ESCAPE FROM THE HILL

After a really promising debut effort deeply inspired by proggy eerie soundtracks for old school B grade movies, Valerio Lombardozzi resurrected his project with an explosive electro-synthesised medley untitled Escape From the Hill. As usual the musical signature tends to deliver a multifacetered-intriguing tapestry of electronic sounds. Escape From the Hill is a breathtaking release wich reveals high quality pulsating electronic standards, bringing to the fore super-catchy hypno grooves, menacingly haunted micromal textures and kick ass spacious doom-like melodies. The self title track is an amazing synthesis of sounds, featuring a large spectrum of effects, treatments and freaked out electro vibes. The sci-fi / spectral minimal disco atmosphere which prevails on Mons Testaceum (2006) is also delicately introduced in this second release. The ambience is obvisouly cinematic with static looping pulses and charming sonic explorations, sometimes sounding like tense horror movie scores by Goblin, Fabbio Frizzi, Stelvio Cipriani or John Carpenter. The Dark Side closes the album with a mesmeric-esoteric trancelike ambience fixated into a bleak cinematic grandeur. Escape From The Hill is a great follow-up to Mon Testaceum and an aboslutely enthralling retro-spacey electronic album.

"Escape from the Hill" is another '80s Goblin-meets-Kraftwerk horror-soundtrack sounding album by Heinrich Dressel. One thing that sets Heinrich Dressel apart from other progressive electronic artists is the urgency and bassiness of his music. After a beautiful mid-paced ambient track, "The Bright Side", the next track immediately sets off on a bassy pulse and a heavy percussive beat that drives the song mechanically through an eerie scape ("Escape the Hill"). "Porticus Aemilia" follows the same example, but intensifies the heaviness and foreboding quality. "Lost Into the Horrea Sulpicia" is similar in feel, but has kind of an underwater tone. "Sailing from Ripa Grande" is a very Kraftwerkian track, sounding mostly like something that could've been inspired by the music from "The Man-Machine". "The Dark Side" ends the album on a near-ambient industrial siren sound with a steady bass and percussion beat that lead to the conclusion of the album.

I'm a big fan of this urgent, retro sound that Heinrich Dressel works with. This album, among Heinrich Dressel's other work, tends to sound like darker versions of music by Automat, Kraftwerk, and '80s Goblin. If you're into that kind of thing, then definitely give Heinrich Dressel a listen.