5 out of 5

Label: Library of the Occult

Produced by: ?

The fifth in a “series of haunting sounds to accompany the reading of Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror classic DRACULA.”

Nailed it. The struggle with these “haunting sounds” has been to find something that sets the scene appropriately – a pre-20th century scene – but also functions well as a standalone track, given that the series is delivered on 7″es. While a lot of these so far have been good, the electronic / psych leanings of Library of the Occult means the music is often more fitting for 70s or 80s horror. I’m not asking for 100% historical accuracy with the instrumentation, just something that at least gives off older-timey vibes than the aforementioned eras.

Ivy Chalice effect this similar to Timothy Fife’s Part 4 entry – by slow-rolling the modern elements. But going beyond that, they cake their music in reverb and chant-like vocals that call to mind unearthed recordings, and are also mindful to keep the music’s pace and tone pretty somber. At the same time, there is build here, overcoming the backgroundable limitation of Fife’s entry, and perfectly functioning in a middleground of worthwhile single and effective score.

While the 7″‘s art may (I believe) be drawn from some of those later films, the exact imagery is nonetheless a great fit, with a faded photo accompanying a blood-filled chalice a fitting blend of the somewhat masked horrors found in the music – muffled by the atmospheric reverb – and its performative aspects, with the gothic vocals.