It’s impossible to imagine the films of Dario Argento without the eerie, one-of-a-kind tunes that play over the stunning images, many of which were contributed by the Italian progressive rock band known as Goblin. The unmistakable sounds of Goblin can be heard in Dario Argento horror classics including Suspiria and Deep Red, along with Phenomena and Tenebrae.
Massimo Morante was one of the original co-founders of Goblin – originally called Oliver and later Cherry Five – alongside Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, and Walter Martino, and we’ve learned the sad news tonight that Morante has passed away at the age of 70.
Goblin rose to success working alongside Argento on Deep Red (Profondo rosso), and it was in fact the 1975 Giallo movie’s score that officially christened the band with the iconic name.
In addition to the previously mentioned movies, Goblin also scored Argento’s “European Cut” of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, lending their sound to another horror classic.
Goblin broke up and came back together a handful of times over the years, most recently reuniting in 2005, 2009, 2014, 2017, and 2018, with Morante always remaining a key figure.
Other films Goblin contributed music to include Martin, The Heroin Busters, Patrick, Beyond the Darkness, Contamination, Hell of the Living Dead, The Church, and Sleepless.
Goblin’s Facebook page writes, “With extreme pain and disbelief we are forced to announce that Massimo Morante, founder and irreplaceable guitarist of the Goblin, has left us today.”
The sounds of Goblin, however, never will. Rest in Peace, Massimo Morante.
Massimo Morante — the guitarist whose moody, funky playing helped define Italian prog-rock group Goblin’s eerie soundtracks for horror cinema classics — has died https://t.co/TK4GcWDN47
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) June 23, 2022