Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email


2021 October 11 • Monday

The 695th Soundtrack of the Week is Bruno Zambrini's score for Fracchia Contro Dracula!

The "Titoli Di Testa" has an ominous lurching quality to it with strings and what sounds like a bassoon creating a rich orchestral atmosphere. This continues in the second track, "Film Horror Al Cinema".

Folksy fiddling, both bowed and plucked, bring us to "Borgo Transilvano". Eventually the two violins are joined by a string ensemble for a catchy peasant dance type of tune. The same melody and arrangement, more or less, returns with a female vocalist in the next cue, "Canzone Di Catarina".

And then there's that massive horror movie organ sound forever in debt to Bach though not, in this case, playing that very familiar piece. Instead, "Il Castello Di Dracula" is an organ solo with a few Bach-ish moments.

Then things get kind of groovy with some cool electronic instruments and a backbeat for the kind of fusion lounge of "Kaspar".

After this comes, "In Carrozza" as short tension cue with sharp, staccato statements from the orchestra. The rhythmic ideas are immediately picked up in the beginning of the next cue, "Nella Cripta", but then taken in more of a traditional classic horror underscore direction.

"Dracula Canta" is the same melody from "Borgo Transilvano" and "Canzone di Catarina", but this time with a male vocalist (presumably Dracula) joining the female vocalist.

It's followed by the energetic suspense music of "Arrivo Di Luna" and then the eerie and spacious dread of "Oniria Seduce Fracchia".

The intensity goes up another notch with maniacal eighth note patterns in "Duello Di Fracchia E Dracula", with a break in the middle for a bit of a breath and a more melodic mood.

The next cue is kind of a crazy avantgarde groove number with swooping and frantically bowed strings on top of a beat before settling into kind of a slow motion march. It's called "Mobili Che Volano".

Then there's an unexpected eruption of synthesizer sounds for the kind of robo-funk pop instrumental number that is "Ragionere In Gabbia".

"Sole Che Sorge" is another very short cue but a lovely and ethereal atmosphere.

The next piece almost sounds like it could be free improv by people who are good at it. "Sotteranei" is a wild electronica synth freak-out.

Then there's more mysterious atmosphere, very well done, in the short and effective cue, "Mostri E Facchia", which ends with the wedding march.

And after that it's jazz time with the gently swinging "La Festa", a feature for the clarinet with backing strings.

"Luna Interviene" drops the backbeat in again for a really solid, unhurried, strong, driving, synth-rock instrumental number.

More traditional classic horror movie underscore is the target for "Combattimento Finale". Zambrini's arrangements are impressive, getting a very full sound from a relatively small orchestra.

And then there's the "Titoli Di Coda", which sounds triumphant and satisfied, as the main characters in the movie probably were as well.