VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. I

You can find the download links to "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Volumes II, III and IV below:

VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. II
VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. III
VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. IV

Back in March of 2008 the Unreleased Horror Scores blog posted several volumes of "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores" compilations. Unfortunately the download links posted on his blog have been dead for some time now. I will be posting the first five volumes from this collection tonight and tomorrow. While the title of the compilation states that these are from unreleased horror scores, several of these scores actually have been released. These are actually audio rips from VHS tapes of each of the films. While I'm sure this brings up dreadful visions of horrible sound quality, the quality isn't as bad as you would imagine. These actually sound fairly decent considering they are VHS audio rips, aside from a couple of tracks which have some distortion and background noise. The low quality recordings actually compliment the creepy atmosphere created by the music in some cases, as with Carl Zittrer's organ themes for Deranged.

As I mentioned before, the download links on the Unreleased Horror Scores blog have been dead for some time now. Fortunately the Egg City Radio blog re-uploaded the first five volumes and added tags to the tracks. I went a step further and retagged it once again. I added the proper artists to each track, corrected the titles and made a few other slight alterations. These compilations have generated a fair amount of interest, and I'm glad that I am able to help keep them alive for those interested.

Each of these compilations features a remarkable array of music from various horror films, the majority of which are main and end titles from the films. While the majority of the music contained within these collections is fantastic, there are also a few selections that leave much to be desired. There is a wide range of films from all over the world represented in each compilation, from popular horror films familiar to all, to those that have been long forgotten by all but a few. These compilations are essential listening for any horror fan.

Year of Release: 2008
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320VBR

Tracklist:
01. Mark Nicholasa - Death Warmed Up (1984)
02. George Roberttson - Intruder (1988)
03. Marcello Giombini - Panic (1976)
04. Murielle Hodler-Hamilton & Joel Hamilton - Bloody Pom Poms (1987)
05. Murielle Hodler-Hamtilton & Joel Hamilton - Bloody Pop Poms - End Credits (1987)
06. Jack Hues - The Guardian (1990)
07. Jim Manzie - H.P. Lovecraft's The Lurking Fear (1994)
08. Richard Band & Fuzzbee Morse - Dolls (1986)
09. Dana Kaproff - Chiller (With Narration) (1985)
10. Arthur Kempel - Graduation Day (1981)
11. Allan Zovod - Howling III - The Marsupials (1988)
12. Ubaldo Continiello - Frozen Terror (1980)
13. Daniele Patucchi - Man From Deep River (1972)
14. Franco Micalizzi - The Last Hunter (1980)
15. Andrew Barrymore - Blastfighter (1984)
16. Franco Campanino - Cannibal Holocaust 2: The Catherine Miles Story (1985)
17. Nuclear Assault - Something Wicked (Warlock 2 The Armeggedon) (1993)
18. Don Preston - Blood Diner (1987)
19. Stuart Rabinowitsh, Leonard Marcel & Kevin McMahon - The Video Dead (1987)
20. Stuart Rabinowitsh, Leonard Marcel & Kevin McMahon - The Video Dead (End Titles) (1987)
21. Ray Calcord - The Devonsville Terror (1983)
22. James Calabrese & Kenneth Higgins - Spookies (1987)
23. Richard Band & Shirley Walker - Ghoulies (1985)
24. Renato Serio - Alone In The Dark (1982)
25. Joe Renzetti - Dead & Buried (1981)
26. Joe Renzetti - Dead & Buried (End Titles) (1981)
27. George Blondheim - Gate II (1989)
28. George Blondheim - Gate II (End Titles) (1989)
29. Roger Bellon - The Unholy (1987)
30. Fuzzbee Morse - Ghoulies 2 (1987)

Download: VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. I
Download Size: 68MB

James Bernard & Tristram Carry - The Hammer Quatermass Film Music Collection (1999 - FLAC & 320kbps)

Several of you have requested soundtracks to films released by Hammer Film Productions, and I'm pleased to be able to present an excellent collection of music from three of the four Quatermass films released by Hammer during the '50s and '60s. The Quatermass films were part of a science-fiction horror series that revolved around the aftermath of a lethal extraterrestrial fungus brought back to Earth by the sole survivor of an outer space expedition. These films helped to put Hammer on the map, and many consider them to be among the best films that Hammer ever produced. The Hammer Quatermass Film Music Collection contains both Tristram Cary's original electronic scores, as well as James Bernard's orchestral scores composed for the following Hammer films: The Quatermass Experiment (1956) Quatermass II (1957) and Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

The music from the films is introduced in reverse chronological order, with Tristram Cary's electronic score for "Quatermass & The Pit" up first. The music from this film makes up the bulk of the collection, while only a few minutes of music from "Quatermass II" and "The Quatermass Experiment" are presented. This is my only complaint regarding the collection, as the quality of the music more than makes up for the lack of equal representation. James Bernard's orchestral score to "Quatermass II" is the second to appear, with three tracks which clock in at just over two minutes in total length. It is followed by another score from James Bernard for the film "Quatermass II". Again, most of the cues are very short, and the seven tracks total slightly less than three minutes in length. "Quatermass & The Pit" appears once again, with various electronic music sessions
from Tristram Carry finishing off the collection. All of the tracks featured in the collection have been digitally restored from their original recordings and sound fantastic.

I had intended to wait until I had both the FLAC and 320kbps mp3 versions uploaded before I created this post. I uploaded the FLAC version last night, and the plan was to start the 320kbps upload before I left for school. As luck would have it, my computer froze up, so I had to just leave without starting the upload. I will upload the 320kbps version as soon as I get home from school this afternoon, and post the download link as soon as it finishes uploading.

Year of Release: 1999
Label: GDI Records (UK) (GDICD008)
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Science-Fiction
Bitrate: FLAC & 320kbps

Tracklist:

Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
1. Opening Credits
2. Bones
3. Unexploded Bomb
4. Discovery
5. More Discoveries
6. Poltergeist?
7. Hob's Lane
8. Mysterious Happenings
9. Pentacle
10. Hideous Dwarf
11. Demons
12. Dissecting and Preserving
13. Terror
14. Alien Force
15. Panic
16. Mayhem
17. Power of the Horned Demon
18. Finale and End Credits (Unused)
19. End Credits

Quatermass 2 (1957)
20. Opening Credits
21. Things in the Domes
22. End Credits

Quatermass Xperiment (1956)
23. Opening Credits
24. News Headlines
25. Examining Carroon
26. Carroon Is Restless
27. Cacti
28. Metamorphosis
29. Another Victim

Quatermass and the Pit: Electronic Music Sections (1967)
30. Untitled 1
31. Untitled 2
32. Untitled 3
33. Untitled 4
34. Untitled 5
35. Untitled 6
36. Untitled 7
37. Untitled 8
38. Untitled 9
39. Untitled 10

FLAC Download: James Bernard & Tristram Carry - The Hammer Quatermass Film Music Collection (1999 - FLAC)
Download Size: 263MB

320kbps MP3 Download: James Bernard & Tristram Carry - The Hammer Quatermass Film Music Collection (1999 - 320kbps)
Download Size: 164MB

Jeffrey Combs Reads H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West Re-Animator (Audiobook)

Halloween is drawing ever closer,
and with only six days left it is becoming increasingly obvious that I am not going to have time to post all of the material that I would have liked to. Regardless of that fact it has still been a good run. Last September we made the most posts this blog had seen in almost two years, and we have exceeded that total once again this month. The request thread has been a welcome addition, and I would like to thank Strange Ranger from the Motherfucker=Redeemer blog once again for doing such a great job of helping to fill the majority of the requests that have been made.

