MovieScore releases the Original Film Soundtrack to Held, by Richard Breakspear. In the movie directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing, a couple’s ailing marriage is further strained when they are held against their will in an isolated rented establishment. An unidentified voice dictates their actions. It’s described as a high-tech lockdown horror. Prior to 2010, homegrown Breakspear – hailing from the South Coast – was a live-act guitarist who at times shared a stage with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Incubus and Lenny Kravitz (quite a pedigree). He then moved to writing film and trailer music, contributing to CSI: NY and Top Gear USA, as well as the marketing campaigns for The Avengers, Dark Phoenix, and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. His music is played by Tottenham Hotspur FC before kicking-off every home game, and he scored the 2019 movie, Prey. For this one he was asked to create music to terrorise the audience, and so sought to paint a sonic palette which relates to the subject matter, rather than the expected melodies...

Track List: 'There is a Way'; 'Arrival'; 'Marital Bed'; 'Welcome; Lockdown'; 'To Have and to Hold'; 'The Next Morning'; 'Get Help'; 'You Must Obey'; 'Escape'; 'Run'; 'Husband'; 'Til Death Do Us Part'; 'Marriage is Hard Work'; 'I Love You'; and 'The Eden Group Orchestra'.

I fall firmly into the camp which enjoys the use of Electronica in film or TV soundtrack music. However, I must say from the outset that many of the fantastically created menacing discords are repeated several times, albeit tinted with alternative ambient noise. A stuttering rumbling and distant or prominent metallic sounds is what you might call a semi-regular mainstay. The quieter moments come via acoustic or electric piano sequences, at times culminating in a discordant climax of slamming, warbling and scrabbling. Sometimes a string movement is utilised for a similar purpose. By far the best track is 'Lockdown', which takes the time to throw at the listener all of the sounds of danger, hypertension and disturbing melodic threat. The deep basslines, stomping and shrieking Electronica is further enhanced by use of fuzz and other background effects.

There is stuttering noise, weird piano sounds which assault one ear at a time, a dramatic run/chase moment, and a sort of engine sound of changing up through the gears. This last idea is repeated at least a couple of times. Again, this is more of soundscape accompaniment to the movie, rather than any music approaching that of a suite. 'The Eden Group Orchestra' track which closes this collection is nice and, at less than two minutes in duration, should have been at least twice as long.

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Ty Power