Contamination

Although they are best known for their work with director , the soundtrack mavens in supplemented their income by cranking out scores for other Italian filmmakers on the side. A good example is , a 1980 score for a rather silly ripoff of by director . Although it contains flashes of the genius that defined scores like and , feels like it was hastily slapped together. It eschews the complex melodies that pervade their work with in favor of minimalist themes with short running times (indeed, most of the tracks are in the two to three minute range). further differs from the usual style by downplaying the band's love of electric guitar and lush production in favor of bare-bones arrangements dominated by synthesizers. Sometimes this works in the band's favor (the taut, atmospheric ), but it works against the band just as often ( is burdened with some corny, sci-fi synthesizer washes). also gives itself over to a penchant for bland on filler tracks like Despite these problems, there are still enough solid, atmospheric moments for the patient listener: updates the group's sound with judiciously timed bursts of programmed synthesizer, and " effectively builds from a subtle blend of rhythm guitar and keyboard shadings to a spooky march-styled crescendo layered with spooky organ riffs. Another standout is a surprisingly mellow and moody track built on a delicate piano melody. In the end, has enough memorable moments for fanatics, but the novice listener would be better off checking out or . Collector's note: reissued this album in 2001 with five bonus tracks, all alternate versions of tracks from the album. ~ Donald A. Guarisco