Milan Records releases Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' original score for The Gorge. The album is a hypnotic mix of eerie piano, distorted soundscapes and pulsating dread reminiscent of NIN's Ghosts I–IV era. Two highly-trained operatives are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late...

The soundtrack for The Gorge delivers an engaging, other-worldly collection of themes and set pieces. The album contains 10 tracks (34 min, 11 sec) that jump from suspense to horror to eerie ambient "noise" effortlessly.

While it won't be to everyone's taste. Those that enjoy experimental, electronic multi-layered works, will find plenty to get behind here. The opening 'Millipedes and Fire Ants' sets the tone for what is to come. It opens with a solo, slightly off-key piano, before the eerie electronic, melodic howling swoops in to almost overpower the melodic piano theme.

The closing electronic "fuzz" of 'But a Whimper' helps to conclude this rather interesting score, giving it a slight rock vibe.

Whilst I wouldn't want to listen to this too often, it's a strong and memorable collection of carefully structured set pieces.

7

Darren Rea