Walter Rizzati - (2014) 1990: I Guerrieri Del Bronx LP

Travelling twenty-four years into the past in a beat-up DeLorean, Death Waltz Recording Company has returned from a post-apocalyptic wasteland to bring you the futuristic stylings of Walter Rizzati’s music to cult classic 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS. Coming from the mind of celebrated shlock-meister Enzo G. Castellari, take John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, swap out the whole of NYC for just the Bronx, add in a little bit of THE WARRIORS and a lot of bikers and you have Castellari’s masterwork. The beauty of Rizzati’s score is that while it’s a tricked-out work of crazy genius for crazed biker gangs in a wasteland, it feels like a compilation of scores for movies that would only really play on the old 42nd Street.

It’s not easy to nail down what Rizzati’s chief weapon is; is it the electrifying guitar that wails out the main theme, the bassline that reaches eleven on the funkometer, or the Manzarek-esque plinking keyboards? Then there’s the thick percussion with the odd time-signatures, like a demonic version of The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s ‘Take Five’, or the out-of-nowhere piano/guitar rag. Or maybe it’s the big religioso number that sounds like it’s influenced by either Carl Orff or Fabio Frizzi. Either way, The Bronx in 1990 is the place to be. Just don’t forget your axe.

It’s 1990 and the Bronx has officially been declared a “No Man’s Land.”

Clint Manswell - (2014) In The Wall (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) LP

Death Waltz Recording Company are extremely proud to present their first release by major Hollywood composer Clint Mansell (REQIUEM FOR A DREAM, NOAH), the score to the award-winning 2007 horror short IN THE WALL. Telling the surreal story of a man who accidentally kills his pregnant wife and hides her body in a cavity wall, only to be haunted by visions of her corpse escaping, the film deftly moves from psychological horror to creature feature propelled by Mansell’s intense music. The score is anchored by the main theme, a versatile string melody that moves from sinister to emotional to tragic to perfectly match the shocking events of the film.
Mansell’s work continues in the same vein as the music composed for Darren Aronofsky’s films with the Kronos Quartet, expertly mixing the stripped-down string sound with electronic elements and percussion to create a vivid colour palette. The music plays with the conventions of the genre, at times Bernard Herrman-esque high strings pierce the silence, while intense electric guitar and feedback alternate with sparse, echoing drums. The electronics slowly undulate beneath the surface, winding up the tension and used more as a textural device until the final trip-hop rendition of the main theme takes your breath away. A classic score from a truly brilliant composer.
 Streams A & B.

On the eve of the hottest New Year on record, a young pregnant wife happily prepares for the birth of her child. But her secretive husband may have darker plans for the family.

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - (2012) Halloween II LP

The return of one of horror’s scariest boogeymen, as well as one of the genre’s most iconic theme tunes with John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score to HALLOWEEN II. Set directly after the events of the first film, Rick Rosenthal’s sequel sets itself up as the slasher equivalent of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, making a family connection between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers while getting some good kills in at the same time. Carpenter and Howarth’s score is beefier and more intense than before, using layers of electronics to drive the audience to madness.

As before, Myers aka “The Shape” is propelled by that theme, souped up with a new and more powerful arrangement from Carpenter and Howarth. HALLOWEEN II is more overtly synth and is perhaps less focused than the original score, although that certainly means it’s nastier and more schizophrenic. The score also brings back the evocative ‘Laurie’s Theme’, incorporating into a score full of harrowing musical effect, its synthesised howls and wails piercing your ears so that by the time ‘Mr. Sandman’ comes around, you’ll feel just like the final girl, delirious at having survived the aural ordeal. And that’s just when The Shape wakes up.

If that wasn't Michael Myers burning up in that car, a lot of other kids are going to be slaughtered tonight.

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - (2012) Halloween III - Season Of The Witch LP

A true classic of horror cinema scoring, with John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score to HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH. Bravely dumping the character of Michael Myers, the film instead looked at the concept of Halloween itself as a subject, with a mystery involving an Irish toymaker, three gruesome masks, and a chunk of Stonehenge. Eviscerated on release, it’s now been re-evaluated as an underrated picture, not least because of Carpenter and Howarth’s score. Whilst it left the original themes at home, HALLOWEEN III still has a plentiful array of musical delights to scare the living daylights out of you. The main title has a palpable sense of dread, with low droning synths providing a backdrop for high-pitched lines representing a television signal. Edged notes along with a foreboding rhythm provide high tension along with stabbing wild synths, while a certain piece of driving music gives a sense of fate dragging you to a very bloody and nasty death. And then there’s the Silver Shamrock theme. Remember kids, it’s almost time – don’t miss HALLOWEEN III – and don’t forget to wear your masks.

