Alone 1980 : Blood Ritual

Sweden’s Alone 1980 stands out in the crowd of imagined film score and heavy synth artists. For over the past 7 years this electronic wizard has cast buzzing, circuital spells via cinematic records that pay tribute to the musical scores of late 70s/early 80s VHS sleaze. Covering the film worlds of unrated slashers, b-movie sci-fi, Giallo suspense, and dystopian exploitation, Alone 1980 gives us these amazing records that feel like coming across spools of 1/2 inch tape filled with queasy synth works never used.

Until now.

If you grew up on VHS horror and video nasties, Alone 1980 has the eerie sounds that probably still echo in your brain. The latest from this imagined score spellcaster is Blood Ritual. It came out back in February so it flew by my radar. But that’s the cool thing about music, you’re never too late. Blood Ritual has plenty of the queasy, shadowy synth work we expect from Alone 1980, but there’ also a sense of both light in the darkness and an almost nostalgic melancholy.

Musically I’m reminded of the early 80s. The hard electro handclaps, synsonics drums, and the bruising square waves of the early days of synth tones in the neon decade. “’88” opens things sounding like if James Murphy scored something like Metalstorm or Band of the Hand. There’s almost a hopeful optimism in the sun-bleached sonics we’re greeted by. “Crystal Sphere” brings to mind John Carpenter’s excellent Escape From New York main theme. Apocalyptic, dystopian, with a touch of quiet tension under the surface. “Dead Heat” feels like a wounded realization that not all is going to be well; subdued, hazy, and waiting for the end times fun.

Blood Ritual has a perfect flow to it, moments of quiet reprieve separated by ominous vibes. And while it all feels like each piece builds to one whole, every track could be taken individually into their own cinematic worlds. From the anxiety-ridden “Fortress Maze” to the beautiful haze of “LOVE” to the rain-soaked streets of “Release The Beast”, you have the sonic yin and yang that makes for the perfect headphone journey. And it all comes to a monolithic ending with “Thank You For Nothing”.

I am always truly excited to dive into an Alone 1980 album. This master melody maker and mood creator has something to say with each record, and Blood Ritual is no different. It’s tense, dream-like, and sublime at every corner.