Category Archives: Reviews: Soundtrack

The Diabolical Soundtrack Review

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The-Diabolical-soundtrackThe Diabolical
Released by Atlantic Screen Group
30 Tracks with a total running time of 66 min.
Music by Ian Hultquist

When I started listening to this score, the first thought that came to mind was it was just another electronic score, with some sudden loud booms, digital noise and feedback, all trying to bring about a sense of uneasiness. But the more I listened to it, the more it sucked me into the depths of the music. Yes, there are still some sequences that do still remind me of electronic feedback, but there is something else below the surface that slowly dug its hooks into me.

Is this a score that will blow you away? Not at all. But I think what Hultquist does well here is that he has created a score that most of the time works quietly as it surrounds your mind’s eye. Occasionally bursting with a crashing bang, but still holding on to you. There are times where the “noise” gets a bit too much and for me those are a distraction. But overall, I was impressed with this. It may take a listen or two, but it really does start to haunt you.

Nightmare on Elm Street Soundtrack Box Set Coming!

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NightmareboxsetFans of the Nightmare on Elm Street series are probably going to want to pay attention to this. Varèse Sarabande will be releasing an incredible 8-CD box set next month that will feature not only the original scores for the first 8 films in the series, but there will be close to 3 hours of bonus tracks, which puts this release at over 8 hours of nightmarish music! Yes, the price is a bit steep at $99.98, but if you really consider what you’re getting, that isn’t a bad deal at all, considering some scores run you $15 to $20 each. Here you’re getting 8 scores with tons of bonus tracks. So well worth the investment.

The composers represented here in the box set are Charles Bernstein (Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street), Christopher Young (A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge), Angelo Badalamenti (A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), Craig Safan (A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master), Jay Ferguson (A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child), Brian May (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare), J. Peter Robinson (Wes Craven’s New Nightmare), and Graeme Revell (Freddy Vs. Jason)

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Z for Zachariah Soundtrack Review

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ZforZachariahCDZ for Zachariah Soundtrack
Released by Varèse Sarabande, 2015
26 Tracks with a total running time of 52 min.
Music by Heather McIntoch

This is another great example where we get a score to review, have no idea what the movie is about, but really enjoy the images it creates in our minds eye. Or really, the feelings that the music creates. For this one, it brings to mind a feeling of peacefulness and somber. Sure, for a horror site, one would think this wouldn’t be something we would like. Well, it might not be one we would always listen to, but any score that can create a mood or feeling, just by the music, means that the creator has done something magical.

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Extinction Soundtrack Review

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ExtinctioncdExtinction
Released by Varèse Sarabande, 2015
25 Tracks, with a total running time 67 min.
Music Composed by Sergio Moure

This film is another zombie film, one that takes place in a snowbound town. But just from listening to the score, I would suspect there is much more suspense here than over the top terror. The score starts off with hauntingly slow burn of a track, with the sounds of a strings, seemingly straining to make some music. It is slow paced, with a very somber but eerie quality to it, one that can easily put images into your mind’s eye. It picks up a bit, but then slowly descends back down. This continues with the second track, Night Journey, with faint notes from the piano combined with some gentle strings, all that create a quite but unnerving feeling. But then halfway through this track, it explodes with some quick rhythm from possibly cellos, which picks up the pace for a short time, before going back down to the original mood. This fast paced music appears again, such as in the track Defending My Baby or near the end, with the track The Siege.

Overall the score is a somber and quite one, one that is almost peaceful, but there always seems to be that feeling of uneasiness that it creates. Like it is trying to be relaxing, but there is just something there that won’t let you.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Soundtrack!

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invasionofthebodysnatchersCDOne of the scariest movies to come out in the ’50s wasn’t about some giant monster that was stomping its way through the city, but was from a silent invader that took over our bodies when we were sleeping. It was, of course, Don Siegel’s 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Now for the first time, composer Carmen Dragon’s score for this amazing film is getting a release on CD!

Thanks to the fine folks at La-La Land Records, this rare score is being produced by Dragon’s son-in-law Richard Henn and Neil S. Bulk, and restored and mastered by Stephen March and Fernando Lee. This release will feature 17 tracks of Dragon’s score, plus 3 tracks of Source Music), which is just under an hour’s worth of music. This release will also feature in-depth liner notes by Jeff Bond. The disc is only $19.98, but don’t wait too long to place your order since it is a limited edition of only 2000 units. So order your copy now.

Just click HERE for all the details!

