Tuesday Tunes: ‘A Beautiful Darkness’ by Lito Velasco

Hello Friends:
Today I bring you an amazing soundtrack that was created to score the fine documentary Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (previously on the Barkercast blog), composed by Lito Velasco (Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead). This release was made possible thanks to all the contributors of an IndieGoGo campaign last August (previously). I’ve been listening to it quite a lot lately, and I thoroughly recommend it. You can hear the Leviathan Main Titles (“Hellrisen”) in our older video below:

It’s in some ways completely new yet very familiar, capturing the same eerie and tragic undertones that Christopher Young’s score conveyed when he composed his soundtracks for Hellraiser and Hellbound. Imagine crossing over to the other side of the mirror and discovering a new world where things aren’t quite like you’re used to, but you still recognize them at some deeper level. This is what I experienced when listening to it. The same motifs are there, but in some tracks they’re expanded into new directions, they open into new horizons. Sometimes, an opening tells you exactly what this track is meant to mirror but it’s not just a copy; it’s a reinterpretation.

If you have Leviathan, you will know that in some cases, editing dictated that the score took a secondary background role during the interviews, and some segments ended up featuring looping bits of score that didn’t quite do justice to the entire thing. You need to listen to this complete score to get the full scope of Lito Velasco’s talent and what he was trying to convey. It’s not just emulation, it’s a re-interpretation and a tribute to the Hellraiser/Hellbound scores.

Some movements manage to preserve that oniric feel, that things aren’t quite right— you hear bells, music boxes. Silence and minimalism is used in parts to great effect. Other times it explodes in great explosive movements, where synthetic choirs rise and fall. If you love the original soundtracks, give this a listen, you will love it. The IndieGoGo campaign offered a physical version, the Premier Edition CD, limited to 100 copies. You can buy a digital version here: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/litovelasco

Here’s the track list:

1. Hellrisen (Maintitles)
2. Resurrected
3. A Lamentable Box / A Soul’s Journey
4. A Tragic Heart (Longing)
5. The Cenobites / You Cannot Hide
6. A Hellrisen Duet
7. Bound for Hell
8. The Doctor’s Mattress (Spellbound)
9. Carousel of Damnation
10. The Leviathan
11. The New Dr. Channard
12. Resolution / A Happy Ending…?
13. A Hellrisen Reprise (End Title)
14. Joey’s Puzzle and Hellish Earth (Bonus Track)
15. The Cenobites / You Cannot Hide (Alternate Without Carousel) [Bonus Track]

Available as MP3, MP3 320, and FLAC files.
© Copyright – Lito Velasco / Primitivo Productions Records (666449903328)