Every superhero worth their spandex has to have a proper fanfare. Be it Superman’s epic John Williams theme, Batman’s gloomy Danny Elfman masterpiece, or Wonder Woman’s disco jam from the TV show, the music is key, and it needs to fit the character. So what if it’s a character who came from literal hell, drinks beer, and punches demons’ heads off? Naturally they’d need a little something heavier. For the new screen version of Hellboy, composer Benjamin Wallfisch offers up a mix of rock, electronic, and orchestra for a driving, hard-edged score to one of the hardest-edged heroes.
We have an exclusive listen to the fittingly named track “Big Red” right here:
Wallfisch’s previous scores include Blade Runner 2049, It, and Shazam!, but he wanted to do something different for Hellboy. He told us, “The score is a kind of collision of contemporary EDM, punk rock and orchestral. We were trying to find a sound that conveys the irreverence and physical presence of Hellboy, and also explore the extremes of sonic darkness for his alter-ego, Anung Un Rama.”You can certainly feel all of those influences in the track. There’s an explosive, crunchy aspect to the guitars and drums while electronic and orchestral flourishes volley back and forth in your headphones. It’s like Hellboy’s in some kind of sonorous badminton tournament. The winner: you.
1. Big Red
2. Psychic Migraine
3. Gruagach
4. You Call Us Monsters
5. Baba Yaga
6. A New Eden
7. Destroyer of All Things
8. Cathedral Fight
9. Anung Un Rama
10. This Isn’t You
11. Hellboy
12. Rock Me Like a Hurricane “Spanish Version”
You can let Wallfisch’s music engulf you as you watch David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, and more get to some supernatural action when Hellboy bashes into theaters April 12!
Image: Lionsgate
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!