First off,
huge thanks goes out to Robert Storch for sending this
disc for review!
This CD, released under Culture Publishers' Volcano label,
features the album soundtrack to the 1977 movie Hell's Gate
Island.
This album is done by composer Shinichi Tanabe, who did
most of the compositions for the Kosuke Kindaichi films
starting with this
entry.
Tanabe has a very contemporary feel to his work, and
delivers a score here that has a nice 1970's flavor
to it. This is especially noticeable in a few tracks
that have a slight "jazz" like tempo to them,
such as the vocal supported "Prison
Gate Island Theme" and "The Cursed Island".
The former of those two is particularly impressive as
well, as the singer adds a slightly haunting tone to
the track while the overall pace is still upbeat, leading
to a fairly enjoyable experience. Compared to some of
his contemporaries, though, Tanabe has a slightly more
minimalist approach to his scores, avoiding the "big
band"
type of composing that others such as Masaru
Sato were
fond of.
In fact, Tanabe aims for a more soothing approach, which
is made apparent from the get go with the excellent violin
heavy track "Love Theme".
"Pilgrimage", which at times features the same
melody found in the first track, is another winner off
this disc and maintains the
same tranquil feeling.
As expected, though, there are a few tracks here that
represent the more horror related elements
of the series,
which in this case are
"Temple Bell" and
"Fog". Sadly, neither of those two themes are
particularly memorable, and feel slightly odd nestled
in with the more upbeat tracks found on the disc.
"Fate" is another cue that could possibly fit
the horror motif, as it does have a slight tragic quality
to the composition, although it fits much better with
the rest of the content on this disc and is a nice demonstration
of the range of emotions Tanabe is capable of creating
through his melodies. On a closing note, "Cliff" is
another theme worth mentioning as it also has a more
menacing tone to it. What makes this
cue interesting, though, is that it sounds incredibly
similar to the scoring technique of Lupin
the Third regular Yuji Ono, which is a nice nod since
he composed the music for the first entry in the series:
The Inugamis (1976).
Overall, there are some excellent themes present, and
the disc translates fairly well into a stand alone experience.
As mentioned, a few of these cues do miss
their mark; however, nothing is unpleasant, which makes
the CD nice to listen to from start to finish. Also, as mentioned, this is an album release, as Tanabe took the music from the film to adapt it into longer and more tracks, often with increased orchestration. While the album is the superior collection of music, the film score was also later released by itself from Fuji Kinema (FJCM-020).
As a side note, it's worth addressing that this is
actually a re-release of an earlier soundtrack (SLCS-5013)
by Culture Publishers that was issued in 1993. However,
this CD, sometimes referred to as part of the "Perfect
Disc" line, features four additional tracks that
are outtakes. Unfortunately, none of these themes
are particularly distinct compared to the music that
was actually used in the production, but more dedicated
collectors should still enjoy the added material.
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