Silva Screen release, digitally, the second volume of the 2019 concept album as an introduction to His Dark Materials: Series Two music...

Once again composer Lorne Balfe releases a concept album for His Dark Materials, before the "proper" official soundtrack is available. This is the composer's way of presenting the themes in a much more palatable way than a standard soundtrack normally allows. This way Balfe has the creative control to showcase his themes and, as with the previous volume, it really does allow fans to soak up the most important themes and elements from the score.

I honestly love this idea, as it has been designed as a standalone project so that it allows us to hear the themes Balfe has crafted. Usually with soundtracks there's a lot of filler material, or ambient background cues, but here we get to witness the more important themes as pieces in their own right. It also acts as a taster for the upcoming soundtrack.

I first came across Balfe's music when he wrote the majority of the score for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a game soundtrack which really stood out for me, Over the years I've reviewed a lot of his music and I have to say that his work on His Dark Materials is as close as I've managed to get to feeling the same buzz as I got from his Call of Duty work.

The themes are epic, richly layered and just seem to get increasingly engaging the more times you listen to them. This is a beautifully constructed collection, which is presented flawlessly.

10

Darren Rea