Gruesome Joe’s Musical Morgue

'Il Capricci Diabolici' Review

Listen up Deadites! Gruesome Joe here. I hope you’re ready, because we’re about to crack open the latest installment of the Musical Morgue, right here on Rotting Flesh Radio!

This week, I not only have some great independent music for you, but I also have a new format for my final evaluation. Rather than giving an album one or two bloody stumps up, I’ve decided to change it to a 5 point system. Hopefully this will be a better way to convey my final thoughts on an album and give you all a better, more accurate measurement as to my thoughts of an album. So without further ado, let’s look into this week’s pick.

On the slab is the latest work by guitarist Mitch Kurfis. His latest album, Il Capricci Diabolici is a gothic, progressive horror album heavily rooted in Kurfis’ guitar melodies and improvisations. He combines his guitar melodies with dark orchestrations and ambient elements to create an ever-changing soundscape. Though the main focus of most of the tracks on the album are the guitar melodies, the other elements really keep you guessing and your ear tuned into the tracks as the play through. The order in which the tracks play also keeps the variety ongoing throughout the length of the entire album.

The first track on the album, “A Descent Into the Maelstrom” introduces you to Kurfis’ style, almost acting as an overture for the entire album. It touches on a couple of musical styles that will later show up in other tracks, but maintains two driving metal bookends at the start and finish of the track that keeps the tempo up and the chaos going.

(“A Descent Into the Maelstrom” clip)

The next track “The Waters of Nun” begins with a very cool piano arpeggio and then launches you into a very lofty guitar melody accompanied by light synth pads and harpsichords. The track has a very “Trevor Jones” feel, especially with the simple processed drum keeping the syncopated beat.

(“The Waters of Nun” clip)

The track that follows, “Breathing Fire,” is the polar opposite of “The Waters of Nun.” “Breathing Fire” starts right out of the gate with a heavy metal melody that then launches into a series of very syncopated and dissonant sections that create a very intense feeling of driving, metal chaos. This track seems to be processed similarly to the first track “A Descent into the Maelstrom”, both of which seem to be mastered to a lower volume than the other tracks on the album, and seem to be a little flat.

(“Breathing Fire” clip)

“Enoch 17:1” is the next track, and features a more distinct guitar melody over the top of synthesized orchestral hits and spikes. You can tell that there are several different guitars playing at the same time in this track, and I think it adds a great deal of variety in the tones, and I really like it. To further that idea, the track slows down into two very different bridges that bring the tempo way down and creates a very cool contrast. These slower sections feature string, harp, and synth arrangements and I really like what they do to the overall progression and feel of the track. Here’s a sample of what I mean.

(“Enoch 17:1” clip)

The next track “Sorrow” features two dueling melodies right on top of each other—a soaring guitar and a very progressive piano melody. This track is much more calming than its’ predecessors and offers a good “cool down” period for the album.

(“Sorrow” clip)

Following “Sorrow” is a grand track titled “Beneath Hollowed Ground.”. It beings with a very well-arranged gothic orchestration complete with strings and harpsichords that then propels you into Kurfis’ soaring guitar stylings over string accompaniment. I wish that this track would have incorporated more of that beginning gothic orchestral quality throughout—I think that would have made this track really stand out.

(“Beneath Hollowed Ground” clip)

Kurfis keeps you guessing with the next track “Melmoth the Wanderer.” This track starts off with a very dark piano melody that then slowly incorporates strings and finally the guitar work. As the track progresses, he picks up the tempo and introduces drums and even faster guitar arpeggios. I find this track to be outstanding. It incorporates the darker gothic accompaniment with the insane guitar arpeggios, and also maintains a very progressive arrangement between the piano and guitar—and I love how the two work together throughout the entire track.

(“Melmoth the Wanderer” clip)

The next track is incredibly ambient, and that’s what I love about it. Appropriately titled “Sinister Machines,” Kurfis shows his guns in soundscape design, creating a very full industrial environment that bookends a very sinister string and guitar center. I think this track is probably the most appropriate for all the haunted attraction designers out there, mainly because of how Kurfis incorporates the ambience into the composition. This is by far my favorite track on the album. It’s also the scariest—go figure!

(“Sinister Machines” clip)

Following “Sinister Machines” is the track “Cerberus.” This track brings us back into the world of strings, synths, and a well-crafted guitar melody. Similarly to “The Waters of Nun,” I feel this track had that film quality sound to it, again reminiscent of Trevor Jones or Fabio Frizzi. I really liked the tempo changes throughout this track and how the guitar melody had very clearly written sections, but also incorporated moments of improvisation.

(“Cerberus” clip)

The last track on the album, “Djinn,” is also one the one I least expected. This track is entirely acoustic and features an incredibly haunting, almost Middle Eastern melody. The guitar is very slow in comparison to other tracks on the album, and the combination of this tempo with the acoustic stylings makes it a phenomenal ending piece and, hands down, the most distinct track on the album.

(“Djinn” clip)

So overall, I give Il Capricci Diabolici 4 out of 5 rockin’ skulls. I think Kurfis has done a great job of combining some crazy guitar work with some really well-arranged orchestrations and ambient elements. I think a few tracks’ mastering are a bit off, but it isn’t enough to detract from the arrangements significantly. I did really enjoy the variety throughout the album, and it could have been even more varied with the guitar solos in my opinion. I could definitely see some of the solos having more of that “constructed” feel like in “Cerberus,” and I think that would have given those tracks more of a polished feel. But overall, I think this album is an awesome piece of guitar work that is both haunting and fun at the same time.

I absolutely recommend picking up a copy of Il Capricci Diabolici for your music collection. All of Kurfis’ work is available on both iTunes and Amazon as digital downloads and hard-copy CD’s, all of which can be accessed directly through his site at www.DarkMelodies.com. Mitch does not charge licensing fees for haunts to use his music in their attractions, but do give him credit where you can, share his website, and shoot him an email and let him know about it! He is currently working on a new album titled Slaying Cthulhu set to be released by the end of this year, and you can bet you’ll hear it here in the Musical Morgue just as soon as I can get a copy!

Well Deadites, that about does it for this week here in the Morgue. Be sure to check out GruesomeJoe.com to check out the written version of my review, as well as all the links to buy the album and to get to Mitch Kurfis’ website, www.DarkMelodies.com. I’m Gruesome Joe and I’ll be chilling out here in the Morgue, waiting for you… until next time…