I'm pleased to be able to present another audiobook for all you Lovecraft fans out there. This is actually a re-up of one of the numerous audiobooks I posted for the H.P. Lovecraft audiobooks mega-post This one features Jeffrey Combs, best known for playing the role of Dr. Herbert West in Stuart Gordon's 1985 film "Re-Animator", reading H.P. Lovecraft's 1922 short story "Herbert West-Reanimator." I can't think of too many people that would be more fitting to read this story than the man who has become synonymous with the character of Dr. Herbert West. Lovecraft originally serialized the story in Home Brew Vol. 1, No. 1–6, an amateur magazine published by his friend George Julian Houtain. The tracks are split up and given the same names as those originally used by Lovecraft. This audiobook recording was released by Beyond Books in 1999 and has been out of print for some time now.

Year of Release:
Label: Beyond Books
Genres: Audiobook, Horror, Science Fiction
Bitrate: 128kbps

Tracklist:
1. From The Dark
2. The Plague-Demon
3. Six Shots By Moonlight
4. The Scream Of The Dead
5. The Horror From Shadows
6. The Tomb Legions

Download: Jeffry Combs Reads H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West Re-Animator
Download Size: 68MB

Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 38-41 (EC Comics)

Here is the final installment, covering issues #38-46, of the complete run of Tales From the Crypt comics published by EC Comics from 1950-1955. You can find issues #17-27 posted here, and issues #28-37 posted here. I covered most of the history behind the comic in my last post, so I'm simply going to copy & paste that info below to save some time. You can find the other issues in the series here:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 28-37
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 17-27

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. I should point out that the reprints are numbered differently than the original. For example, the reprint issue #18 of Crypt of Terror, is numbered as issue #2 on the cover. I have kept the original numbering system for the issues intact, so the file names are correct, even though the reprint covers might have a different issue number. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs."

"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 38-41 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 41MB

Update: A couple of readers informed me that the archive is missing files 42-46. I will be uploading this on the morning of October 31st and adding them to this post. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Expanded Motion Picture Score (1974 - 320kbps)

I was shocked to discover that I had not already posted this soundtrack, which is possibly one of the greatest horror scores to never see an official release. I am presenting two different versions of this bootleg soundtrack to you today. The first version comes courtesy of Shelby Cobras from the Illogical Contraption blog, which is a great blog that you should definitely pay a visit if you haven't already. The second comes from a fellow known for creating a massive number of bootleg soundtrack releases, "Chief Brody", who also runs a blog which can be found here. Chief Brody's version is entitled "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Expanded Motion Picture Score" and contains 15 tracks in total. I tagged and properly named the tracks according to the tracklist provided by Chief Brody on the cover art he created. The Illogical Contraption version contains a total of 11 tracks, including the opening narration by John Larroquette, and the upbeat little number "Fool For A Blond" by Roger Bartlett, both of which appeared in the film. While "Fool For A Blond" isn't a bad song at all, it does contrast sharply with the rest of the music on the soundtrack, detracting from the chilling atmosphere created by the weird experimental music of Hooper and Bell. Since the soundtrack was never officially released, the tracks were never given official names. The track names differ on both bootleg releases because both rippers had to name the tracks as they saw fit. Both versions were ripped to 320kbps mp3 and sound as good as a bootleg audio rip from a low-budget mid-70s film can possibly be.

The soundtrack that accompanied the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was made up 7 original songs by various artists from Texas and an original background effects track by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell. Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper have both stated that neither have any recollection as to what happened to the original vinyl copies of the music used for the film. Kim Henkel is in possesion of the optical track containing the master soundtrack to the film, however, this track and any other significant copies of the film do not contain any audio track separation of the songs, background music, effects or dialogue. The original film contained only one mono track with the master audio, again with no separation between music, dialogue, etc.

While we may not have the isolated score created by Wayne Bell and Toby Hooper, the music, dialogue and sound effects contained in these bootlegs still manage to be every bit as creepy as the movie they accompanied.
Bell and Hooper created some of the most unnerving and creepy backing tracks to ever appear in a horror film. They incorporated a wide variety of unconventional instruments, ranging from cymbals to African instruments, and sound effects. For example, the screeching you hear during Sally's encounter with the Grandparents and at the end of the credits was made by running a pitch fork along the edge of a table. As with the film editing, the sound editing solely took place in Tobe Hooper's living room.

I would like to thank Chief Brody and Shelby Cobras for taking the time to create these and making them available to the rest of us. I would also like to thank Tim Harden from texaschainsawmassacre.net for providing some of the background information about the creative process behind the music.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Soundtrack (IC Version)

Year of Release: 1974
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Experimental
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. John Larroquette - Opening Narration
2. Roger Bartlett - Fool For A Blond
3. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - Opening Titles
4. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - The Graveyard
5. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - Smell of the Slaughterhouse
6. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - Sign of the Hitchhiker
7. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - The Drive Back to the House
8. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - Jerry Finds Pam in the Freezer/Fullmoon Sawchase
9. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - At Dawn They Feast/Escape Through A Window
10. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - A Room of Feathers and Bones
11. Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - End Titles

Download: Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Unofficial Soundtrack
Download Size: 63MB

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Expanded Motion Picture Score

Year of Release: 1974
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Experimental
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Main Title
2. The Graveyard
3. Near Terror
4. First Meat
5. The Chicken Room
6. Pursuits Into Darkness
7. The Old House
8. Busted 1
9. The Dinner Game
10. End Credits
11. Theme Reprise
12. Gutted Corpses
13. Chainsaw Chasing
14. Grandpa's Feast
15. Sawyer Gone Crazy

Download: Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Expanded Motion Picture Score Bootleg
Download Size: 92MB

Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 28-37 (EC Comics)

Here is the second installment in what will eventually be the complete run of Tales From the Crypt comics published by EC Comics from 1950-1955. I had originally planned to post the entire run of both "The Haunt of Fear" and "The Vault of Horror" also, but it doesn't look like I will have time before Halloween arrives. I posted the first 11 issues (#17-27) in my last post. Below you will find the next 10 issues in the series (#28-37). I covered most of the history behind the comic in my last post, so I'm simply going to copy & paste that info below to save some time. You can find the rest of the issues I posted here:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 38-41
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 17-27

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. I should point out that the reprints are numbered differently than the original. For example, the reprint issue #18 of Crypt of Terror, is numbered as issue #2 on the cover. I have kept the original numbering system for the issues intact, so the file names are correct, even though the reprint covers might have a different issue number. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs."

"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 28-37 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 140MB

Penis Flytrap - Tales of Terror (1998) & Dismemberment (2001)

Penis Flytrap is a name that will make any man fear for his crotch. Fortunately their music makes up for their cringe-inducing name. I wanted to go with something a bit more fun, but not too over the top to contrast with my last post. While Penis Flytrap may not be a name that many people are familiar with, some of you may be more familiar with the lead singer, Dinah Cancer. For the uninitiated, Dinah Cancer is the legendary former lead singer for 45 Grave, and considered to be one of the pioneers of the Deathrock genre. I've always been quite fond of her instantly recognizable voice, which has such a sinister quality to it that I really love.

