R. Miller – Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth OST

http://www.clivebarker.com/images/relat/misc/hell3/hell3sound.gif

12 tracks, TRT: 46:56, 320 MP3

https://mega.co.nz/#!p8FW2arY!i8VAngnPbHj7eG9Yzyqf-ezvKCvysNKKYzI7OulQDJk

Track Listing:

Note: this has been one of my favorite Hellraiser scores since I obtained the now-rare 3 disc set way back in the early 2000’s and for the following years I’d always wanted to do something like what I’m about to describe below for this score in particular. Randy Miller’s original orchestrations are simply seductive alongside bombastic. In the final film, what remains of Miller’s music is complexly mixed in with the recycled music from Hellraiser 1 & 2 and that’s a shame. While Christopher Young did not return for H3, Randy Miller helps turn what ultimately became a stock horror film into something better than it had any right to be. His themes are reminiscent of Christopher Young’s while being original enough to be much more than a simple hack job. That’s one of the reasons which makes H3 such a decent experience to endure. The rest begin to lower in quality from that point on.

Upon playing this album, you will hear quite a bit of unused music from the film but for the most part, all other utilized snippets of Miller’s score are here. This album is about as complete as one can expect. One key thing to take note is I didn’t recall hearing so much as a single synthesized sound leading me to believe that Miller made the smart choice to fully utilize an orchestra, neglecting to use electronics. These types of scores are becoming rarer and rarer especially now with synthesizers practically ruling the music industry. It’s even rarer to find a sequel score that can be enjoyed just as much as its predecessors but perhaps not as much. This score could’ve been better but for what it is, I certainly can’t complain.

One huge note that I must address is that this release has been re-sequenced to match the film’s chronological order which required some considerable modification from the original score album. The shorter cues from the film are mixed into longer suites on the soundtrack, often with cues out of sequence but luckily I was able to re-suite them into their proper chronological sequence while creating a more enjoyable (in my opinion) listening experience without having to remove any music. I have never been a fan of composers of the time sequencing the action cues towards the beginning of the album and sticking the softer thematic cues towards the end. I know it draws people in to the insane orchestral world that Miller introduces and gets them excited but I personally think that with the seductive nature of the final score, there ought to be more build-up to the action versus putting it on full display right from the get-go. Remember, no real action takes place until the last third anyway with only hints of full-blown action scoring for the first two-thirds before the real orchestral glory crashes to life with the first huge rendition of Pinhead’s theme when Terry sacrifices J.P. to Pinhead in the statue granting him new flesh to walk around and cause his hellish mayhem (Track 6: Gothic Rebirth) while turning her into one his Cenobites. We also have here some nice thematic development in the music to underscore the multiple characters’ experiences (including some interesting score intended for the scene where Joey meets Elliott [pre-Pinhead] and he shows her his backstory) although there are no individualized motifs (Miller sticks pretty close to the few original H3 themes he utilizes throughout the whole work with noticable developments and track 9 bringing all of those themes and techniques together for one hell of an action sequence that includes 9 of the 13 minutes of Miller’s recorded material for the finished film that was cut down and replaced with recycled Hellraiser music) and in the end it all ties together nicely. I made no volume modifications, only sequencing modifications.

I introduced two new tracks during the editing process: Track 3: Seduction (re-arranged from the track Emergency Room on the official OST, covers J.P. getting bit by the rat in the statue plus his hook-up’s copulation and demise sequences) and Track 4: Terry (re-arranged from the track The Pillar, used during Terry’s phone conversation with J.P. followed by the scene where she begins to inspect the puzzle box before she is disturbed).

It’s been years in the making but I finally present the finished product to you guys and gals. I hope you enjoy!

My apologies for the dupe post.