Here's another one of those albums that's been around for ages (in this case it came out over twenty years ago) that I just stumbled across and am in disbelief that I never heard it before know. I'd seen the Devil Doll name thrown around over the years, but they're another example of a band that I made these weird assumptions about what they sounded like simply based on their name, thinking that they were some sort of glam band. Once I finally sat down and listened to Devil Doll, though, I was fucking floored by what I heard. It was this 1989 album from the Italian/Slovenian band that won me over, totally hooked me on their astounding horror-prog-metal, which is so unique and creepy and weird that I can't really compare them to any other band out there. It's hard for me not to gush - this disc is awesome, a single album-length epic that's arranged like a rock opera of sorts, moving through a series of different movements that are all tied together by some grandiose prog sensibilities. Devil Doll's music will go from these incredibly eerie piano parts with Mr. Doctor's unique raspy high-pitched vocals, to ripping heavy metal gallop to sweeping synth-heavy prog that sounds a lot like Goblin, but piles on all these other orchestral sounds and bizarre vocals that really make this sound like nothing else I've ever heard before. There's a HUGE metal element to this album, but it's perfectly balanced with the progressive rock and theatrical elements in their music, these different elements flowing from one to the other for maximum dramatic effect, slipping from classic thrashing heaviness into gorgeous sections of angelic female vocals, ghastly organ melodies and intricate guitar parts. Angular violin-led prog metal freakouts suddenly veer into utterly mournful funeral strings, and these killer fist-pumping metal raveups drift into chilling abstract horrorscapes laced with chamber strings, heavy drums and blackened orchestral bombast, and end up among some wild evil circus music. The closest comparison I can come up with to Devil Doll's music on The Girl Who Was Death is if you can imagine King Diamond being backed by a band made up of members of Goblin and Univers Zero, engaging in an over the top album-length prog metal opera. Fucking brilliant, a cult classic for sure. Be sure to stick around for the KILLER "hidden" song tucked all the way at the end of the disc...