IL REALE IMPERO BRITANNICO: PERCHÉ SI UCCIDONO (OST)

"Perché Si Uccidono" is a soundtrack album by Italian progressive rock act Goblin for the movie "Perché Si Uccidono - La Merde" which was written and directed by Mauro Macario. The album was originally released on LP through Cinevox in 1976 but became available on CD through Cinevox in 1999. Goblin were forced to change their name due to the controversial subject matter of the movie which revolves around drug abuse/addiction. Therefore this soundtrack album was released under the Il Reale Impero Britannico monicker, but it is essentially a Goblin album. It´s the only time Goblin changed their name and when you think about the gory nature of many of the movies Goblin have produced soundtracks for, the name change doesn´t make much sense. On the other hand it is a film score and it´s actuallya collaborative effort (which makes the name change a bit more sensible) as the band wrote most of the material with Fabio Frizzi and the rest of the music for the original soundtrack were written by Willy Brezza.

The music on the album is unmistakably the sound of Goblin whatever name they opted to use for this particular project. Lots of mellotron, organ, and moog on top of a combined jazz/Rock/fusion/funk rhythm section. The music comes off as rather kitchy at times but also pretty laid back and cool and it´s the combination of the kitchy and the cool that Goblin succeed so well in delivering. Tracks like "Epopea" and "R.I.B" are highlights but most tracks on the album are pretty strong. While the album is predominantly instrumental there are vocals on a couple of tracks. "Edda" features female vocals which are sung by Edda Dell'Orso and "My Damned Shit" features some soul type male vocals.

The level of musicianship on the album is high. Goblin is both a professional and very skilled act. And as "Perché Si Uccidono" is packed in an incredibly well sounding production, which is both warm, powerful and organic, it´s hard not to be impressed by the album. It´s just slightly less accomplished compared to "Profondo Rosso (1975)" and "Roller (1976)", but still well worth the time and money for fans of Goblin. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.