Cool Stuff: Hail Satan With The First Omen Soundtrack On Vinyl From Mutant
Sanguis bibimus! Corpus edimus! In a partnership between Mutant, Hollywood Records, and 20th Century Films, the haunting soundtrack to "The First Omen" can soon be yours on vinyl. The prequel to Richard Donner's 1976 masterpiece, director Arkashsa Stevenson's most excellent "The First Omen" is the rare example of a legacy film done right, and what /Film's Witney Seibold described in his review, as "a film of dank, bloody, spittle-flecked dread, made no less powerful by the foregone conclusion." Donner's original film shocked audiences upon release and is believed to this day to be a cursed film, but Stevenson's prequel film had to fight with the MPA to avoid an NC-17 rating, so the franchise tradition of scaring the squares is alive and well.
"The Omen" was scored by Jerry Goldsmith, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Score, but took home the "Best Original Song" statue for the movie's theme "Ave Satani," one of the few times the Academy was brave (and wise) enough to celebrate horror. This meant that composer Mark Korven had some seriously huge shoes to fill, but the composer with previous works including "Cube," "The Witch," "The Lighthouse," and "The Black Phone" has honored the franchise well. His score for "The First Omen" is loaded with his trademark dynamic instrumentation, gifting a deeply unsettling sound to this sincerely sinister flick. If you ask me, this might be Korven's best work yet, so it's doubly exciting to see Mutant put out this score on blood red vinyl.
It's all for you, Antichrist worshippers
"A lot has changed since 1976, but one thing that hasn't is that horror scores deserve to be played as loud as possible, on vinyl, from your home stereo," said Mutant co-founder Mo Shafeek, in the soundtrack's official release statement. "It helps that Mark Korven is one of our favorite working composers. His score to 'The First Omen' is an incredible achievement and a fitting inclusion in one of the most important legacies of horror filmmaking."
The soundtrack is pressed on two 140-gram color vinyl, housed in printed inner sleeves, contained within a die-cut jacket. The package design was done by Shafeek as well, featuring images of "The First Omen" star Nell Tiger Free. The release is also available on 140-gram black vinyl. Below you can find the official track listing:
Disc One – Side One
- It's All for You
- Searching the Files
- Cow Ceremony
- Margaret's Voice
- Carlita's Rescue
Disc One – Side Two
- Tighten the Noose
- Cloister de St. Rita
- What's Happening to Me?
- The Claw
- The Antichrist
- Not My Area
- Riot
Disc Two – Side One
- Horrific Accident
- The Demon Face
- Skianna Files
- Defending Carlita
- Tableau of Hell
Disc Two – Side Two
- Shaming
- Demon Dance
- Plan Revealed
- Gurney Journey
- Ambassador
- Ave Satani
Yes, that does mean Jerry Goldsmith's "Ave Satani" is included in the release. Hail Satan! If I had to choose, I think "Riot" is my personal favorite of the mix, but you can't go wrong with any of these killer tracks. This debut physical release will be available for pre-order beginning April 5, 2024, in Mutant's web store.