Warlock II: The Armageddon

Mark McKenzie

 
" Inspiring and colorful horror effort "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

2 years after his first film score and 4 years after Goldsmith's weak soundtrack for Warlock, Mark McKenzie was back onto the scoring sheet with Warlock: The Armageddon. Without sounding pretentious but does Warlock need a sequel? I'm afraid not. And without knowing, who saw the sequel? Yes, I did. I remember it was far more colorful than the gritty first one, but sadly I didn't remember what the score sounded like, because it had a pretty lady as leading co star and back then, it were girls I was interested in.

Of course knowing Mark McKenzie now, you're bound to receive something worthwhile. And I wasn't mistaken, because Jerry Goldsmith might have let himself go astray during the first (who can blame him), but Mark McKenzie saw it appropriate to deliver an orchestral, powerful and enjoyable score. The recording of Warlock II is a known story among the McKenzie followers (wasn't there a barn Mark?), and the problems itself are discovered when examining the sound clarity. While having that nostalgic Battle beyond the Stars performance, Warlock II nonetheless would blow worlds apart if it ever fell into a re recording performance of say The City of Prague Philharmonic. Because music as this needs to be heard in the best possible circumstances.

Luckily the music itself is strong and powerful. It opens gothic, threatening and choral with Omen like chants, delivering you music that already in a mere minute blows your fears out of the water. What follows in "The Battle has Just Begun" is the heroic theme performance and the aggressive action music, enough for you to realize Mark McKenzie remains a great orchestral composer.

The love theme softly in "Swimming", the combination of the love theme with the noble heroic theme in "Samantha Becomes A Warrior" and the love theme swelling in "Samantha and Ken's Love" are proof Warlock II isn't all about gloom and doom. There is much more color and emotion present than the Warlock of Jerry Goldsmith, and of course this assists a listening experience.

Of course, there are moments when McKenzie's music is just too damn fine for words. "Ken's Magic" is an awesome track when it shows the heroic theme on horns as it is meant to be heard. When the trumpets arise at the end, you receive sensational stuff that truly stuns you.

Throughout the score, McKenzie never loses the tonal battle between good and evil. Tracks like "Give Me the Stones" and "Ken's New Life" show how the pleasant good music can counterbalance easily the threatening (choral) evil music, and this in a thematic progression. But this has always been McKenzie's strong point, in whatever score I heard of him.

Tracks like "Warlock Gathers The Stones" and "Armageddon Averted" continue to show thematic progression. Whirling strings, threatening tones, choral statements, heroic theme performances, they continue to show their worth in these tracks as the next, namely the return of the most important moments in one final excellent track, namely "A Warlock Fantasia".

As always, thematic coherency is the key in Mark McKenzie's music, and Warlock II is despite a more threatening look no different. Whatever you thought of Warlock of Jerry Goldsmith, don't think you'll receive the same with Warlock II: The Armageddon. The movie might not even make it on your Sunday afternoon list, but the score is most definitely recommendable.

Tracklisting

1. The Battle Has Just Begun (4.57) Excellent track
2. Swimming (2.09)
3. Birth of the Warlock (3.16)
4. Ken's Magic (3.14) Excellent track
5. May I Help You Sir? (3.36)
6. Give Me the Stones (2.34)
7. Samantha and Ken's Love (2.11)
8. Party Crasher (2.25)
9. Samantha Becomes A Warrior (2.34)
10. Ken's New Life (4.09)
11. Warlock Gathers the Stones (2.16)
12. Armageddon Averted (3.22)
13. A Warlock Fantasia (4.03) Excellent track

Total Length: 41.01
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(total of 7 votes - average 4/5)

Released by

Intrada MAF 7049D (regular release 1993)

Conducted by

Mark McKenzie

Orchestrations by

Pat Russ & Mark McKenzie

Performed by

The Southwest Symphony Orchestra & Choir