Review Summary: If I go, I'll be different when I get back.
A calculated breath. A strategic shift in stance and posture, fortifying his hidden location. Absolute synchronicity with body and mind; an oxymoron: the mind meticulously lays out the scene with pinpoint precision, while the body functions entirely on visceral, animal instinct. The pray: unware they’re soon to be a part of the Cheasapeake Ripper’s work of art. Something in the room catches the soon-to-be victim’s eye; the Holy Grail of revelations presenting itself on a silver platter – unveiling a haunting and terrifying truth, which draws the colour from their face: they are in the same room as the infamous Ripper. Survival instincts kick in to play, desperately attempting to survey the area, but everything turns black.
This is my design.
For anyone who’s watched Bryan Fuller’s exceptional televised adaptation – which lends key elements from Thomas Harris’
Red Dragon and
Hannibal, as well as his own ideas – will know, it’s a program lathed in paranoia and doubt; psychological terror breaming with a bottleneck of tension. All of which is packaged in a rich, cathartic beauty. A visual feast on the eyes, containing some of the most gorgeous cinematography you’re likely to see caught to film. It’s an experience where words will only get my point across so far, you have to go through the journey yourself. But as stunning as the visuals are, the sound design is equally genius; music that is utilized so effectively, it’s on a level reserved for a select few people. People like David Lynch, who find music to be as of high importance as the film itself. Brain Reitzell’s scores for Hannibal are true spectacles that stand toe-to-toe with what the viewer sees. The psychological thrills, the cutthroat atmosphere, it’s all down to the stunning compositions created by him. Each album is one half of a season, and is comprised of unsettling ambient soundscapes and classical orchestrations. All setting their own moods and contain their own strengths and weaknesses. However, this half of the six LP epic is a little sharper than the rest, simply for having a little bit more variation to it than the others, and for the breathtaking closing track, “Bloodfest (from Mizumono)”, which is a heart-breaking and epic piece of music which not only ensures the album ends on a completely satisfying note, but offers an excellent breather from the tension-squeezing tracks before it. Every track is saturated in a rich, organic woodland vibe, pitting the listener inside the depths of an ominous wood, whilst subtly drip-feeding them with layers of eerie screeches, bellowing bass drops, wind chimes and a host of exotic instruments that will undoubtedly transport them into this beautifully disturbed world.
If you’re a big fan of classical music or really low-key ambient works, this album is for you. In the context of the show itself, it’s just a stunning marvel to behold, with the show owing so much to the music’s character, but even if you’ve never watched the show and are looking for a really interesting ambient record, look no further; this is guaranteed to send the goosebumps.
Classic.
EDITIONS: BLOOD-RED VINYL//D̶I̶G̶I̶T̶A̶L̶//C̶D̶//B̶L̶A̶C̶K̶ ̶V̶I̶N̶Y̶L̶
PACKAGING: Blood Red vinyl and gatefold, containing various show stills.
SPECIAL EDITION: N/A
