massimo morante interview

Goblin are one of the most important rock bands to have composed and performed unforgettable thriller and horror soundtracks especially for Dario Argento's movies. Now they are back! In 2005, the year of their 30th anniversary, a book entirely dedicated to their incredible musical career was released and now we have a new album titled Back to the Goblin 2005 which reunites the historical formation (minus Claudio Simonetti).

To celebrate this, dd presents an exclusive interview with one of the founder members of the band, the guitarist, Massimo Morante.

GA: Back to the Goblin - 2005, is a good album. There are old seventies sounds, for example, particular use of keyboards and guitars. In this sense is it a return to the glorious musical past of that period, in which Goblin were born?

MM: Yes it is. Anyway the sound is our sound - our type of music - the music of our past but we wanted intentionally to recreate atmosphere of that glorious musical period.

GA: What has changed about you, the Goblin style in all these years?

MM: This is the point, as far as I'm concerned, the Goblin style hasn't changed, but it has just been modified, growing richer with new sonorities and influences, through our combined musical experiences.

live performance of profondo rosso in Bari 1975 (previously unpublished)

GA: On this new album Morante and Pignatelli seem to be the main composers. In fact their names are present in the credits of 6 of the 8 tracks of the album. Is the new Goblin project shared in the same way by all the members of the band?

MM: Yes absolutely, this project is shared by all of us. I and Fabio worked more than the others because we started before them but having begun, we then shared all.

GA: Where does the first track, Guarini's Victor, fit on this album?

MM: We wanted to open the album with a track that musically was very far from us and our traditional style of music.

GA: The tracks of the last Goblin album are very intense and they seem to be self-sufficient, like each of them had its own story…

MM: …five of these tracks were born in my studio... I don't know if I would say they are independent but certainly, they are very close in the style of music.

GA: Which tracks of this album do you like most?

MM: Dlen-Dlon and Hitches are the tracks which I enjoy best because they are the first pieces on this album that I composed.

GA: Back to the Goblin 2005 is an independent album more difficult than Roller and The fantastic journey of bagarozzo Mark. How does the Goblin band judge their new work?

MM: Without doubt this is the best produced and refined album from Goblin - we are very satisfied!

GA: Is the future of Goblin strictly linked to the sales of this album?

MM: We'll continue as long as we have ideas good enough to record on tape… ehm, excuse me… on hard-disc!

GA: Why have you decided to sell your new album exclusively on-line?

MM: Because we are sick and tired of the severe rules of the established music industry.

GA: Isn't this an unpopular choice?

MM: Perhaps, but we are satisfied because we have made it all by ourselves. Certainly in this manner it's more difficult to sell, but the Goblin band is like a "diesel machine", in fact don't forget that our album deep red was released in february 1975 and that it sold for many months. In october, it will be the time to say if we are right in our descision!

GA: On the extended discography page of your official site, there is no album of phenomena, but there is of la chiesa. Both were compilations including some tracks composed and performed by Goblin so why list one and not the other?

MM: It's true. phenomena isn't a Goblin album, but, after a certain period, because it didn't sell more, someone decided to re-release it under the Goblin name. la chiesa isn't a Goblin album either but we have included it because we have Fabio Pignatelli with us.

presentation of goblin book in Roma, june 2005.
The author Aloisio, Pignatelli and Morante (previously unpublished)

GA: Goblin has always been a band that is traditionally reserved. So why, now, after 30 years, have you opened an internet forum to have contact and exchange of opinions and information with your fans?

MM: Because we had very often answered our fans by e-mail and forums of other website, so now we have decided to open our own forum - our home, called Goblinhome.

GA: If a director asked to use pieces of this new album for a soundtrack in his movie, would you agree to do it?

MM: There wouldn't be any problem!

GA: If Dario Argento asked you to do it?

MM: ... same...

GA: There are new proposals?

MM: A lot. We must take into consideration them too.

GA: There are movie soundtracks among them?

MM: Yes, a few. But, we are only... at the beginning.

GA: Is it realistic to think that Goblin would will return to play in a live concert in the future?

MM: It's very difficult, but not impossible!

Massimo Morante is interviewed for dark dreams by Giovanni Aloisio, author of the first book dedicated to goblin entitled Goblin: la musica, la paura, il fenomeno. Grazie Giovanni.

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