Zaalen Tallis
Centurions of the Moon
(MovieScore Media)

I agree with Zaalen Tallis and Tom Hoover in their new idea of creating a movie soundtrack and story…without a movie. I’ve always been of the opinion that the best soundtracks stand alone as their own delineated piece of work. The best scores evoke emotion, time and place far and away from the films they might be for and with Centurions of the Moon we have a story unfolding by its stirring music and it’s story told in words and concept art by Sunny Koda.

The actual first song, “Centurions of the Moon,” begins with a low cello and running strings and horns seeping through a short but effective blast of things a-coming. Low drums inform “Shoreline Battle” as a horn section bubbles below the surface just aching to push forward. “Abduction” follows with more low, tribal-like beating and menacing string cuts with a strong melody line at the very tail end that is so very poignant your ear just aches to hear more.

“Welcome to Asha” pretty much has all that drum beating and strings, but a fine melody floating atop it and we finally break free into some soft, studied harp plucking behind a sweet horn melody with counter from the strings and beautiful choir rising on “Remembering Home.”  I love the full drum percussion solo, subtly layered as it is, of “Serpent Formation,” a truly important part of all of the action here in the story.

“The Fallen” repeats one of, if not the main music theme, but played slow and sad by a single horn then strings, it is truly the best piece of all here for me and the high lilting ender “Return to Earth” poises on a Kitaro-like expressive opening into sweeping mid-tempo orchestra pulsation that wraps up this entire experience perfectly

You can enjoy all of this movie-of-the-mind-and-ear here, and I recommend you do so. This is great stuff and a new way to “listen” to a movie.