Water Tower Music releases the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to IT: Chapter Two in multiple formats, including 2 x LP, 1 x LP, Picture Disc Vinyl, and digital download. The film – based on the book by Stephen King, and directed by Andy Muschietti – follows the Losers Club, a group of boys who defeated Pennywise and are now adults forced to reunite when the evil returns to their home town. The score is composed by multi-award nominee, Benjamin Wallfisch, who has previously worked on numerous films, including Shazam!, Blade Runner: 2049, and IT – the first chapter. Here, he has utilised a 100 piece orchestra and 40 piece choir. His plan was to give this soundtrack more scale and ambition by developing existing themes from the first movie and creating new ones...

The first two tracks are mostly sweet and soothing orchestral pieces, but it doesn’t take long for the eeriness and chills of the returning evil to make its presence known with a background nursery rhyme. In fact, several music sections follow this format of misleading normality intruded upon sharply by raw noise and the singing of 'The Bells of St Clements'. The raucous rage of Pennywise and the accompanying evil is represented with a screeching industrial sound. The balance is well done but repetitive.

'Losers Reunited' is a nice simple but effective amalgamation of piano, strings and a background throbbing bass. I like the panicked otherworldliness of 'Fortune Cookies', too. The rumbling, ripping sound of 'Shokopiwah' is an original way in which to raise the tension before disappearing into tranquility. 'Eddie and the Leper' is nicely bizarre and off-kilter. 'Bowers Attack' has an almost Heavy Metal band approach to terror inducing music. 'It’s Stan' uses weird string sections for a hot adrenaline piece. 'The Ritual of Chud' is a grand addition reminiscent of a religious epic. 'My Heart Burns' incorporates an exciting mess of off-key electronics which is pretty effective. 'Spider Attack' you can imagine being in a film about violent evil aliens (or is that just me?).

There is more than enough material here (some might say a little too much). The music is very well written and performed, with all manner of pathways to film music incorporated to cover all emotions and approaches to life. It proves a wide knowledge of movie scores – particularly Hollywood blockbusters. However, it is almost universally incidental music, with only 'You’re All Grown Up', and 'Nothing Lasts Forever' being anywhere near a suite.

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Ty Power