Ironically Penis Flytrap wasn't the first band Cancer belonged whose name promoted violence towards the male reproductive organ. In the early 80s she broke into the music scene with the all female punk band, the Castration Squad, which was formed by Alice Bag of The Bags. She played a small role in other projects before joining the band that most would associate her with, 45 Grave. 45 Grave are considered on of the originators of Deathrock and helped form the style and sound that would become known as Goth. 45 Grave came to an unlikely end in 1991 shortly after lead-singer Rob Graves decided to ignore his doctor's advice and up his daily dosage of heroine slightly too much. Nearly 13 years, Cancer, along with Rikk Agnew of Christian Death, reformed 45 Grave with a new lineup.

For years Cancer turned down offers to return to the music scene, stating that she wanted to wait till her daughters were old enough to understand what she was doing. After a 7 year hiatus she finally joined the group Penis Flytrap. Only one album was released with Cancer on board before she left along with drummer Hal Satan to form Dinah Cancer and the Grave Robbers. As I mentioned before, these albums manage to be enjoyable, and manage to strike a fine balance, remaining dark and enjoyable without crossing into the territory of cheesiness. The songs are all based on various horror-inspired subjects, with a nice touch of black humor thrown in for good measure.

According to a message posted on the band's official myspace page, all three albums by Penis Flytrap are currently out of print. They announced that Dismemberment was going to be re-released with brand new artwork, but it is beginning to look like that might not ever happen.

Tales of Terror (1998)

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Bloody Daggre Records
Genres: Deathrock, Horror Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps

Tracklist:
1. Cemetary Girl
2. Tears of Blood
3. I Wait
4. Village of the Damned
5. Now
6. Dracula's Daughter

Download: Penis Flytrap - Tales of Terror
Download Size: 29MB

Dismemberment (2001)

Year of Release: 2001
Label: Black Plague Records
Genres: Deathrock, Horror Punk
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. The Dead Hate The Living
2. Fucked By The Devil
3. Tears of Blood
4. Cemetary Girl
5. Belladonna
6. Scream My Darling
7. Burn Witch Burn
8. Caves of Cassandra
9. Dark One
10. Girl In The Basement
11. Say You Love Satan
12. Now
13. The Living Hate The Dead

Download: Penis Flytrap - Dismemberment
Download Size: 59MB

Fall of the Idols - The Womb of the Earth (2006 - 320kbps)

Sown are the seeds of doom. That's right freaks, it's time for some doom metal. Up till this point I have primarily been sharing soundtracks to horror films, but I would like to take the time to share a few of my favorite bands with a penchant for the dark side. In addition to doom metal I will focus on a few of my favorite deathrock/horror punk albums, and maybe even an old school black metal album or two.

First up is one of the best doom metal groups to come out of Finland within recent years, Fall of the Idols. Fall of the Idols hail from Tornio, Finland. They formed in 2000, and went on to release their first demo, the appropriately titled "Demo2002", in 2002. It would be nearly four years later before the group released their first full length album "The Womb of the Earth" on I Hate Records in 2006. I was given permission to post this album almost two years ago, but I have a bad habit of trying to establish a flow with my selections here, and unfortunately this almost didn't happen to fit in with what I was doing at the time. However, I can't think of a better time to post this than now, as some of you may be a bit more receptive with it being close to Halloween and all. I can't think of many other doom metal albums that would be more perfect for the occasion.

When it comes to metal my decision on whether I keep or discard an album tends to live and die by the vocalist. There are plenty of bands that can deliver the crushing sound of impending doom, however, many of these groups lack a vocalist that can compliment the sound. Fortunately Jyrki Hakomäki possesses one of the most gifted voices in the genre, displaying great range when the need arises. Most importantly though, his vocal style perfectly compliments the massive, ominous sound being generated by his bandmates. For those of you looking for a group with an unapologeticly dark sound with absolutely crushing riffs, this album is for you. As always, if you enjoy this please be sure to show your support by purchasing their albums/merchandise.

Lineup:
Jyrki Hakomäki - Vocals
Vesa Karppinen - Bass
Rami Moilanen - Guitar
Jouni Sihvonen - Guitar
Tommi Turunen - Guitar
Hannu Weckman - Drums

Year of Release: 2006
Label: I Hate Records
Genre: Doom Metal
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Sown Are The Seeds Of Doom
2. Atonement For The One
3. The Grand Act
4. Agonies Be Thy Children
5. Keep Wandering The Night
6. Ungodly Thirteen
7. The Walk
8. The Pathway

Download: Fall of the Idols - Womb of the Earth
Download Size: 94MB

Richard Band - Castle Freak Original Soundtrack (1995 - 192kbps)

While the duo of composer Richard Band and director Stuart Gordon have already appeared several times on the Countdown, I couldn't resist sharing one of their lesser known collaborations. As with the previous soundtracks I shared, this film also seeks to pay homage to the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to watch this film yet, and while I prefer not to share soundtracks to films that I haven't watched, I chose to put this up regardless because I know there are several fans of Band, Gordon and Lovecraft who frequent this blog. Castle Freak was released in 1995, and is roughly based on H.P. Lovecraft's short-story "The Outsider", which was written in 1921 and first published in "Weird Tales" magazine in 1927. If you're interested in downloading the e-book or listening to the audiobook of "The Outsider" you can find both here on this blog by doing a quick search (top right).

Band's score for Castle Freak features some of his most powerful pieces, as well as some of the most delicate he has ever produced. The first half of the soundtrack is a showcase of power, and helps to further characterize the 12th century castle and the freak that lives within. Since I haven't watched the film, I can't even begin to speculate about the nature of the scenes which feature the more delicate cues, which is one reason I prefer not to review soundtracks to films that I haven't had a chance to watch. While this may not be Band's best effort, it is certainly worthy of the Halloween Countdown, and one does not need to be a fan of his work to enjoy this. This soundtrack was released by Intrada in 1995, and is currently out of print and unavailable for purchase on the Intrada website.

Year of Release: 1995
Label: Intrada
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 192kbps

Tracklist:
1. Prologue
2. The Toy Room
3. The Castle
4. Giorgio Unleashed
5. The Family Tomb
6. John's Despair
7. Giorgio Snaps
8. Il Castello Di Giove
9. Giorgio Abducts Becky
10. The Final Battle

Download: Richard Band - Castle Freak Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 60MB

Christopher Young - Hellbound: Hellraiser II Orginal Soundtrack (1989 - 320kbps & FLAC)

This will be the last soundtrack I post for the "Attack of the Sequels" theme. With only nine days left till the end of the countdown I would like to share some soundtracks from lesser-known movies, and a few of my favorite deathrock/horror punk and doom metal albums, along with a few other treats. I recently posted Christopher Young's score to "A Nightmare on Elm Street", and while it remains one of the most amazing scores to a horror film in its own right, it would be nearly three years before Young achived the recognition he truly deserved. This would come in the form of his score to Clive Barker's Hellraiser. I have read many other bloggers describe music as "Lovecraftian", particularly black metal albums, and to be honest I never understood the connection. I couldn't imagine Lovecraft being a fan of black metal if he were alive today, nor do I think it represents style of horror very well. If any music sounds "Lovecraftian" to me it would be Christopher Young's music for the Hellraiser series, and I believe Lovecraft would agree were he alive today. This truly sounds like the soundtrack to hell. It is a score that is grandiose in scale, and creates an atmosphere that is equally mysterious and terrifying.

It was extremely difficult for me to track down a high quality version of this soundtrack. The original soundtrack also contained music from a film called "Highpoint", which was excluded by the original ripper, which is to the benefit of the listener in my opinion. I'm not necessarily saying that the music from Highpoint is bad, just that it is dramatically different from the music of Hellraiser, and only serves to detract from the overall listening experience one is left with after listening to the music from Hellraiser. I know that not everyone is a big fan of FLAC, so I went ahead and converted the original FLAC files to 320kbps mp3 for those of you who prefer the mp3 format. Enjoy!

