Russian film music label KeepMoving Records issues Eckart Seeber’s epic orchestral horror score for Shadow Builder. Marking the directorial debut of special FX specialist James Dixon, Shadow Builder takes its name from a Bram Stoker short-story about a mysterious creature who served as the key inspiration for this film. Following in the footsteps of a gun-toting priest played by Michael Rooker, the story takes place in a small Canadian town where the impending solar eclipse awakens a malevolent being unleashed by a mysterious cult. Shadow Builder feasts on the soul of the innocent and with a few minutes of total darkness coming within a matter of days, his reign may begin…

Listening to Eckart Seeber's score for Shadow Builder is like discovering a lost treasure. I didn't know what to expect, having not seen the movie or having heard any of Seeber's work previously, but this score really grabbed me. I've been listening to it for a couple of weeks now, and I can honestly say this is one of those very rare beasts that gets better and better the more times you play it.

The album contains 29 tracks (1 hr, 18 min) and there are so many impressive set pieces and themes running throughout that its certainly an album you'll get a lot of listening pleasure from.

In fact, if you think you already own this album (Seeber originally released the score through his Sonovide label) then you'll be pleased to hear that this new release contains the whole work with about 20 minutes of previously unreleased music. In addition, the CD comes with a 12-page booklet featuring liner notes by Gergely Hubai, discussing the creation of the film and score based on interviews with the director and the composer.)

The CD is available to buy from Keepmoving Records's website for £11.99. It's certainly a score that all soundtrack collectors should own.

10

Darren Rea