Soundtrack Review: La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida (2011)

La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida soundtrack review: This is a review of the film score La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida by Arnau Bataller.

"As it stands, the score is still pretty impressive no matter how you look at it"

La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida or The Valdemar Legacy II: The Forbidden Shadow which is what it's called in English is a sequel to the first Valdemar Legacy. The horror/monster movie based on H.P. Lovecraft's creatures seems ok based on the trailer. The composer, Arnau Bataller is probably a new name for most of you. All I know is that he also scores the first movie in the Valdemar series and has been composing for TV and shorts since around 2000. This score has received some hype online and getting rave reviews so I will give you my honest opinion about it.

Track List

Choral and Epic

I don't know anything about the composer or his style, but he impressed right from the start with a couple of wonderful cues. 'Opening Credits' and Santiago's Madness' are epic and choral. In fact, Arnau loves to use choirs throughout the whole score.

After the exciting start, it fizzles out a bit, like a coke bottle who has been open too long. I did expect almost every cue to be like the first two, but to my disappointment, most cues are just moodbuilders. It's nice to listen to, very easy to appreciate, but it lacks punch and excitement.

It's not until the end with 'The Ritual' and 'Cthulhu' that we get to enjoy some epic choirs built on a good theme. The strings and horns hit you like a massive wave hits the shore, and if only Arnau could have kept this level of excitement throughout the whole score, we would have truly heard one of the greatest scores this year. Specially the cue 'Cthulhu' which is over 8 minutes in total stands at the absolute top level of film scoring achievement. It's that good!

Conclusion

As it stands, the score is still pretty impressive no matter how you look at it. You get around 20 minutes of epic-ness here and Arnau Bataller has shown he can compete at the highest level. Maybe we will truly hear the full power of his talent in the third Valdemar movie? I would also love to hear him doing something else than horror, but I have to say the genre suits him well. Anyone who enjoys epic music with horns and choirs should get this score, and if not the complete score, at least the five star cues 'Opening Credits', 'Santiago's Madness', 'The Monster', 'The Ritual', 'Cthulhu' and 'Lazaro'.

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Listen to the La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida soundtrack by Arnau Bataller below: