Godzilla is about to show all those other kajiu who’s boss, with the upcoming release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And now we’ve got a piece of music from the upcoming film that is a modern update to one of the ’70s most fun and ridiculous rock songs about the big guy.
Thanks to Rolling Stone, we’ve got our first listen to System of a Down singer Serj Tankian’s bombastic cover of the Blue Öyster Cult’s 1977 classic “Godzilla.” The song will feature on the upcoming soundtrack album for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and you can take a listen to it down below.
The track is an all-star affair, featuring not only Tankian on vocals, but also a Japanese taiko group, members of the band Dethklok from the animated series Metalocalypse, including Brendon Small, and heavy-metal drumming legend Gene Hoglan. If that wasn’t enough, the film’s composer Bear McCreary orchestrated the music. McCreary definitely sees this track as one of the wildest things he’s ever done musically. He says it’s “perhaps the most audacious piece of music I have ever produced, jammed to the breaking point with orchestra, choir, taiko chanting, taiko drumming, heavy metal rhythm section, Gene Hoglan’s blistering double-kick drums, and Serj’s distinct vocals. It is complete musical madness.”
The original Blue Öyster Cult song never actually went anywhere on the Billboard charts, but due to its camptastic delight, it received lots of radio airplay anyway back in the day. Along with “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” it became one of the band’s signature songs, already covered by the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins and others. But none of the covers have ever been quite as over the top as this one. The use of this super fun song means we are probably in for a very different kind of Godzilla film than we’ve seen in a long time, one which embodies the over-the-top quality of the original Japanese films. And we say bring it on.
The soundtrack album to Godzilla: King of the Monsters is due out May 24, and the film hits theaters on May 31.
Images: Warner Brothers /Legendary Pictures