John Carpenter’s Lost Themes III: horror master unearths fresh synthwave chills for us

Halloween director and synthwave inspiration John Carpenter serves up immersive chills on new album Lost Themes III: Alive After Death

John Carpenter: Lost Themes III: Alive After Death
(Image: © Sacred Bones)

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Chuck a rusty blade over your shoulder and you’ll probably hit at least two people who have ripped off John Carpenter in recent times. The undisputed king of horror movie soundtracks has hit a late-career prolific streak, and Lost Themes III again shows how immersive and powerful his music can be, even when bereft of blood-drenched visual accompaniment. His increasingly intuitive comrades - son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies - help bring these devilishly simple musical ideas to life; the old master’s trademark blend of suppurating synths, macabre guitars and pulsing drum machines sounds as evocative and unnerving as it ever did. Cemetery and Dripping Blood are particularly stunning. It’s the sound of genius, lurking in the shadows.

Dom Lawson
Writer

Dom Lawson began his inauspicious career as a music journalist in 1999. He wrote for Kerrang! for seven years, before moving to Metal Hammer and Prog Magazine in 2007. His primary interests are heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee, snooker and despair. He is politically homeless and has an excellent beard.