I was unfamiliar with There Are Ghosts, but this is the work of Italian artist Marcello Saponaro, not to be confused with the other band named “There Are Ghosts,” which is a “Hardjangle and Boogaze band from Indianapolis, Indiana.” Otherwise, I could not find much out about this artist, but I am a huge Thomas Ligotti fan, so when I saw this in the notes, I was already interested. I have an autographed book or two and have this book as well. Some of you Current 93 fans will also recognize his collaborations on the albums "I Have a Special Plan for this World" and "In a Foreign Town in a Foreign Land." Here's how the artist describes this project:

"The Conspiracy Against the Human Race is a philosophical essay written by Thomas Ligotti in 2010. The author of the book expresses his conception of existence under a pessimistic and anti-natalist lens. Life is represented as an infinite and unfair suffering that corrodes conscious beings, forced to go through the disturbing horror that dominates reality from birth until death. This album contains my vision of this work, bringing back the same sensations that invalidate all human beings who have decided to pierce the veil and live outside an illusory frame."

Sounds like a good time, right? Let's see if There Are Ghosts manages to keep it as bleak as a Ligotti story. We kick it off with "Ancoraggio - verità metafisiche" (Anchoring - Metaphysical Truths), which is a stripped down composition of what sounds like a heartbeat and spoken word about mortality. This turns into sparse synth work and drone. Next up, we have "Distrazione - le menti che riflettono sugli orrori," Which is clattering metal and other noises over droning synth. The title translates to "Distraction - minds reflecting on horrors," and if the intention is to be slightly unsettling, There Are Ghosts nails it. It is not particularly harsh, but a bit chaotic. A minor tone bass line drives this feeling home. This gives way to "Isolamento - precipitando nella trepidazione" (isolation - falling into trepedation), which has a bit softer synth work over a grinding undercurrent of staticy noise. The tension between the two works quite well. Finally, we close it off with "Sublimazione - la paralizzante paura" (Sublimation - the paralyzing fear), which is a bit more up front with the noisy elements. There is a lot going on here. A piano line here, a bit of choral sounding synth, tape hiss, warbling analog sounds. This could be almost soothing if it were played a bit cleaner, but that's the point, isn't it? If they wanted soothing, they would have begun from a different point of inspiration! This ends with a somber piano piece.

Overall, it is safe to say that There Are Ghosts did Ligotti proud, and if you are looking for cinematic ambient music that would be right at home in the suspenseful part of a film, this will be right up your alley. Well worth checking out.