I first listened to ANIMA MORTE' "The Nightmare Becomes Reality" not knowing what to expect. I had been assigned the album at random and knew nothing about the band's sound or history. My first impression was that the music was in the style of classic horror movie soundtracks, with an influence from 70's progressive rock. After reading the band's bio, that is pretty much exactly what they are going for, with a focus on the soundtracks of horror movies from Italy.

Intriguing? I thought so. It's certainly a premise that could be done completely wrong, though. It could come off as cheesy or boring, but I found  "The Nightmare Becomes Reality" to be neither. The driving instruments here are the keyboards, whether they are Mellotrons, Moogs or Hammond Organs. The music itself is hardly metal, although it does sometimes have the atmosphere of a classic 'evil' band like MERCYFUL FATE.

The best song on here is definitely "Corridor of Blood", check this song out if you want to get an idea of what ANIMA MORTE is about. Things stay pretty consistent throughout and many different moods are explored. Since there are no words, everything is instrumental, one can only go by the song titles. However, not everything is like something one would hear in a haunted house. They simply take their base sound and explore different avenues to great effect.

This is not something that I would listen to, day in and day out. However, when I am in the right mood, it certainly hits the spot. ANIMA MORTE gets extra credit because they are doing something unique and original, and they are doing it well. Recommended for those looking for something a bit different.