Goblin are the most cinematic of all Italian progressive bands — and, internationally, among the most famous. Best known for their spine-chilling scores to the horror films of Dario Argento, above all “Profondo Rosso” (1975) and “Suspiria” (1977), they turned progressive rock into pure dread, and in doing so helped define the sound of horror itself.

The short version

Formed in Rome in the early 1970s and signed to the film label Cinevox, Goblin made their name scoring Dario Argento’s “Profondo Rosso”, whose hypnotic theme became a huge hit. Across a run of soundtracks and a pair of proper band albums, their dark, keyboard-driven, often menacing prog — heard in classics like “Suspiria” and the “Dawn of the Dead” score — earned them a worldwide cult following that endures to this day.

Rome, the early 1970s: from Oliver to Goblin

Goblin’s roots lay in the Roman prog scene of the early 1970s, where keyboardist Claudio Simonetti and guitarist Massimo Morante formed a band that played first as Oliver and then as Cherry Five, joined by bassist Fabio Pignatelli. After a spell in London recording demos, they returned to Italy and signed to Cinevox Records — the label behind Dario Argento’s films. When Argento went looking for a rock band to score his new giallo, “Profondo Rosso”, the group’s music was offered to him; he loved it, and with drummer Walter Martino now aboard, they renamed themselves Goblin to record the soundtrack. Their earlier symphonic album would eventually surface under the Cherry Five name.

Cinematic, menacing prog

Goblin’s music was unlike almost anything else in Italian prog. Largely instrumental and built around Claudio Simonetti’s keyboards — Hammond organ, Minimoog, harpsichord, celesta, Mellotron — it was dark, hypnotic and richly cinematic, full of baroque keyboard lines, driving bass, Morante’s sharp guitar and a jazz-rock rhythmic tension that could tighten into pure menace. Crafted for the screen, it was far more sophisticated than the anonymous film music of the day, and its eerie, ominous power proved enormously influential on the sound of horror cinema for decades to come.

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The music: soundtracks and band albums

Goblin’s breakthrough was “Profondo Rosso” (1975), whose relentless, harpsichord-and-Moog title theme — built on an unusual seven-beat pulse — became an instant hit, selling a million copies and topping the Italian charts. It established Goblin as masters of the form. Two years later came their crowning achievement, “Suspiria” (1977), the score to Argento’s supernatural horror classic — a more experimental, texture-driven work, all whispering voices, bells, Mellotron and dread, composed before filming so the director could edit to the music. The same period brought the score to George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead”. Alongside the soundtracks, Goblin also made proper band albums: “Roller” (1976) is a more straightforwardly progressive, jazz-rock-tinged studio record, while “Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark” (1978) is an ambitious concept album, their first with sung vocals. Together, these four records capture both sides of the band — the screen composers and the prog group.

Album by album

Four classics, from horror soundtracks to concept albums. Tap any title for its guide.

The players and afterwards

Goblin’s classic line-up centred on keyboardist Claudio Simonetti and guitarist Massimo Morante, with bassist Fabio Pignatelli, drummer Agostino Marangolo — who replaced original drummer Walter Martino — and keyboardist Maurizio Guarini. The first Goblin came to an end in 1978, when Morante left for a solo career and the band fractured. Simonetti went on to become a pioneer of Italo disco and a celebrated horror composer in his own right, while Pignatelli led later incarnations of the group. In the decades since, the Goblin name has reunited and splintered many times — into projects like Daemonia, New Goblin, Goblin Rebirth and Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin — touring the world to perform their scores live alongside the films. Founding guitarist Massimo Morante died in 2022. The classic 1970s albums, though, remain their towering legacy.

Where to start

Begin with “Profondo Rosso” (1975), the album that made their name, with its unforgettable, hit title theme, and then “Suspiria” (1977), their atmospheric masterpiece — between them, the essential Goblin. For their work as a band rather than as screen composers, “Roller” (1976) and the concept album “Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark” (1978) show another, fascinating side.

Why they still matter

Goblin are perhaps the most singular band in all of Italian prog — a group who built one of the genre’s most famous careers not on concept albums but on horror soundtracks, and who in the process helped shape the very sound of fear in cinema. Their dark, keyboard-driven music transcends its origins, gripping listeners who have never seen the films, and its influence echoes through decades of horror scoring. With their classic scores still performed live around the world, Goblin’s eerie magic shows no sign of fading. For anyone exploring Italian prog — or simply the power of music to unsettle — they are essential.

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