The Vatican Tapes Soundtrack Review

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vaticantapescdThe Vatican Tapes
Released by Lakeshore Records, 2015
19 Tracks, with a total running time of 43 min.
Music Joseph Bishara

If there is one thing that composer Bishara does well, it is building atmosphere out of sounds. Not necessarily music, but sounds. And his score for The Vatican Tapes is a perfect example of this. Right from the start, we get a mixture of the lower keys of the piano but then mixed with a variety of sounds, some of which sounds like some demented chimes banging away. This mixed in with wailing strings, a thumping that almost sounds like a fast-paced beating heart, and you have just the first track.

The rest of the score plays out in a very similar format. There are no melodies or themes, but a continuing stream of sounds, some recognizable, while others seem familiar but you just can’t place. This isn’t one of those creepy ambience pieces, but more industrial without the loud mix of electronic noise, except more with like things found in your garage. And that’s a compliment. This is a very different than what I’m normally drawn to, but I rather quite enjoyed having this on in the background.

Burying the Ex Soundtrack Review

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burying-the-excdBurying the Ex
Released by Lakeshore Records
25 Tracks with a total running time of 45 min.
Music by Joseph LoDuca

This score caught me totally off guard. It seems to borrow several different genres out there, but makes them blend together to where they work. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this score, since I was pretty familiar with LoDuca’s work from the Evil Dead films but was very impressed.

Hearing this score without seeing the movie really has me curious since the music does seem to jump around into different styles. Right away with the first track, we get a gothic feel, almost like a Tim Burton film or something like that. But then later on, like on track #5 The Bitch is Back, we get a bit of music that could almost be in a Pink Panther movie, or maybe even a detective picture. Very unique but highly entertaining. Then later on, we get tracks that have a bluesy sound to them, adding even more layers to this score. Track # 11 Breakfast Sex almost makes feel like it something from Joe Satriani! That’s how diverse this score is! The last track, a musical number called Poison Love, seems to be a slight parody of Soft Cell’s Tainted Love, but still is a fun track.

I think this shows the wide range and talent that LoDuca has, by being able to go from what style to another, but still nail it each and every time. Very impressive. This is going to make me want to check out more of his work.

Poltergeist (2015) Soundtrack Review

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poltergeist2015Poltergeist (2015)
Released by Sony Masterworks
20 Tracks with a total running time of 43 min.
Music by Marc Streitenfeld

Taking on the job of composing a score for a remake of a very familiar movie must not have been an easy choice. When listening to scores, especially to review them, we try hard not to let that come into our mind when listening to this new take, trying to give it a fresh chance. Sometimes that is harder than others. But while Streitenfeld does do a decent job here, it just doesn’t have anything that reaches out and grabs hold of you. Not meaning that it isn’t a scary score, but that the music doesn’t seem to make its own footprints, rather than just accompany what might be on the screen.

He uses a lot of loud thundering notes, which seems to be more and more common these days with scores, which is a shame. He does come up with a nice opening theme which is decent, but it really doesn’t follow through with the rest of the score. He does use some nursery or children’s music which does give it a nice touch, but I would have liked to have heard more of that intertwined within the rest of the score, instead of the loud jump sounds.

Bottom line is that this isn’t a bad score by any means, but just one that doesn’t hold my attention too much. Maybe it is just me, but I want a score that will take hold of your ears and brain and pull you through the story, even if you’re not watching the film right then.

Blackwood Soundtrack Review

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blackwoodcdBlackwood
Released by Lakeshore Records
15 Tracks with a total running time of 57 min.
Music Composed by Lorne Balfe

It doesn’t happen often, but it does every now and then. There are those soundtracks that hook me after the first listen, but then there are those rare ones that get me within seconds of hitting the play button. Lorne Balfe’s score for Blackwood is one of those. Okay, so I am a sucker for ghost stories, which is what this movie is about. Never seeing it, or even hearing about it before this score arrived, I was immediately curious. But once the music started, with a beautifully haunting organ, then with a slow and eerie sound of some strings, it set the mood right away. Balfe has created one of those scores that is beautiful, sad, haunting, and creepy, all at the same time. That is talent.

Most of the score seems to be just piano or organ, along with a variety of string instruments, and for the most part are slow and moody. There are a few that have a little faster pace, such as #9 Paying a Visit, but for the most part, it is a nice relaxing score, one that is perfect for a nice quiet evening at home, working on the computer or reading your favorite book. It just breathes atmosphere.

Composer Balfe is a new name for me, but who’s work I will be looking more into. Highly recommend this one.

The Car Soundtrack Review

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thecarThe Car
Released by Intrada
26 Tracks, with a total running time of 40:50 min.
Composed and Conducted by Leonard Rosenman

The Car was a film that stuck in my head as a kid, even though it took years for me to finally get to see it, Just seeing the trailer on TV had etched it in my brain, especially the part with the car coming at the window. Such a great scene.

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