Year of Release: 1989
Label: GNP Crescendo
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Classical
Bitrates: FLAC & 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Hellbound / Second Sight Seance
2. Looking Through A Woman
3. Something to Thing About
4. Skin Her Alive
5. Stringing The Puppet
6. Hall of Mirrors
7. Dead or Living
8. Leviathan
9. Sketch With Fire
10. Chemical Entertainment
11. Obscene Kiss
12. Headless Wizard
13. What's Your Pleasure

FLAC Download: Christopher Young - Hellbound: Hellraiser II Original Soundtrack (FLAC)
Download Size: 334MB

320kbps Download: Christopher Young - Hellbound: Hellraiser II Original Soundtrack (320kbps MP3)
Download Size: 150MB

Tales From the Crypt Comic - Issues 17-27 (EC Comics)

Many of you left comments expressing your gratitude for the "Creepy" and "Eerie" horror comics that I recently posted. While I believe that Creepy and Eerie are two of the best horror comics to ever see print, I would like to add a bit of variety here before the Halloween Countdown ends. Several of you have requested that I post a few of the horror titles that EC Comics released beginning in the early 1950s. I hope to be able to share the complete run of the three titles that most people are familiar with, "Tales From the Crypt", "Vault of Horror", and "The Haunt of Fear". I will start with the most well known title of the three "Tales From The Crypt". Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs.

"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 17-27 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 137MB


The remaining issues in the series can be found below:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 28-37
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 38-41
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46

Note: Series started with issue #17

Joseph LoDuca - Evil Dead II Original Soundtrack (1987 - 320kbps)

I generally try to refrain from boring you all with details about my personal life, but sometimes it is a necessary evil. The reason I mention this is because the end of October is almost here, which means that this year's Halloween Countdown is winding down. There are a lot of amazing albums that I would like to share with you, but I'm simply not going to have the time unless I alter my approach a bit. I'm two weeks away from graduating college, although I will have to attend for a few more months so that I can get a higher degree. I'm a hair away from graduating number one in my class and being awarded Valedictorian honors, so I don't want to do anything to screw it up at this point, which means that my focus needs to be on school for the time being. I've been putting in 75 hours a week between work and school for a long time, so it can be very tough to find the time to ensure that the blog stays updated. From this point on I won't have time to post full reviews to accompany the albums I share, unless I have a day off, although I will still take the time to put up a track list and some basic info about the release.

With that in mind, I present to you the latest soundtrack sequel in our ongoing "Attack of the Sequels" theme for Halloween Countdown, Joseph LoDuca's soundtrack to "Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn". The track listing provided below may be a little different than the one for the download I provided, but I am at school at the moment, so I'm unable to look at the tracks in the archive that I uploaded. I'll be sure to edit the post if need be whenever I get home though.

Year of Release: 1987
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Behemoth
2. Hush Lil' Baby / Pee Wee Head
3. The Book Of Evil
4. Ash's Dream / Dancing Game / Dance Of The Dead
5. Fresh Panic / The Other Side Of Your Dream
6. The Putrified Forest / Under Her Skin
7. The Evil Begins Anew / Sunrise / Ash Attacks
8. Hand And Mouse / Love Transforms / Mirror, Mirror / Bad Fingers
9. Hail The ... / End Title

Download: Joseph LoDuca - Evil Dead II Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 76MB

Harry Manfredini - Friday the 13th Part II (Complete Score) (1981 - 192kbps)

The next soundtrack in our sequence of sequels was for a film that introduced the world to one of the most iconic slasher villains in horror history, Jason Vorhees. While he did appear as a child for a brief moment at the end of the original film, F13 Part II was the first film in the franchise that featured Jason as the killer. Considered by many to be the counterpart franchise to the subject of my last post, A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Friday the 13th series would also become one of the most popular horror franchises in existence. While most are most famliar with Jason being portrayed as a hockey mask wearing killer, he sported a different look in the early years of the franchise. While donning a burlap sack over his head, the pre-hockey mask wearing Jason dispatched sex-starved teens in a variety of creative ways thoughout Friday the 13th Part 2, a plot that would be rehashed time and time again throughout the series.

Harry Manfredini was chosen to compose the score for the original Friday the 13th film, and would go on to deliver one of the most recognizable scores for any film. His trademark "ki ki ki, ma ma ma" sound, which he created by running his voice through an echo reverberation machine, along with his manic score became synonymous with Friday the 13th and Jason Vorhees. Fortunately for horror fans everywhere Harry Manfredini was brought back on board to compose the score to the sequel, which guaranteed that the film would contain an atmosphere of dread regardless of what was taking place on the screen. F13 Part II turned out to be one of the better films in the franchise though, containing a number of legitimately scary moments, and a plot that hadn't entirely reached the point of self-parody. I have always thought that Manfredini's scores for Friday the 13th were easily some of the most frightening, intense, and creepy scores in the genre. Manfredini chose not to deviate much from his original formula for each of his scores for the series, instead adding minor variations and alterations to adapt the score to the respective film he was working on. I believe that the score for Part II may be the best of the bunch though, as it has a slightly different edge to it than the original. Manfredini turns up the level of agression a bit more for this score, and it seems much more thunderous than the first as well.

I would like to thank the Long Island Ripper and Starman1975 for making this score available. Long Island Ripper runs an amazing blog called The Inferno Music Vault, which can be found here. I believe that Starman1975 was responsible for the rip, or at least submitting it to the Inferno Music Vault. The score was isolated and ripped from the 5.1 surround sound of the Deluxe Edition DVD of the film. Though I'm no audiophile, it sounds absolutely perfect to me, regardless of the 192kbps bitrate. The first track is a dialogue sequence from the beginning of the film where the group is gathered around a campfire listening to a story about the legend of Jason. The rest of the album contains all of the music from the film without dialogue or sound effects.

Year of Release: 1981
Label: N/A | Bootleg Release
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 192kbps

Tracklist:
1. Jason's Out There (Dialogue)
2. Dreams of Camp Blood
3. Revenge For Mother
4. Main Title
5. Lurking
6. Jason Moves Upstairs
7. Jason's Knife
8. Attacking Paul and Ginny
9. After Ginny
10. Hiding in the Cabin
11. Mother is Talking to You
12. Safe at Last
13. Head of the Family (End Credits)
14. Source Cue [The Bar]
15. Excerpts In Terror

Download: Harry Manfredini - Friday the 13th Part II (Complete Score)
Download Size: 50MB

Christopher Young - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (Complete Score) (1985 - 320kbps)

A Nightmare on Elm Street defied all expectations and became an instant cult classic when it hit the theaters in the Fall of 1984. The film was created on a modest budget of $1.8 million dollars, and chose not to spend a great deal of money on advertising. However, what the film lacked in funding, it made up for in imagination and innovation. The film managed to put together the perfect recipe for success with its highly original concept and screenplay courtesy of Wes Craven, excellent cinematography, convincing special effects, an effective musical score by Charles Bernstein, and one of the most memorable, charismatic villains of all time in Freddy Krueger. Word-of-mouth advertising more than made up for the lack of funds devoted to commercial advertising, with news surrounding the film circulating like wildfire among horror enthusiasts. The film was a huge financial success, and would spawn one of the most famous and financially successful franchises in the horror genre, consisting of eight sequels, a television show, twelve novels, and numerous graphic novel and comic book adaptions.

