BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music, in conjunction with Sparks & Shadows, is excited to announce the May 24 release of the soundtrack to the highly anticipated next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. An epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history, the film hits theaters worldwide beginning May 31, 2019.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features new music composed for the motion picture by Emmy® and BAFTA Award winner Bear McCreary (10 Cloverfield Lane, TV’s The Walking Dead). The 26-track album includes the song “Godzilla (Feat. Serj Tankian),” the composer’s interpretation of Blue Öyster Cult’s classic anthem created in collaboration with Serj Tankian (System of a Down) and musicians Brendon Small, Bryan Beller and Gene Hoglan, who form the rhythm section of Dethklok from TV’s Metalocalypse.
LISTEN: “Godzilla (Feat. Serj Tankian)” by Bear McCreary
LISTEN: “Old Rivals” by Bear McCreary
McCreary’s diverse score is as formidable as the characters colliding on the big screen in the upcoming film. In his first creative meeting with the composer, Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty used the term “Monster Opera” when describing the magnitude and importance of the score to the storytelling. McCreary rose to meet the enormous challenge, and delivered on a grand-scale, beginning with a full symphonic orchestra and choir and infused with concussive sounds from a variety of artists. Incorporated into the score are the hypnotic chants of Japanese Buddhist monks; a powerful percussion ensemble; culturally diverse soloists from around the world; and the heroic guttural vocalizations of a Tokyo-based taiko ensemble, who perform traditional kakegoe with their voices instead of playing their drums. Also woven into the soundscape is an original text composed by McCreary, which was translated into ancient Babylonian and performed by the choir throughout the score.
The composer’s meticulous approach is apparent in his creation of character themes for the iconic monsters colliding on the big screen for the first time in the modern age in the new film, from all-new themes for Godzilla’s classic foes Ghidorah and Rodan to new interpretations of the beloved themes for Mothra and the mighty King of the Monsters, filtered through his own musical lens: “For Godzilla, I chose to incorporate and adapt the legendary Akira Ifukube’s iconic theme, and for Mothra, Yuji Koseki’s immortal 'Mothra’s Song,' both being classic themes from the franchise’s origins,” McCreary explained. “I hoped to form a connection between Ifukube’s uniquely brilliant style and the aesthetics of modern blockbusters.”
McCreary also composed all-new themes for the family at the center of the epic, world-spanning adventure, as well as the mysterious crypto-zoological agency Monarch.
Bear McCreary discussed the epic collaboration behind the song “Godzilla (Feat. Serj Tankian),” noting that the track is “perhaps the most audacious piece of music I have ever produced, jammed to the breaking point with orchestra, choir, taiko chanting, taiko drumming, heavy metal rhythm section, Gene Hoglan’s blistering double-kick drums, and Serj’s distinct vocals. It is complete musical madness!”
Director Michael Dougherty has long been a fan, adding: “I’ll never forget the moment I first heard Bear’s music in the epic reboot of Battlestar Galactica. It was bold, elegant and decisively different than the typical space opera scores of the day, evoking something ancient and deeply powerful. The cue was called ‘The Shape of Things to Come,’” he continued. “And even then, I knew how meaningful the title was because I was determined to collaborate with him. And while it only took about 15 years, I couldn’t be happier that our first effort together is for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Bear has crafted something truly special that honors the history of the legendary kaiju but also adds new layers and a rich mythic spirit to Godzilla’s legacy. Long live the King.”
The Godzilla: King of the Monsters Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is now available for preorder and will be available for streaming and for purchase digitally May 24, on CD June 7, and a vinyl configuration will be available soon. The track list is as follows:
|
1. Godzilla (feat. Serj Tankian) |
14. Queen of the Monsters | |||||
| 2. Godzilla Main Title | 15. For Andrew | |||||
| 3. Memories of San Francisco | 16. Stealing the Orca | |||||
| 4. The Larva | 17. The Hollow Earth | |||||
| 5. Welcome to Monarch | 18. The Key to Coexistence | |||||
| 6. Outpost 32 | 19. Goodbye Old Friend | |||||
| 7. Ice Breaker | 20. Rebirth | |||||
| 8. Rise of Ghidorah | 21. Fog Over Fenway | |||||
| 9. Old Rivals | 22. Battle in Boston | |||||
| 10. The First Gods | 23. Redemption | |||||
| 11. Rodan | 24. King of the Monsters | |||||
| 12. A Mass Awakening | 25. Ghidorah Theme | |||||
| 13. The One Who is Many | 26. Mothra’s Song |
Following the global success of Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse: Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
Directed by Michael Dougherty, Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown, with Ken Watanabe and Ziyi Zhang. Dougherty directed from a script he wrote with Zach Shields, story by Max Borenstein and Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields, based on the characters “Godzilla,” “King Ghidorah,” “Mothra” and “Rodan” owned and created by Toho Co., Ltd. The film was produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Brian Rogers, with Zach Shields, Barry Waldman, Hiro Matsuoka, Keiji Ota, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira serving as executive producers, and Ali Mendes and Jay Ashenfelter co-producing for Legendary.
A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, in association with Toho Co., Ltd., a film by Michael Dougherty, Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters beginning May 31, 2019. It will be distributed in 3D and 2D and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho; and in China, where it will be distributed by Legendary East.
About Bear McCreary
Emmy® and BAFTA award-winning composer Bear McCreary first launched into pop culture with his groundbreaking score to the hit series Battlestar Galactica, lauded by Variety as “the most innovative music on TV.” Io9.com ranked McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of All Time. McCreary has twice been voted ASCAP Composer of the Year – Television by his peers. Other recent projects include the Universal / Blumhouse smash Happy Death Day; Sony PlayStation’s award-winning game God of War; Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures’ long-awaited remake of Child’s Play, starring Mark Hamill and Aubrey Plaza; and the upcoming drama feature The Professor and the Madman, starring Mel Gibson and Sean Penn.
McCreary frequently performs in concert throughout North America and Europe, including the Getty Center, the Hagen Philharmonic and Ballet in Germany, the Television Academy and the Golden State Pops Orchestra. In July 2014, Maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducted a suite of McCreary’s music with the L.A. Philharmonic and L.A. Master Chorale at the Hollywood Bowl.
About WaterTower Music:
WaterTower Music, the in-house music label for Warner Bros., has been releasing recorded music since 2001 and has released over 200 titles, including the soundtracks and scores to Aquaman, Crazy Rich Asians, Wonder Woman, Interstellar, Game of Thrones, Westworld, Riverdale, The Hobbit Trilogy, The LEGO® Movie, The Dark Knight Rises, Hairspray, Sex and the City, Elf and The Notebook, among others.