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Oculus Infernum Koch Records
Despite his cartoonish cross-dressing antics, Twisted Sister's Dee Snider has created a serious concept album for the Halloween season with Oculus Infernum. Having assembled a mini prog-metal orchestra that incorporates modern and classical horror pieces like "Tubular Bells" from The Exorcist, Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana, and even "Black Sabbath" by you-know-who into original compositions such as "Let Me Prey," "The Tortured Soul" and "Let The Pain Begin," Snider may just be able to establish his own contribution to the Halloween tradition. The only vocals on Oculus Infernum are prophetic choral chants in Latin and Snider's own narration, which tells the story of an evil force that devours most of mankind leaving only an orphaned child and a descendent of Dracula adversary Dr. Van Helsing to save mankind. With plenty of questions about the nature of good and evil thrown in, Van Helsing's Curse offers a somewhat scholarly alternative to "The Monster Mash."
- Jonathan Williams (Music Editor)
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