31 Days 31 Scores
October 12th
“The two of you showed such promise, but we had to see you in action. And most impressive you’ve been. You’re like brother and sister. Heightened speed, strength, agility, the same killer instincts. Parallel strands of research. And now… we discover which is superior.”
Welcome Back to “31 Days 31 Scores”. With Resident Evil – The Final Chapter coming out in early 2017 (As of this review) I thought it would be appropriate to look at one of my favourite scores of the series, “Resident Evil – Apocalypse” by Jeff Danna. The score for the first film had a very aggressive feel (Composed by Marilyn Manson and Marco Beltrami). The composers went with a synth score.
This time however Danna went with a bigger approach and gave the score a bit more depth and using both orchestral and electronic elements. The score begins with moody, dissonant electronic sounds with a foreboding vibe. The score the switches to a “Matrix like” feeling with ascending brass in “Alice Battles The Nemesis”. Just a quick note that the score as presented on CD is out of film order.
The cue “The Nemesis vs. S.T.A.R.S.” features a sound, representing the Nemesis, that sounds like a guitar riff at first listen but it isn’t that at all. The sound is actually a manufactured sound from historical recordings of unusual African instruments mixed with some other unusual music instruments to create an organic but at the same time synthetic sound.
I will include in this review a copy of the interview I did with Jeff about this score.
Danna crafts a wonderful vibe switching from synth to epic orchestra. He captures some great moments with heavy strings and brass for “Umbrella Is Watching” and doesn’t forget that this is also a zombie movie with creepy moments in cues like “Ashford’s Plan” or “Zombies In Church” and exciting moments in “Cain’s Demise” or “Dogs In The Kitchen”.
Danna expertly strikes a balance between the a fore mentioned orchestral and electronic elements creating a fantastic follow up score to the first Resident Evil. Apocalypse is worth a listen and worthy of the Resident Evil name. The score was released on the Varese Sarabande label and has since gone out of print.
Join me tomorrow for more 31 Days 31 scores where “There is life on Mars…and now it’s here.””