While the second film in the franchise didn't quite capture the magic of the first, Christopher Young's score was every bit as effective as the original score composed by Charles Bernstein. Most people wouldn't become familiar with Christopher Young until he achieved critical acclaim for composing the score to Clive Barker's "Hellraiser", but his undeniable talent and unique style were apparent early on as is evident in his score for Nightmare. Young has the unique ability to create a truly dreadful atmosphere that somehow manages to retain a magical dreamlike quality to it, making him the perfect candidate to compose the score to a film that features a killer who dispatches his victims in their dreams. It is this unique ability that makes him one of my favorite composers of film scores from any genre.

Varèse Sarabande released the original soundtrack on vinyl in 1986, which contained 13 tracks. The version I am providing here is a 22 track bootleg containing Christopher Young's complete motion picture score. I wish I knew who was responsible for creating this so I can give credit where it is due, but to be honest I have no idea who was behind this. Whoever it was did an excellent job of putting this together though. Fortunately it was ripped at a high quality bitrate so you can listen to the score without having to suffer through a low quality recording. A few custom album art images are also included, which originated from the Lost Scores blog (http://lostscores-pagemaster.blogspot.com), where you can find a number of beautiful custom album covers created by this talented individual. You can find Charles Bernstein's soundtrack to the original Nightmare on Elm Street posted here

Year of Release:
Label: N/A | Bootleg Release
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Opening Credits
2. Wild Drive on the Bus
3. Trapped With Freddy
4. Freddy at the Furnace/Kill For Freddy
5. Snake
6. Heat Dream/Freddy's Glove
7. Demented Bird
8. Rainy Night
9. Running Laps
10. Attack of the Balls/Schneider Wasted
11. Noisy Glove/Jump Rope
12. Flaming Unplugged Toaster
13. Boiler Room Fright
14. Walking Angela
15. Slimy Tongue
16. Transformation/Grady Killed
17. The Party Starts
18. Fight Him/Lisa Chased/Love For the Beauty
19. The Rage Continues/Freddy's Children/Up In Flames
20. Boiler Room
21. Beauty and the Beast/Kissing Freddy/Jesse Returns
22. It's All Over

Download: Christopher Young - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (Complete Score)
Download Size: 99MB

"Eerie" Horror Comics - Issues 21-30

This will be my last post dedicated to Warren Publishing's horror comics "Creepy" & "Eerie" for the time being. I've had a number of people request that I post some of the horror comics released by EC Comics, and while I believe that the titles released by Warren are far superior, I prefer to cater to my readers. I may return to posting issues of Creepy and Eerie if I have time, or move on to something else. I would like to showcase some modern horror comics, but I'm wary of receiving a DMCA takedown notice. If any of you could recommend some good contemporary horror comics that would be safe to share here I would greatly appreciate the gesture. Now, moving on to the subject of the post, I have already posted issues 1-20 of Eerie, which brings us to issues #21-30.

I already covered everything I could think of in my first post dedicated to Eerie, so I'm simply going to repost it here to save myself some much needed time. If you need help with the .cbr or .cbz (comic book reader format files), please refer to this post.

Panel From Eerie #13
(Click to Enlarge)

As promised, here are the first 10 issues of the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". In case you missed it, I posted the first 10 issues of "Creepy" here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-horror-comics-issues-1-10-1964.html

Eerie was created by Warren Publishing as a sister publication to Creepy, with the first issue being released in 1965, one year after the launch of Creepy. There were numerous similarities between the two publications from the start, with the most obvious being that they both focused on supernatural tales of horror. Both featured top-notch artists and writers. Creepy had its own host character in "Uncle Creepy", while Eerie introduced "Cousin Eerie". As with Creepy, Eerie also started off very succesfully, only to suffer after the departure of Editor Archie Goodwin and a lack of funds in the late '60s. Both publications were forced to rely on issuing reprints to stay afloat, eventually emerging stronger than ever in the mid-70s by introducing color issues and increasing the frequency with which they published to nine issues per year.

Despite the numerous similarites there were also a few key differences, although these differences would not manifest themeselves until midway through the series. Eerie eventually introduced a number of serials, based on original characters with their own contuity, in order to differentiate itself from Creepy, which focused on standalone anthology stories. Near the end of its run Creepy started issuing reprints, once again due to a lack of editorial direction and funds. Eerie came to an unfortunate end when Warren Publishing declared bankruptcy in February 1983, making issue 139 the last in the series.

I hope you all enjoy these issues of this legendary horror comic/magazine. Now that I've put up issues 1-10 of both Creepy and Eerie as I had originally planned, I would like to know if you all would be interested in seeing more issues posted here. I had planned to at least post the first 30 issues of both series, but I wanted to know if their is enough interest before I follow through with my plans. Please leave a comment to let me know if you would like to see more of these posted for Halloween Countdown.

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1965-1983
Number of Issues: 139
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Eerie #21 (1969)
Download Size: 21MB

Download: Eerie #22 (1969)
Download Size: 31MB

Download: Eerie #23 (1969)
Download Size: 36MB

Download: Eerie #24 (1969)
Download Size: 32MB

Download: Eerie #25 (1969)
Download Size: 28MB

Download: Eerie #26 (1970)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Eerie #27 (1970)
Download Size: 28MB

Download: Eerie #28 (1970)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Eerie #29 (1970)
Download Size: 26MB

Download: Eerie #30 (1970)
Download Size: 56MB

Seppuku Paradigm - Martyrs: Original Soundtrack (2008 - 320kbps)

In my most recent posts I have paid tribute to films by some of my favorite directors from around the world. I previously posted soundtracks to horror films by directors from Italy, Germany and Hungary. Now we turn our attention to France, where a new wave of horror films has recently forced fans of the genre around the world to take notice. The 2008 film "Martyrs", directed by Pascal Laugier, is one of the most controversial of the new breed of French horror films, and has critics once again questioning whether such films have artistic merit, or if they are just displays of sadism without any other real purpose. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre encountered similar criticism when it was released in 1976, and we all know how it went on to cement its legendary status within the genre. My take on the matter is that any film that is capable of generating such controversy and emotion should not only be labeled as art, but it should be considered a masterpiece. After all, isn't the purpose of art to capture and express thoughts and feelings, and envoke that emotion within the intended audience? Many artists try and fail miserably in their aim to reach this goal. I wouldn't go so far as to say that this film is without flaws, nor do I think it is on par with the previously mentioned Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, no one can deny that Laugier successfully accomplished what he set out to do in Martyrs, which was to make the viewer feel the physical and emotional torment being displayed on screen.

Laugier called upon the services of Seppuku Paradigm to create the music to accompany his warped masterpiece. Seppuku Paradigm is a two-man group consisting of the French brothers Alex and Willie Cortes. Their band name was inspired by the death of Japanese author Yukio Mishima who, after a failed coup d'état, committed suicide according to ancient Japanese tradition (seppuku or hara kiri) as a gesture of public protest. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the group is offering a free download of the album on their website (http://seppukuparadigm.com

I downloaded this via torrent long before I realized that the brothers were giving away the soundtrack for free. After listening to it I thought to myself that it was unfortunate that I wouldn't be able to share it here on the blog, as I assumed that this would be for sale and in print. This is one of the best soundtracks to a modern horror film that I've heard within recent memory. This is a very dark and powerful score, reflecting the multitude of shocking moments within the film. The darkly melodic and less intense themes represent the sadness and tragedy playing out on the screen, perfectly capturing the emotions on display. They also serve the purpose of giving the listener a false sense of security, luring them into a relaxed state before shattering it with pounding rhythms and powerful blasts of noise.

