If you needed any further proof that the horror score scene is exploding right now simply look to U.K. imprint Death Waltz which has not only reissued soundtracks to everything from John Carpenter films to Donnie Darko to Godzilla but now launched its own side label Death Waltz Originals. As you might guess the newly minted label aims to break away from the reissue trend to give fans some new horror sounds and its inaugural release The Hook & Pull Gang by Umberto & Antoni Maiovvi definitely kicks things off on a high note.
Serving as a re-score to the classic 1974 gore fest Texas Chainsaw Massacre Umberto and Maiovvi present a lot of what you’d expect: ghostly choir-loaded mellotrons cosmically laced ’80s synths gloomy drone-outs and lots of spooky atmospherics. However with this being a double-LP for an 83-minute film the latter often takes hold giving the release a free-form sort of feel as the quieter more ambient segments ebb and flow. But there’s also some real intensity to the record made all that more muscly via some booming tribal-like drum work.
According to DW the limited LP set is being edited down for general release so it “flows more like a standard record than the elongated re-score.” In any case The Hook & Pull Gang is an immersive piece of work hitting that sweet spot that will appeal just as much to horror fans as electronic music nerds.
