Splintered Halo: Chronicles Of Horror – Volume One
Self-released
Download / Stream
Evilyn Van Der Hyden and her happily unhinged band of terrifying troubadours are at it again with this marvelously entertaining musical trawl through some of our favourite horror classics.
Of course, from From Space Oddity to Breakfast At Tiffany’s, songs triggered by movies are nothing new, and what better way to find inspiration or overcome a creative logjam (an affliction from which Splintered Halo rarely seem to suffer)? However, Chronicles Of Horror – Volume 1 takes things to a new level, dragging us kicking and screaming on a whirlwind ghost train ride through not one but six gruesome masterpieces, condensing a fright night film marathon into 25 minutes of genuinely scary fun in the process.
Halo set the mood perfectly with their rendition of Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street, it’s spine-chillingly atmospheric intro giving way to Freddy’s grating, ‘The only thing you have to fear is fear himself.’ The sing-song nursery rhyme warning of Krueger’s presence does nothing at all to alleviate the tension before the villain has the final say, and the track comes to a spookily chiming conclusion. For the next slasher-fest, Evilyn adopts the character of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface, introducing the concept of horror metal dueling banjos in the process to provide a deceptively jaunty backdrop to the most sanguinary of scenes.
The Exorcist was one of the most disturbing stories ever committed to film, and this heavy / haunting rendition does it justice. A million miles away from the Mike Oldfield soundtrack, the instrumental passages nonetheless demonstrate that Splintered Halo’s musical dexterity matches their ability to spin a yarn. Despite its comedic elements, the tale of Jennifer’s Body keeps up the relentless sense of unease, Evilyn coming on like a demonic Toni Basil as she delivers the metal-backed ‘Let’s go Devils’ cheerleader chant, before brilliantly incorporating the villainous Low Shoulder’s ‘hit’, Through The Trees.
Lead single The Evil Dead’s opening incantation, ‘Kanda, Estratta, Montosse, Irgrets, Gát, Nosfératos, Kanda’, might sound like gobbledygook, but it’s bloody ghastly gobbledygook, and the frantic drum and guitar passage evokes a sense of impending doom. ‘Join us’? – you must be joking. The juxtaposition between the innocents’ plaintive pleadings and the baddies’ monstrous monologues is a recurring theme throughout Chronicles Of Horror, and is deployed to excellent effect during the wurlitzer-infused ‘Pennywise’ to invoke the nightmarish spirit of IT – a suitably freaky finale.
Chronicles Of Horror Volume One appeals on several levels, whether stirring memories of watching the films first time round, inspiring the listener to check them out, or simply providing great entertainment in its own right. For anyone who enjoys the dubious pleasure of self-inflicted trauma, it’s amazing the extent to which guitars, drums, voice and a bit of electronic wizardry have the capacity to match big budget productions in the horror stakes. If anything, there’s something about the way music reaches the darkest recesses of the mind that makes the effect even more insidious. But Splintered Halo are much more than a mere novelty band, as proved by the fiendishly good musicianship, excellent production and apparently limitless imagination on display here. And if, as the title implies, there’s more to come, we eagerly anticipate the creepy thrills in store for us when Volume Two sees the darkness of night.
Splintered Halo Links: YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin for Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.
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