I hope you enjoy this generous offer from Seppuku Paradigm. I have taken the liberty of tagging all the tracks, and also included a text file which contains an interview with the brothers, who discuss the creative process behind the soundtrack.

Year of Release: 2008
Label: NA / Self Release
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Prologue
2. Orphans Games
3. At Night in the Dormitory
4. Hunting Her Down
5. I Did It !
6. Crisis
7. Flashback
8. Crisis (Reprise)
9. Lucie's Wounds
10. Moving Corpses
11. Gabrielle's Theme
12. Broken Glass
13. Attacked in the Bathroom
14. Gabrielle's Theme (Continued)
15. Embrace
16. Anna & the Scarred Ghost
17. Rough Burial
18. Enter Mademoiselle
19. The Suffering Is Over
20. Revelations
21. Your Witness

Download: Sepukku Peredigm - Martyrs Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 76MB

Michael Hoenig & J. Peter Robinson - The Gate Complete Soundtrack (1987 - 320kbps)

Continuing with our showcase of horror from directors around the world, today's selection is from Hungarian director Tibor Takács. The Gate has gained a cult following since it first appeared in theaters in 1987, where it did rather well also. The plot revolves around a group of young children who unwittingly open the gates of hell in their own backyard, and must fight for their lives in their struggle to close the gate.

Unfortunately the soundtrack to The Gate was never officially released. I have read that this soundtrack is only available at horror conventions, but I can't confirm how accurate that statement is. As you can see by looking at the tracklist below, there are a number of alternate takes on the original themes that appear within the film. Whoever ripped this made a number of mistakes with the track names, such as misspelling several words, as well as cutting off the names of some of the tracks. I have seen this posted on a few different blogs, but all of them left the multiple spelling errors and track names which had been cut off as they were. I have carefully retagged all of the tracks, correcting the spelling errors and the shortened track names. Since an official version of this soundtrack was never released, and I wasn't a big fan of the album art that the original ripper included, I decided to go ahead and create a similar cover. It's basically just a quick crop job of the movie poster, which is what the original ripper had done, but the version I made is significantly larger.

The music was composed by Michael Hoenig & J. Peter Robinson, who also collaborated to compose the soundtrack for "The Wraith". Michael Hoenig is a German composer who is credited with a number of film and television scores, including a few other horror films some of you may be familiar with. He wrote the score for the 1988 remake of "The Blob", the 1990 sci-fi/horror film "Class of 1999", and the direct-to-video b-movie "Dracula 3000". J. Peter Robinson is an English-born composer who has also composed scores for a number of horror movies, including Nightmare Cafe, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Vampire In Brooklyn and The Believers.

Year of Release: 1987
Label: N/A | Bootleg Rip
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Discovery of the Stone
2. The Gate – Main Title (Alternate)
3. The Gate – Main Title
4. Home/Laughter
5. Backyard Treehouse
6. Trouble From the Hole
7. Bugs
8. Bugs 2
9. Bed Time
10. Aka Kuto Alla Meta
11. Levitation
12. Levitation (Alternate)
13. Window/Apparition/Angus Is Dead
14. Photos
15. Buzzer Trap/The Hole
16. Feeding the Hole (Alternate)
17. Feeding the Hole/The Evil Hole
18. The Evil Hole (Alternate)
19. Dead Dog/Under Bed Demon
20. Mom & Dad
21. Little Demons
22. You've Been Bad
23. Searching in the Dark
24. The Search/The Reading/Demons
25. Scary Moment
26. Dead Within the Wall
27. Aka Kuto Alla Meta 2
28. Dead Come Out
29. Dead in the Closet
30. Dead in the Closet (Alternate 1)
31. Dead in the Closet (Alternate 2)
32. Dead in the Closet (Alternate 3)
33. Closet Fight/Hide (Alternate 1)
34. Closet Fight/Hide (Alternate 2)
35. Closet Fight/Hide
36. Thunderbolt
37. Ready for Launch/Demons Are Back
38. Demon Lord Destroys
39. Hole in the Skies
40. Eye on Hand
41. Batteries Not Included/Lift Off
42. Fireworks
43. Home/It's Over
44. The Gate – End Titles

Download: Michael Hoenig & J. Peter Robinson - The Gate Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 108MB

Nekromantik & Nekromantik 2 Original Soundtracks (320kbps)

Nekromantik 2 DVD Cover (2003)

We are about halfway through October, so there is still plenty of time for me to post material for "Halloween Countdown 2010". I recently posted a selection of soundtracks from some of my favorite Italian horror films. Now its time to focus on horror from a few other areas of the world. First up is Germany...

In 1987 one of the most revolting displays of horror since the Holocaust appeared in Germany in the form of the film Nekromantik. Yes, I'm exageratting a bit, but there is some truth to the statement. During the period when the Nazi party was in power, all artistic work that wasn't approved by the regime was labeled as "degenerate art", and subsequently banned, confiscated or destroyed. In the years following WWII Germany was under a massive amount of pressure to avoid repeating any of the mistakes that the Nazi regime made while in power. In an attempt to improve their image, and convince the world that their nation wasn't entirely comprised of sadistic maniacs, they were quick to ban films that were considered extremely violent, racist or offensive; however, they stopped short of physically confiscating the banned material in question to avoid reviving memories of the Nazi's harsh methods for dealing with controversial art. When Nekromantik was released, it was banned almost immediately, and physical copies of the film were confiscated nationwide shortly afterwards, making it the first time such a thing occurred in Germany since the Nazi era. The film was subsequently banned in a number of other countries also. When Nekromantik 2 was released the outcome was virtually identical, the film was confiscated and banned nationwide in Germany, followed by widespread bans by other nations.

The films managed to gain a cult following despite the mass bans placed on it. For years the original film remained one of the most widely circulated bootlegs in existence. It is easy to see how the film managed to create so much controversy given its nature and subject matter. The film tells the story of Rob Shmadtke, who cleans up accident victims for a living. His job places him in the perfect position to satisfy his warped sexual fetish, necrophilia. Rob's girlfriend Betty also shares his love for all things decomposing, both in spirit and in the bedroom. Rob's decision to bring home a rotting corpse for Betty and himself to enjoy serves as the catalyst for the film, and all sorts of sick chaos ensues afterwards.

In 2002 Barrel Entertainment released a 2-Disc DVD of the film, Nekromantik 2. The second disc in the set contained the complete scores for both Nekromantik and Nekromantik 2, as well as six bonus tracks that weren't included on either original soundtrack. Most of the music is credited to German composer Hermann Kopp, although there are several other tracks credited to characters from Nekromantik 2, and I'm honestly not sure why this was done. Perhaps someone reading this will have some insight into the reason behind this.

Now, on to what you came here for, the music.. Kopp's score displays his dynamic ability and range. He is one of those composers who is so talented that his music almost seems to contradict itself, yet manages to strike a perfect balance of beauty, horror, joy and dissonance. The score is both minimalistic and hauntingly atmospheric at the core, and yet remarkably complex at the same time. A wide variety of instruments and sound effects are utilized throughout the score. Kopp wastes no time displaying his mastery of the violin, which takes center stage, captivating the listener with his powerful, rhythmic, and beautiful solos. He also uses the violin to create some of the strangest tracks on the album, significantly slowing down the rhythm, creating an ominous, off-key droning sound. Kopp is no slouch on the piano either, with a number of beautiful piano interludes that appear throughout the score. In sharp contrast are the tracks which sound as if they are from an old school industrial album. Harsh noise, clanging metal, pounding drums, synthesizers, and various sound effects come together to create a truly dark and desolate picture. One of my favorite instruments, the moog synthesizer, also makes a few appearances. I'm a sucker for anything moog, as I know a few of you reading this are too.

