Music Review: "Pre-Cert" by Videogram

- by Señor Editor, 10 January 2016

One of the big musical surprises in 2015 for me was discovering Videogram – a project by Magnus Sellergren, focused on creating brand new themes inspired by the greatest movies of genre cinema. We did an interview with the man in march, and he mentioned his upcoming album on Cineploit. That album was the Pre-Cert LP, and it’s about time we review that!

Cover artwork by Milan Pad. Click to enlarge.

Pre-Cert is a 13-track album and it’s basically what the singles from last year were all leading up to. The title refers to “pre-certification video” – a phrase used to describe VHS tapes released before the introduction of the Video Recordings Act. Tapes that went completely uncensored. A very fitting name considering the kind of movies that have been inspiring Videogram’s music.
 
While the singles released last year were giving us small glimpses into Sellergren’s take on the golden era of genre filmmaking, Pre-Cert ties everything together into one complex and impressive piece of work. You would think that vastly different tracks (like the subtle and very sinister “Damien” and the fast-paced and pumping “Horror Express”, for example) wouldn’t necessarily fit well together, but the album blends all the different styles and inspirations flawlessly. It’s a very satisfying listen from start to finish.

Tracks like “Cobretti” or “Killer On Interstate 40” carry such a feeling of tension and urgency that it’s near impossible to listen to them while sitting comfortably in a chair. I mean that in the best possible way. That’s some shit to get things done to. Real grimy action music that you could listen to while pretending you’re Paul Kersey and going for a badass evening stroll through the city (but without the shooting people part, maybe). It makes you want to check how much would it cost to have “AWSOM” on your license plate.

Whether it’s covering occult horror, slashers (check out the video for “Voorhees Stomp”, one of the most fun tracks on this record, at the bottom of this article) or action movies, one thing about Pre-Cert that’s impossible to not notice is just how good the production is. Each track features many fine details that stand out more and more with each listen. The compositions on this album are really excellent, and it only gets better. The penultimate track, the 13 minute Carpenter-inspired “Man is the Warmest Place to Hide”, is probably the best example, but great care has been put into making each track a very satisfying listen.

The more I listened to Pre-Cert, the more it got me thinking how great it would be to have Sellergren score a full feature film. Like I mentioned in the Videogram interview last year, there’s plenty of movies right now with generic, uninspired soundtracks. The tracks on Pre-Cert really speak to the imagination – it’s very easy to see how well they would fit with the movies that inspired them, and Videogram has really been proving his composing skills in the last year. This is the type of stuff that could make a good movie even better. 
 
The “Cobretti” and “Outpost 31 Isn’t Responding” singles from last year did a great job of showing how Videogram can build upon specific inspirations to create new and original music. Pre-Cert goes a step further and shows just how all of these different influences can come together into a very stylish, well-produced and consistent album.
 
There is a whole lot to like here, and even more to discover with each consecutive listen. Horror fans, fans of classic soundtracks, and just straight up fans of good and interesting music should definitely give it a go. 

RELATED LINKS:
- Videogram Interview
- "Outpost 31 Isn't Responding" Review

You can listen to and buy "Pre-Cert" right here. Make sure to follow Videogram on Facebook for all news and updates.

Tagged: music, Reviews.

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