Hereditary
Released by Milan Records, 2018
23 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 71 mins.
Music By Colin Stetson

I really liked this movie, even though I have a few issues with it here and there, but it still packed one hell of a punch. Several times, actually! But honestly, I didn’t remember that much about the score originally. After finding out that this was done by the same composer that did the recent Color Out of Space for Richard Stanley, I figured I would have to give this one a spin. And I’m so glad I did!

I feel like I need to go back and re-watch this film to see if the impact certain scenes make is maybe because of the music. There are certain tracks that just grab you. There are ones that are loud and bursting, while others that are quiet and more subtle, seeming into your brain. There might be little noises seemingly in the background that almost make you wonder if it is part of the soundtrack or something happening outside, such as in Track # 7, Aftermath. There are also those that start out very slow without you hearing much, then it just builds up and explodes at the end. Tracks # 5, Party, Crash and # 14, Book Burning, are perfect examples of this.

The second to the last track, #22, Reborn, is the real signature track from this release. It starts off slow with an interesting melody, like something you’d hear on a bright spring day. Then comes this low moan, sort of a guttural chant. The chimes start, right before a loud blaring sound, like some kind of twisted trumpet, ending with the chant returning. Very powerful.

When a soundtrack can make this kind of an impact on the listener, even without the use of the images when you’re watching the film, it shows the power of the music. And here, once again, Stetson more than proves his merits.