The musical world of Dressel Amorosi is a splendid, sinister thing. The band consists of Heinrich Dressel(Valerio Lombardozzi) and Federico Amorosi, a duo locked heavily into the world of Giallo scores, Goblin jams, and prog rock tightness. All combined together gives us a musical world of 70s Italian horror with plenty of meat on the bone to gnaw on. Federico Amorosi’s ever-present bass compositions give Dressel plenty to work with, layering vintage synth sounds in a soundscape of technicolor tension and forlorn melancholy. Never falling too deep into derivative nostalgia, always feeling like a tip of the fedora to what came before but remaining a singular sound.
The band’s 2018 album DeathMetha was all sinewy, slinky bass slathered in dripping phaser effects with plenty of candle-lit synths to give us a Gothic, doom vibe. Fans of Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci classic 70s output found much to love with Dressel Amorosi, and now with their new album House of Dolls, there’s more reasons to be excited. House of Dolls gives us 8 reasons, in fact.
The record continues what the heavy synth duo began back in 2018 and pushes their sound even further. The tension is higher, the songs even more engaging, and by the end you’ll swear you’ve seen House of Dolls back in the day. It completely captures the vibe of a late night horror movie you stumbled across on cable access TV or Night Flight.
From the opening moments of “Radio Metha” Dressel Amorosi let you know what you’re in for. The distorted voice that seems to be speaking from some other dimension leads us into what I imagine would sound like if John Carpenter had worked with Alan Parsons Project. A slickly-produced nightmare if ever there was one. Title track “House of Dolls” brings to mind John Harrison’s great Day of the Dead score with a touch of Pye Corner Audio for good measure. Or the amazing “Octagon Tower” that is both sinister and melancholy at the same time.
Nothing drags here. It all moves along brilliantly like some long lost horror film score. From the Zombi-like bass groove of “Woodland Whisper” to the soft rock optimism of “Starlight” to the electro sway of closer “The Gate”, Dressel Amorosi has us in their death grip.
Look no further than Dressel Amorosi’s House of Dolls for your Halloween night soundtrack. It’s as engaging as it is eerie.
House of Dolls drops tomorrow, 10/24, via Library of the Occult.
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