It's a shame that Hermann Kopp hasn't released more music during his career, having only released 8 complete albums to date. This is an amazing collection of music, which I believe will appeal to a wide variety of people. I honestly wish that I had more time on my hands to write about this, because it truly is deserving of a longer review. It's just that damn good. Unfortunately, I have a big test tomorrow though, so I need to study for a while and then go to bed. Until next time...

Year of Rlease: Original: 1987 & 1990
Barrel Entertainment Release: 2003
Label: Barrel Entertainment (DVD Extra)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps (m4a format)

Tracklist:
1. Nekromantik
2. At Home
3. Surprise
4. Menaga A Trois
5. Pas De Deux
6. Supper
7. Katzi
8. Drunk
9. Gardner
10. Nekrointro
11. Pure
12. Scelette Instrumental
13. Work
14. Home/Domestic Version
15. Betty's Return
16. The Wheel of Love
17. The Missing Genital
18. Supersonic Tonic
19. Scelette Delicieux
20. Nekrowaltz
21. Magnum/Bar/Mix2000 Plus)
22. Nekromantik 1991
23. Franzosisch In E/Moll
24. Sex With A Saw
25. End Title/Wheel of Love (Reprise)
26. In The Bar/Dream Sequence
27. Monika By The Sea
28. Ave Maria
29. Home (Domina Version)
30. Menage A Trois (Film Version)
31. Captain Berlin

Download: Nekromantik & Nekromantik 2 Original Soundtracks
Download Size: 168MB

"Creepy" Horror Comics - Issues 21-30

In case you haven't been following the blog recently, I have been posting issues of the horror comics/magazines "Creepy" and "Eerie". You can find issues #1-10 of Creepy here and issues #11-20 here

So we're up to issues #21-30 now. As with my previous post I'm simply going to copy and paste the information about Creepy and how to handle the comic book reader files (.cbr & .cbz) presented for download. I'll be posting issues #21-30 of Eerie next, and then I will either continue posting issues of both, or move on to posting some titles from EC Comics. Please let me know which route you would prefer me to take by leaving a comment. I'll base my decision on how the majority of you respond.

I last participated in the "Halloween Countdown" event in 2008, and I had intended to post scans of the original "Creepy" horror comic/magazine back then. Unfortunately I ended up running out of time because I became so wrapped up in preparing my Lovecraft grand finale, and so I wasn't able to post these for the countdown that year. Other than the two copies of Weird Tales that I recently posted, I haven't posted any scans of comics or magazines in E-book format during the four years I have been running this blog. Most people come here expecting to find music when I update this blog, so I prefer to only post this sort of thing whenever a special event is going on here. The Weird Tales scans were received rather well here, and considering these will likely appeal to a broader range of people, I thought they would be perfect to post for Halloween Countdown. For those unfamiliar with digital comics, you will need a comic book reader program to handle the file format (.cbr & .cbz). I suggest either CDisplay for those looking for a simpler program, or ComicRack for those looking for a fully featured reader. Both are free and have relatively small download sizes. I personally prefer CDisplay, simply because I don't need all the features that ComicRack includes.

If you've never had the pleasure of checking out an issue of Creepy you're in for a real treat. "Creepy" is considered the first horror-comic magazine, and inspired a slew of imitators. Both the artwork and writing are top-notch, as Creepy had the money to lure in some of the most talented writers and artists in the comic-book world at that time, and also gave them a great degree of artistic freedom. Creepy often included a great deal of graphic artwork and mature subject-matter which was intended for adults rather than children, . They were able to do this by taking advantage of a loophole, publishing their material as a black & white magazine, rather than a comic. Thus they were able to bypass the required approval of the Comics Code Authority, which tightly regulated the amount of violence and gore in horror comics during that time period.

As with my more recent posts, I'm going to allow Wikipedia to fill you in on all the specific details about "Creepy", as I have a ton of other material that I'm preparing for you.

General Info:
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but later went bimonthly. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host character, Uncle Creepy. Its sister publications were Eerie and Vampirella.

The Creepy Launch:
Russ Jones, the founding editor of Creepy in 1964, detailed the magazine's origins and his lengthy negotiations with Warren in his memoir, "Creepy & Eerie," at his website. While doing covers, illustrated stories and photo stories for Warren, Jones continued trying to sell him on the idea of doing a comics magazine, and eventually Warren agreed:

"Originally it was to be a 64-page magazine. Jim cut it back to 48... I made a sketch of my host for the mag and sent it off to Jack Davis to work up a cover. Still no title. Titles are tough. Ask anyone who ever had to come up with one. One night I was sitting in the studio alone, looking at Woody's tear-sheets from the ECs, when Warren called. He was furious and demanded a name for Project D. I was looking at a balloon over an Ingels Old Witch, and in her narrative, the word "creepy" grabbed out at me. I muttered the name to Jim... We now had a title for our mag." - Russ Jones

Joe Orlando was not only an illustrator for Creepy but also a behind-the-scenes story editor on early issues. His credit on the first issue masthead read: "Story Ideas: Joe Orlando." Bill Pearson also worked on the first issue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1964-1983
Number of Issues: 145
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Creepy #21 (1968)
Download Size: 38MB

Download: Creepy #22 (1968)
Download Size: 38MB

Download: Creepy #23 (1968)
Download Size: 39MB

Download: Creepy #24 (1968)
Download Size: 34MB

Download: Creepy #25 (1968)
Download Size: 35MB

Download: Creepy #26 (1968)
Download Size: 20MB

Download: Creepy #27 (1969)
Download Size: 39MB

Download: Creepy #28 (1969)
Download Size: 44MB

Download: Creepy #29 (1969)
Download Size: 25MB

Download: Creepy #30 (1969)
Download Size: 45MB

Goblin - Zombi (Dawn of the Dead) Original Soundtrack

As with the last post, this album was originally posted by Allywonderland for the Halloween Countdown of '08. Some of the links on the Sharebee page were down so I went ahead and reuploaded the album to Mediafire. I figure its about time for me to move on to other areas of the horror genre, so this is going to be my last Italian horror themed post for the time being. I may or may not post one or two more before the countdown ends, depending on whether or not I finish posting all of the material I had originally planned to post. I hope you all have enjoyed the selections I have presented up to this point, as well as those that I will be posting in the near future.

I was pleased to know that a few of you enjoyed Goblin's Suspiria soundtrack; therefore I am going to post the Zombi (Dawn of the Dead) Original Soundtrack.

Originally released in 1978, the Goblin soundtrack was featured prominently in Dario Argento's international cut of Dawn of the Dead. Argento, himself, is also credited on the Goblin soundtrack. However, in George A. Romero's version, the Goblin soundtrack was used sparingly and mixed with stock music scores.

I am posting the reissue of the 1978 release which includes the ten original tracks with seven bonus tracks.


