Heinrich Dressel, half-brother of Franz Falckenhaus and cousin of Klaus Weltman, embarks on a new synth and wave mission for the Italian outlet Mannequin. Travelling with a passport issued to Valerio Lombardozzi, the producer from Rome has recorded under the Composite Profuse alias and is closely associated with contemporary school of electro-synth-wave.
Still I remember Dressel’s “Mons Testaceum” on Legowelt’s Strage Life Records, which sounded like a sonic testament of gladiators perished in the arena of Colosseum. Now he comes with a mini-LP where the title track “Sighing Melodies Thru The Graves” surprises with italo-inspired synthwave jolliness. In fact entire release is rather floor-minded and refrains from macabre feelings, although the title would predict something else. Uptempo synthetic grooves are in the main role in “The Black Radiant Sky”, “The Fifty Days of Mighty Lunacy” and “Afterlife Was Writ In Water”, while more cosmic-minded “Nestled Against the Aurelian Walls” adds some dramatic notes. Programmed with skill and wit, Dressel presents a highlight of the genre in 2012.