 It's almost time, kids. The clock is ticking.

The National Philharmonic Orchestra - (1974) Music Excerpts From The Motion Picture The Exorcist LP

Lalo Schifrin's working score was rejected by Friedkin. Schifrin had written six minutes of music for the initial film trailer but audiences were reportedly too scared by its combination of sights and sounds. Warner Bros. executives told Friedkin to instruct Schifrin to tone it down with softer music, but Friedkin did not relay the message. Schifrin's final score was thrown out into the parking lot by Friedkin, dubbing it "fucking Mexican marimba music".
In the soundtrack liner notes for his 1977 film, Sorcerer, Friedkin said had he heard the music of Tangerine Dream earlier, he would have had them score The Exorcist. Instead, he used modern classical compositions, including portions of the 1971 Cello Concerto by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, as well as some original music by Jack Nitzsche. But the music was heard only during scene transitions. The 2000 "Version You've Never Seen" features new original music by Steve Boddacker, as well as brief source music by Les Baxter.
The original soundtrack LP has only been released once on CD, as an expensive and hard-to-find Japanese import. It is noteworthy for being the only soundtrack to include the main theme Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, which became very popular after the film's release, and the movement Night of the Electric Insects from George Crumb's string quartet Black Angels.

 

 ..as a last resort to try and save her..

Ennio Morricone - (1977) Exorcist: II The Heretic LP

The movie for which this score was composed is a relatively odd one in the first place, so it's no surprise that the music is a bit on the weird side too -- the highlight being the demented "Pazuzu," with blood-and-thunder instrumentation carrying the roaring vocal chant. Not an easy album to find, certainly, but worth it for Morricone collectors.

 Now the struggle between good & evil goes on.

Robert Tomaro - (2015) Slime City (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) LP

Slime City is the debut film by cult horror director and author Gregory Lamberson. The story follows Alex, who after moving into his new apartment is seduced by his neighbor and soon turns into a melting ghoul who is forced to kill innocent victims in order to maintain a normal human physique.

Slime City debuted in 1988 and spent months in the NY midnight movie circuit, at the tail end of the grindhouse era. Lamberson creatively made a great film with intense special effects with very limited money and a small crew of dedicated movie fans.

A huge part of what makes Slime City so fantastic is it’s wildly creative score, which was composed by the now PHD, and current Music Director of the Beloit Janesville Symphony, Robert Tomaro. Rob’s score is unlike any horror soundtrack past or present. In Robert’s own words, the music is “perhaps what you might get if you locked Igor Stravinsky, Johnny Rotten and Bernard Hermann in a hotel room and didn’t let them out until they wrote something together.” The score is most certainly slimy as the film’s title would leave you hoping for. Very much classically written, but with a serious mix of punk guitar work and weirdo avant-garde synth. A truly unique composition.

Susan Justin - (2014) Forbidden World LP

“The musical score, by Susan Justin, provides the film with its most interesting edge—flowing from classical grace to deadly tension.” The Hollywood Reporter“

Death Waltz Recording Company are proud to be unleashing one of the great unheralded electronic scores. Unavailable since the film’s release in 1982, Susan Justin’s music for FORBIDDEN WORLD – produced by the legendary Roger Corman – mixes the electronic influences of the time with splashes of new wave, creating a score that fuses the eerie tonalities and avant-garde sensibility of ALIEN with the straight-up funk of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. Birthed from this is a cult classic score that deserves to be held up alongside the works of Richard Band and Alan Howarth.

What immediately stands out from the score is the amazing main theme, a melodic groove firmly embedded in the 80s synth movement, complete with creepy vocal effects overlaying its driving keyboard line. Originally a parody that Corman turned into a straight horror, the score is used typically to create tension with isolated piano and harsh electronic tones, acting as a stereotypical precursor to the horror moments. Amidst all this is also the ‘Blaster Beam’, a unique instrument famous for its use in Jerry Goldsmith’s STAR TREK – THE MOTION PICTURE. A fantastic voyage amongst the stars full of offbeat melodies and alien tones, this is a musical world that demands multiple visits.

