZUK AND TREVOR TUMINSKI.


AFTERLIFE tomandandy MILAN RECORDS With Paul W.S. Anderson back in the di- rector’s chair, the sound of the Resident Evil franchise returns to the guitar- heavy, industrial racket of the first film. But as skilled as lower-case duo toman- dandy are in creating edgy textures from electronic sounds and samples (note their masterwork Right at Your Door), much of the score consists of powerful little sonic mobiles that feel looped and overstretched. The sense one gets is of musical ideas expanded to fill out un- ending zombie combat scenes, leaving any variation or dramatic peaks and val- leys to the sound designers. The album has a decisive tone, but the repetitive- ness of the cues makes the musical drama somewhat one-sided. “Promise” offers a rare melodic, grunge-free break, and the three-note main theme is a great collage of snarling guitar, clashing metal and fuzzy electrified tones, but it’s a score kept underdeveloped. MRH 00½


RESIDENT EVIL: SOUNDTRACK


acts such as Midnight Syndicate and Nox Arcana – showcases the same magical sense of whimsy as a Danny Elfman score but with the odd indus- trial flourish thrown in, such as the percussive unease of “The Terror Within.” Otherwise, Carpe Noctem runs the expected, albeit accom- plished, gamut of groaning string foundations (“Time Forgotten”), spell- binding piano sonatas (“Death’s Lament”), haunting choral vocals (“Hallowed Grounds”), stabby harpsi- chord (the werewolf-inspired “Full Moon”) and tinkling toy pianos (the eerie lullaby “Playful Spirits”). In short, Karan keeps things classic, if not a bit safe, and though Carpe Noctem won’t expand your musical universe, it defi- nitely sets the creepy mood. TT 00½


MAD TEA PARTY Rock-n-Roll Ghoul


ROCK


PHANTOM 13 S/T


PUNK


NIGHTMARE Carpe Noctem INDEPENDENT Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Prelude to a Nightmare is really the work of one man: Scott Karan, a.k.a. The Maestro – a name, as The Stranger in The Big Lebowski once said, that no one would self-apply where I come from. Despite the pomp, PtaN’s debut – in- spired by other instrumental spook


PRELUDE TO A R 62M A U D I O D R O M E INSTRUMENTAL


PHANTOM RECORDS Ohio’s Phantom 13 is applying the tried-and-true method of simple zom- bie-themed lyrics and homegrown punk to its self-titled debut. Among the half-dozen songs that make up this 30-minute offering, you can hear more than just a faint reverberation of the trio’s influences; Motörhead, Mis- fits and Psycho Charger ring out to name a few. But between the layers of homage comes an infectious ardour and sonic fervency that will definitely strike a primal chord with punk fans. Sutter Cain leads the band with a twangy howl, most effective on the addictive “Kiss of Death” and “N.A.U.,” while the rest of the sound is rounded out with psychobilly-tinged bass lines and understated, thrashy guitar riffs. Unfortunately, with the album being this brief, it’s difficult to determine where the laundry list of in- fluences stops and the real Phantom 13 begins. Hopefully the next disc will find the band members more comfort- able in their own shoes, and stomping on some new ground. JS 000


INDEPENDENT The sequel to last year’s seasonal offer- ing Zombie Boogie (RM#97), Rock-n- Roll Ghoul takes Mad Tea Party’s ’60s psychedelic garage rock and winds it around four more tales fit for a witching hour shindig. The Asheville, North Car- olina duo of Ami Worthen and Jason Krekel wield an unusual assortment of instruments for this 7” vinyl EP (fret not, digital mongers – it’s available as a download too), including electric ukulele, fiddle, foot stomps, handclaps and scin- tillating doo-wop harmonies. The pair gnashes its lyrical teeth into flesh-eating music critics on the jangly title track, sing the praises of Vincent Price’s turn as the disfigured organist/hopeless ro- mantic on “Dr. Phibes,” confess to ob- sessive love on the plucky, surf pop gem “Possessed,” and play it cool in Ol’ Square Head’s digs with a choice cover of ’50s R&B quartet The Hollywood Flames’ “Frankenstein’s Den.” The only downside is it’s too brief to truly rot your ears! TT 000½


GRAVEWURM Blood of the Pentagram


METAL


HELLS HEADBANGERS Considering that Virginia’s Gravewurm has been kicking ’round the underground for twenty years now, one might assume that the band’s been honing a lethal, razor-sharp black/thrash metal sound. Wrong. Blood of the Pentagram loses points immediately with its tinny, pedes- trian drum programming, and it just gets worse from there. Opening tracks “Goat Command,” “Grave” and “Deeper Dun- geons” revel in the most base mid-paced riff drivel, while the wheezing, passionless “vocals” of bassist Zyklon sound more like the dying Skeksis Emperor from The Dark Crystal than anything with power or presence. Black metal should be fear- some and full of absolute, storming men- ace. This doesn’t even sound finished. Frankly, Hells Headbangers should be ashamed to even be releasing this glori- fied Frisbee in any format, let alone vinyl or compact disc. Gravewurm are a shockingly bad, almost comically shoddy, sub-demo level act, unworthy of more than the trash heap. GP DOA


THE WICKER MAN (1973) Paul Giovanni


SOUNDTRACK


SILVA SCREEN Paul Giovanni’s 1973 score still grabs the lis- tener with its harmonic eloquence and exquisite evocation of an isolated pagan community whose charming traditions include burning big things in style. The bulk of the score lies in more than ten songs, of which three are works of art. Performed with folk instruments and soothing vocals, the upbeat “Corn Rigs” is lyrically charming, the soft female voice in “Willow’s Song” is ethereally haunting and “Gently Johnny” is extraordinary for the way first love is conveyed through poetic lyrics and instrumentation that leaves little to the imagination. Giovanni uses harmony and delicate musicianship to support the illusion of an idyllic, close-knit community, as well as to contrast the mental and moral down- fall of protagonist Sergeant Howie. Silva’s reissue CD presents the songs in amazingly crisp stereo, and the sparse instrumental tracks have been cleaned up and edited into a partial stereo suite. MRH 0000½


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