Track List:
1. L'alba dei morti viventi
2. Zombi
3. Safari
4. Torte in faccia
5. Ai margini della follia
6. Zaratozom
7. La caccia
8. Tirassegno
9. Oblio
10. Risveglio
11. L'alba dei morti viventi (Alternate Take)
12. Ai margini della follia (Alternate Take)
13. Zombi (Sexy)
14. Ai margini della follia (Alternate Take)
15. Zombi (Supermarket)
16. L'alba dei morti viventi (Intro-Alternate Take)
17. Zombi (The Living Dead's Voices!) (Bonus Track)

Download: Goblin-Zombi (Dawn of the Dead)Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 64.49 MB

Goblin - Suspiria Original Soundtrack (1977 - 264VBR)

This was originally uploaded by Allywonderland for the Halloween Countdown of '08. A few of the Sharebee links were no longer working, so I decided to go ahead and reupload this since it fits in with recent posts devoted to Italian Horror movies. The version provided is the original soundtrack released on vinyl in 1977. This has since been reissued a number of times, usually with bonus tracks included, although the version provided here is currently out of print. - Zer0_II

With a number of cult classic movie soundtracks being posted, I've decided to include one of my own personal favorites that unquestionably should be apart of any "Best Of" horror soundtracks list.

Released in 1977, Suspiria is an Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento as the first installment of his "The Three Mothers" horror trilogy. The film has since become a cult classic and has been referenced many times as residence of some of the "scariest" and "most-violent" movie moments, but arguably eclipsing the film is its unique and preeminent soundtrack. In an age with so many uninspired horror soundtracks that read more like a collage of radio singles that don't advanced the movie in any way; gems like Suspiria are exceptional.

Once again, Italian progressive rock group, Goblin was given the task to pen the soundtrack for the Argento film after previous working in concert on the film, Deep Red. Despite releasing a LP entitled Roller, Goblin would, in the end, be best recognized for the score of Suspiria and Zombi Original Soundtrack (Dawn of the Dead)

Year of Release: 1977
Label: Cinevox (MDF 33.108)
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Electronic
Bitrate: 264VBR

Track List:
1. Suspiria
2. Witch
3. Opening To The Sighs
4. Sighs
5. Markos
6. Black Forest
7. Blind Concert
8. Death Valzer

Download: Goblin - Suspiria Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 57.59 MB

Keith Emerson - Inferno Original Soundtrack (1980 - 320kbps)

Continuing with my Italian horror theme for "Halloween Countdown 2010", I present to you the soundtrack to one of my favorite films from Italian director Dario Argento. When Argento directed a film he often turned to the members of Goblin to create the music for the film. The members of Goblin had a hand in creating the music to all of Argento's films from 1975 to 1987, with the exception of one film, Inferno. Argento chose progressive rocker Keith Emerson to compose Inferno's soundtrack because he "wanted a different sort of score from that by Italian progressive group Goblin on Suspiria, a more delicate one".

The version of the soundtrack I'm presenting today is a CD reissue released in Italy by Cinevox in 2004. It contains Keith Emerson's original score, as well as a bonus track "Inferno (Outtakes Suite)". This version is currently out of print and no longer available to purchase from Cinevox. Cinevox later reissued the soundtrack again with additional bonus tracks in 2006.

Unfortunately that is all I have time to write about this soundtrack right now as I have to leave for work in a few minutes. I had hoped to be able to write a full-length review earlier in the day, but things just didn't work out the way I had planned. The idea behind the Halloween Countdown is to present at least one item each day until October 31st arrives, and I'm simply not going to have time to do that unless I post a review from a different source. Fortunately I was able to find a very well written review by on cinefantastiqueonline.com (damn, that's a long name for a website) which I hope will be enough to satisfy your curiosity.

"Although often compared unfavorably to Goblin’s music for SUSPIRIA, keyboardist Keith Emerson’s score for the sequel, INFERNO, is every bit as in tune with the film, perfectly matching the mood and action. Unlike Goblin’s heavy rhythms, shrieking vocals, and shrill synthesizers of the previous film, Emerson employs a much more subtle approach, weaving a score out of quiet piano motifs supported by orchestral arrangements, only occasionally reaching into his electronic bag of tricks for a more outre effect. The result comes closer to a conventional piece of film scoring, underlining the on-screen action without drawing as much attention to itself.

If there is a failing to the music, it is one seen in several Argento films (though not in SUSPIRIA): a disconnect between the music and the visual. Occasionally, Emerson’s music seems to shrill for the scene it accompanies. In the case of Kazanian’s Tarantella” (in which a man is attacked by rats in Central Park during a lunar eclipse), the music builds to a grandiose climax more appropriate for a heroic rescue than a bloody demise. Fortunately, this (relatively minor) problem does not extend to the soundtrack album, where the music can be enjoyed on its own.

Unlike the album for SUSPIRIA (and indeed for other Goblin soundtracks, which gave the impression that the group had simply performed a series of track that Argento then cut into the film wherever he felt like it), the track listing of the INFERNO album follows the film in chronological order. Most of the music consists of delicate piano instrumentals (enhanced by ominous orchestral arrangements), which thread the recurring “Inferno” main title theme throughout the film; the effect is hypnotic and dreamy rather than overtly horrific. For the major suspense set pieces (e.g., “A Cat Attic Attack”), the orchestra kicks in with all the enthusiasm of Bernard Herrmann as his most intense, and Emerson adopts a more frenetic, perscussive style of playing that will be familiar to fans of his work as a progressive rocker.

Providing a break from the piano-orchestral sound that dominates the music are a handful of other tracks. “Rose Gets It” features an eerie wordless vocal (probably achieved with a synthesizer; the effect sounds much like a theremin). “The Library” is a brief piece for solo church organ that manages to evoke a Gothic ambiance without sounding too cliched. ”Taxi Ride (Rome)” and “Cigarettes, Ices, Etc” recreate the old three-piece line-up of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, with bass and drums laying down the rhythm while Emerson layers various, piano and keyboard sounds on top. ”Cigarettes,” the last track on the original album, was apparently intended as the closing title music; instead, Argento reused the track “Mater Tenebrarum,” a sort of rock-and-roll version of Jerry Goldsmith’s OMEN theme, with a vocalist chanting the Latin names of the “Three Mothers” described in a book by an alchemist: Mater Suspiriorum (the Mother of Sighs), Mater Tenebrarum (the Mother of Darkness), and Mater Lachrymarum (the Mother of Tears). A handful of music cues from the movie did not make it onto the old vinyl soundtrack album. These were mostly brief, droning synthesizer bits, used as transitions. Subsequent CD releases include a suite of outtakes.

Although lacking the outrageous impact of Goblin’s work for SUSPIRIA, the music for INFERNO is excellent in its own right. In fact, Emerson’s debut as a film composer far exceeds his subsequent, much less distinguished work on NIGHT HAWKS and MURDER ROCK (although he did contribute some nice work to GODZILLA: FINAL WARS). Those seeking the progressive rock assault of keyboardist’s group efforts (The Nice, ELP) will be disappointed, but taken in its own terms, the music for INFERNO is as good as anything Emerson ever did." - Steve Biodrowski

Year of Release: Original: 1980 | Reissue: 2004
Label: Cinevox (CD MDF 306)
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Electronic
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Inferno
2. Rose's Descent Into the Cellar
3. Taxi Ride
4. Library
5. Sarah in the Library Vaults
6. Brookbinder's Delight
7. Rose Leaves the Apartment
8. Rose Gets It
9. Elisa's Story
10. A Cat Attic Attack
11. Kazanian's Tarantella
12. Mark's Discovery
13. Mater Tenebrarum
14. Inferno Finale
15. Cigarretes, Ices, Etc
16. Inferno (Outtakes Suite)

Download: Keith Emerson - Inferno
Download Size: 86MB