20th June 2026

Review: “Horror Tales” by Bid Zogo

Haunting the halls of Milan for the past twenty five years, Bid Zogo are a Metal band who love nothing more than to hang around the graveyard at midnight, digging up corpses for fun. As it happens you might know them by the trail of the dead, former members including Richard Meiz (Lacuna Coil) and Alice Pandini (Infected Rain), while Tommy Massara (Extrema) appeared as a guest guitarist on a previous single. In 2022 they released a remastered album in “Exhumed“, the string of singles that followed a trail of breadcrumbs to EP “Horror Tales“. Recorded in a home studio, mixed by Dave Thorn (M.T.G.) and mastered by Fabrizio Gesuato (Obscura Qalma, Fate Unburied, Plague Incarnate) it offers four stories to keep you awake in the midnight hour.

A concept record inspired by horror cinema, “Horror Tales” begins with “Salem’s Lot“, a crushing combination of early Soulfly inspired Tribal Groove Metal sounds with horror movie samples. Fierce vocals from Luca Taglietti and a weighty guitar tone help to give it a certain sense of nostalgia, the instant appeal of familiar sounds with crisp contemporary production value making for an award winning combination. The pacing of the track works very well, the sonic intensity broken by the samples for just long enough to make what follows hit that much harder. It has to be said that Taglietti’s vocals are key, his harsh accented tone as powerful as the riffs.

Not to be confused with the Chicago Shredders of the same name “Necronomicon Ex Mortis” is cut from the same cloth as the opening cut, bombastic bass from Ivan Marconi and powerful percussion from Andrea Merlini essential components. While these tracks are lyrically inspired by horror cinema and have the samples to prove it, what they don’t have is the horror cinema atmosphere. There aren’t any ominous dark clouds or brooding ethereal qualities, the quartet instead opting for a more direct route to remain. That takes a minute to get your head around once the instant impact has worn off because the concept and song titles give you this preconceived misconception that the record should sound a certain way.

There is something a little more menacing and sinister about “Hannibal the Cannibal” as the quartet trade some of their raw, primal power for a darker edge but its small margins, a little Primus like funk passage a moment that will make you crack a smile. Alessio Lucatti of Deathless Legacy adds haunting keys to “Orlok” a cut inspired by the rodent like vampire in German Expressionist silent film Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau in 1922. Sonically this one is very different, more akin to what Motionless In White have been doing of late but with harsh uncleans inflicting more damage. All in all this collection is an interesting one and something of a sonic evolution for the band [7.5/10]

Track Listing