The Vampire's Assistant (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

iTunes Review

After composing the score for the stage and film versions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, composer Stephen Trask has gone on to write music for a number of projects, including three features directed by Paul Weitz: In Good Company, American Dreamz, and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. The Vampire’s Assistant soundtrack serves up a generous 27-track helping of Trask’s engaging score, and the music ranges far and wide. “The Whistle Song” is an old-timey ditty with a whistled melody accompanied by mandolin, but the album mostly features orchestral pieces that often have dynamic writing for percussion. The lengthy cue “The War Begins” contains both quiet, delicate passages and sections where high-tension strings violently chug, horns cry and swoop, and percussion hits hard. One brief track, “Book of Souls” creates a spooky ambience with winds, a martial beat and a children’s chorus, while “Destiny” utilizes acoustic guitar and intense, Eastern vocals. This is an expansive soundtrack that stands on its own.