Damien: Omen II
Jerry Goldsmith
" Damien: You sound like The Omen "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the deluxe edition
Damien: Omen II came out just several years after the classic Richard Donner film. Of course it can't equal the original, but at least parts made sure it damn well tried. Most notably for us is the return of Jerry Goldsmith. Reprising basically The Omen by all chanting and choral options available. Sadly with that it remains. Damien sounds powerful, ominous and Goldsmith surely pours enough satantic vocals in the mix to make sure you know who's who. But the originality is gone, and the power just never reaches the original. The first 10 tracks (representing the original 78 release) also houses in every track choir, the very thing that made The Omen so powerful. Here it returns so much, it just doesn't feel the same after a while anymore. Yes, the Ave Santani returns slightly different in "Main Title", sure I love the outburst of choir in "Fallen Temple", followed by a rhythmic organ. Everything feels like The Omen, but nothing feels like Damien. There is no touch here defining it to be his personal score. Something The Final Conflict rectified years later by defining its own personal sound.
Ah Damien: The Omen II is still Jerry Goldsmith giving us the satanic heebie jeebies, but it feels less impressive. Most notably the only non satanic moment comes in "Snowmobiles", a hint of some lovely optimism that surely could have helped the original score. If you want grandeur go with The Final Conflict, if you want the real Satanic mayhem, return to the moment when Goldsmith went out for his only Oscar win.
Goldsmith delivers his intentions clearly, It's satan and nothing less.
Touches of that choir does send shivers down the spine.
It lacks originality, it lacks a distinct personal sound through a theme or idea.
I adore choir, but when it's heard all the time it loses its distinctive power.
Track Listing
Tracks 1-10 are from the 1988 album version
1. Main Title (5.05)
2. Runaway Train (2.41)
3. Claws (3.16)
4. Thoughtful Night (3.08)
5. Broken Ice (2.21)
6. Fallen Temple (2.57)
7. I Love You, Mark (4.39)
8. Shafted (3.03)
9. The Knife (3.23)
10. End Title (All the Power) (3.30)
Tracks 11-26 are from original score
11. Main Title (2.06)
12. Face of the Antichrist (2.21)
13. Fallen Temple (1.35)
14. Aunt Marion's Visitor (0.38)
15. Another Thorn (1.18)
16. A Ravenous Killing (3.08)
17. Snowmobiles (1.14)
18. Broken Ice (2.23)
19. Number of the Beast (1.34)
20. Shafted (3.03)
21. The Daggers (1.59)
22. Thoughtful Night (2.38)
23. I Love You, Mark (4.14)
24. Runaway Train (1.12)
25. The Boy Has To Die (1.27)
26. All The Power and End Title (3.15)
Total Length: 68.08
Ah Damien: The Omen II is still Jerry Goldsmith giving us the satanic heebie jeebies, but it feels less impressive. Most notably the only non satanic moment comes in "Snowmobiles", a hint of some lovely optimism that surely could have helped the original score. If you want grandeur go with The Final Conflict, if you want the real Satanic mayhem, return to the moment when Goldsmith went out for his only Oscar win.
Goldsmith delivers his intentions clearly, It's satan and nothing less.
Touches of that choir does send shivers down the spine.
It lacks originality, it lacks a distinct personal sound through a theme or idea.
I adore choir, but when it's heard all the time it loses its distinctive power.
Track Listing
Tracks 1-10 are from the 1988 album version
1. Main Title (5.05)
2. Runaway Train (2.41)
3. Claws (3.16)
4. Thoughtful Night (3.08)
5. Broken Ice (2.21)
6. Fallen Temple (2.57)
7. I Love You, Mark (4.39)
8. Shafted (3.03)
9. The Knife (3.23)
10. End Title (All the Power) (3.30)
Tracks 11-26 are from original score
11. Main Title (2.06)
12. Face of the Antichrist (2.21)
13. Fallen Temple (1.35)
14. Aunt Marion's Visitor (0.38)
15. Another Thorn (1.18)
16. A Ravenous Killing (3.08)
17. Snowmobiles (1.14)
18. Broken Ice (2.23)
19. Number of the Beast (1.34)
20. Shafted (3.03)
21. The Daggers (1.59)
22. Thoughtful Night (2.38)
23. I Love You, Mark (4.14)
24. Runaway Train (1.12)
25. The Boy Has To Die (1.27)
26. All The Power and End Title (3.15)
Total Length: 68.08