Hollywood Records releases Jeff Russo's original score for Alien: Earth, the companion soundtrack to the first of the Alien franchise to take place on Earth. When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat...

With parallels to be drawn with Howard Shore's score for The Fly (1986), Jeff Russo's work on Alien: Earth also beautifully captures the essence of the Alien franchise, whilst delivering plenty of original themes.

While introducing new elements, Russo also pays homage to the scores from the first two films, maintaining the eerie and tense atmosphere of the original, as well as the feeling of propulsion found in the second film. The series, staying true to the foundation of Ridley Scott’s original creation from 1979, breathes fresh intrigue into the lore...

Discussing the music, Russo says: "I used voices along with real instruments to humanize the score where you might not feel human. One of the things I was trying to do was to find the connection between alien, human and hybrid and express that in the score, all while staying in the tonality of those first two films."

The album consists of 27 tracks (1 hr, 31 min, 35 sec) and works just as well as a standalone collection of set pieces as it does complimenting the onscreen action. Russo delivers atmosphere and suspense when it's required ('Alien: Earth'; 'Opening') as well as brooding melancholy ('Zaveri' - which is very invocative of Shore's The Fly - ; 'Transition (Quintet)'.

8

Darren Rea