Bear McCreary delivers a heavy metal themed score for the movie Knights of Badassdom. The film follows three best friends and dedicated LARPers (Live Action Role Players) as they take to the woods to reenact a dungeons and dragons-like scenario fresh out of the mythical Middle Ages. Trouble arises after they unwittingly conjure up some serious evil in the form of a blood-lusting Succubus, from the pits of hell. Fantasy and reality collide on the Fields of Evermore in an all-out epic battle of make believe wizards, demons and assorted mythical creatures. Their courage and friendship is put to the test as they attempt to vanquish the evil they have summoned. Will the group prove to simply be foam sword-wielding LARPers, or true “Knights of Badassdom?”...

Bear McCreary's score for Knights of Badassdom may take some of his fans a little by surprise. The score opens with your fairly cliched Dungeons & Dragons style medieval score, but quickly injects some hardcore heavy metal into the mix. The end result is impressive.

The score features performances by heavy metal and rock luminaries including Brendon Small (Dethklok), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio), Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa), Steve Bartek (Oingo Boingo), Ira Ingber (Bob Dylan), Pete Griffin (Three Inches of Blood) and Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa).

Tracks like 'Demon Apes' somehow manage to fuse medieval and heavy metal themes without it seeming out of place or a little odd. There's also plenty of beautiful themes, for those looking for them, including 'Gwen's Theme'; the middle section of 'Massacreat Valinore'; and segments of 'Earn Our Valor'.

It's an interesting score - I'm not sure how often I'll dig it out in the future, but for a adrenaline pumping soundtrack this ticks all the right boxes.

7

Darren Rea