Let's go bag ourselves a dingwhopper!

John Carpenter - (2013) Assult On Precinct 13 LP

Death Waltz Recording Company are very proud to be releasing one of the most seminal electronic scores in film history. Recorded in just one day, this minimal electro masterpiece by Director/Composer John Carpenter has been sampled by Afrika Bammbaataa , Tricky and covered countless times. This newly remastered version has been approved by director John Carpenter himself who has also supplied brand new and exclusive sleeve notes.

Why would anybody want to shoot at a police station?

Michael Andrews - (2012) Donnie Darko LP

Re-mastered for vinyl especially for this release, the score is pulsing, hypnotic and captures the dark and moody nature of the film perfectly, this release also features the million selling single “Mad World” by Gary Jules.

Exclusive cover art by Tom French a fine artist that works in oils & charcoal and has shown work in Philadelphia and London.

 Have you ever seen a portal?

Johan Söderqvist - (2012) Let The Right One In LP

First ever release on vinyl for this modern day classic. One of the most striking and beautiful vampire movies in decades and featuring a soundtrack loaded with dark, brooding themes that still manage to be achingly melancholic at the same time.

Combining dark orchestral textures with a strikingly melodic beauty, Johan Söderqvist has written a truly unique score for Let the Right One In. Tomas Alfredson’s film is based on the vampire novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and has won numerous international awards. The music is performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and features what is sure to be considered one of the single finest film themes in recent times.

Exclusive cover art by Candice Tripp an internationally renowned fine artist that has shown work in galleries such as Lazarides (London) & Joshua Liner (New York) and is currently represented by Black Rat Press in London.

I'm twelve, but I've been twelve for a long time.

Fabio Frizzi - (2012) Zombi 2 & Zombie Flesh Eaters LP

The first time this classic soundtrack to the notorious Lucio Fulci video nasty has ever been made available on vinyl to collectors. This soundtrack is one of the holy grails of Italian cinema with the maestro Fabio Frizzi delivering a dizzyingly brilliant soundtrack that can hold it’s own with anything released by John Carpenter or Goblin.

Zombi 2 (also known as Zombie, Island of the Living Dead, Zombie Island, Zombie Flesh Eaters and Woodoo) is a 1979 zombie horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. It is the best-known of Fulci’s films and made him a horror icon.

Though the title suggests this is a sequel to Zombi (the Italian title of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead), the films are unrelated. When the film was released in 1979 it was scorned for its extremely bloody content, notably by the UK’s Conservative government.

Zombi 2’s incredible success in Europe re-ignited Fulci’s sagging career and reinvented the director as a horror icon. Fulci would go on to direct several more horror films, and Zombi 2 introduced several of his trademarks: hordes of shambling putrefied zombies, hyper-realistic gore and blood, and the infamous “eyeball gag” (a character is impaled or otherwise stabbed through the eyeball).

Despite the massive popularity of the film, Zombi 2 was banned in several countries, including Great Britain, due to the massive gore content.

The infamous shark vs. zombie scene was filmed in a large salt water tank and the shark was fed horse meat and sedatives before filming.

 The Boat Can Leave Now. Tell The Crew.

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - (2014) Prince Of Darkness LP

Deluxe reissue includes 4-page insert with brand new exclusive Sleeve notes by Director John Carpenter, Alan Howarth , Sam Smith & an essay by John Doran.

This is not a dream. Death Waltz Recording Company are proud to be returning another classic work to corporeal existence in the form of John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score to PRINCE OF DARKNESS. The second in Carpenter’s “apocalypse trilogy” (sandwiched in between THE THING and IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS) the film takes on the myth of the return of the Anti-Christ to the living world but ingeniously places it into the world of science, dealing with notions of matter, anti- matter, and theoretical physics. As is usual with Carpenter’s films, it was not treated well on release but has since picked up a cult following from home video.

Carpenter and Howarth’s score has the feel of a dream and a nightmare, one which is immediately displayed in the main title theme, where ethereal voices are combined with a typically catchy bassline to create a sense of disquieting mystery. Wild and dissonant synthesizer effects are juxtaposed with more traditional melody which suggests the meeting of our world and that of the Anti-God. The best way to stop the end of the world happening again is to listen to PRINCE OF DARKNESS.

Hello... Hello... I've got a message for you, and you're not going to like it.