EL ÚLTIMO FIN DE SEMANA (OST)

The name of Nicklas Barker is not new in the progressive rock realm, you surely know him mainly for his work with Anekdoten; but his name as a solo artist is actually new, so what does he offer under his name? First of all, it is necessary to mention that Barker was contacted by Spanish director Norberto Ramos Del Val, who created a horror film which lacked of music, so he found the ideal man in the Swedish. The name of that film is the same of this CD: "El último fin de semana", and though I have not watched the movie, the music incites me to do so.

Now, the name of Morte Macabre will surely spring to your mind once you listen to this album, and the reason is quite simple: lush mellotron moments and an inherent terror/horror feeling. That is what this solo album offers, but now let me be a little bit more specific. This soundtrack features seventeen compositions that make a total time of 35 minutes, so as you can imagine, most of them are short pieces that (I imagine) are the perfect complement for the image (the movie). Fortunately, the album is distributed here in Mexico via Azafrán Media.

It kicks off with "Leo", a short introductory track in where we can listen to the movie's actors, yelling, crying, while a tense atmosphere is built as background. This track leads to "Celestial Ghost", a five-minute song (this is actually the only song that surpasses the 3:30 minute mark) that has a nervous vibe during its whole duration. The symphonic sound is evident due to the lush keyboards; the mellotron never ceases and along with that scary theremin and nice drums, create together a wonderful horror piece. This song could be taken as the single of this CD, I actually watched a youtube video of it before getting the album, and it really caught my attention right away.

"Night Ambience" at first is much softer than the previous, it is like a breath after an agitated moment, but after some 40 seconds the mellotron appears again and the tension will cause you nervousness. "Sisters" is a delicate piece, with a flute-like mellotron that is later contrasted by other synth sounds. "Phantasm" is a short one-minute piece where a somber background can be heard. It leads to "Rendezvous" may be (at least in the first two minutes) the track closest to a new-age sound, however, its last 20 seconds become scary, completely terrifying.

"Entering the Lost Village" continues with that feast of mellotron, and of course, with the horror-like sound. It is music that in my opinion could fit in for any Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft story, it really makes your imagination fly. "Confrontation" has some piano notes, later complemented by some strings (I think it is cello) whose intensity is increasing with the pass of the seconds, creating really a heart-attack atmosphere. The strings keep sounding but in a softer way, when we all of a sudden are in a track called "Doom", here the theremin comes back and brings that peculiar sound. Here, later we can also listen to a gong, and after two minutes there is a passage where the music seems to explode, so be careful, you may be surprised!

In "Going Home" the lush mellotron strikes once again, so your imagination is flying and creating stories and passages (this is one of the advantages of not having watched the film, I believe). "Ouija" has a constant synth as background, while some noises can be appreciated for some moments. There are a few seconds of calm, but then all of a sudden "By the Shore" begins and produces that scary and dark feeling that the whole album suggests, however, later it slows down a little bit, producing a kind of sorrowful atmosphere.

The title of "Chase" is actually perfect for this two-minute piece, one can really imagine a scene where someone is trying to escape, running, avoiding being chased. It was a great decision to include drums in this track, because they add the necessary dynamism. "Purgatory" has some strange noises over the synth, putting different textures in the sound. The second longest track of the album comes with "Grand Finale", an emotional track that has a mixture of melancholy, sadness and sorrow, though if you are very positive, it may also have some hope. This is a great piece, excellent mellotron-theremin combo.

The last two pieces are "Home" and "Beach Girls". In the first one a soft sound begins, but it surprises us after forty seconds with a powerful ending. And the second one is a weird composition that reminds me of some 70s horror films such as the Dario Argento. Well, "El ultimo fin de semana" is an extraordinary soundtrack, a feast of mellotron and fear, highly recommended for all who love this instrument in particular. I love it, and though I would not say it is a masterpiece, it is clearly an album that people should have in their collection. My final grade, four stars.

Enjoy it!

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