Finally, after five successful series on TV, the original music from ITV dinosaur adventure series Primeval, gets a soundtrack album release courtesy of Swedish soundtrack record label MovieScore Media. The action-packed 75-minute album features selections of the original score music composed by Ivor Novello Award-nominated composer Dominik Scherrer (Miss Marple, Scenes of a Sexual Nature, The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz) from the first three series of the popular show...

When I heard that MovieScore Media were going to be releasing Dominik Scherrer's music for Primeval initially I was looking forward to hearing it - mainly because I really love the show's theme. But then when I sat and thought about it I realised that I couldn't for the life of me remember what the episode music sounded like. I mean, it couldn't have been bad or I would have remembered it, but equally I didn't recall it being particularly memorable.

On the first listen through I have to admit that, with the exception of 'Primeval Theme', 'Primeval Titles' and the album's most moving track 'Tom Dies' nothing really leapt out at me. However, on listening to it several more times Scherrer's music really began to grow on me and I began to appreciate the subtle movements that he makes, without being loud and in your face.

While it's true that a lot of the music is atmospheric background material, Scherrer does inject it with more emotion that you'd expect - the end result is an album with some interesting pieces:

'Smilodon Attack' is gripping, but also has a subtle choral injection that sent a shiver down my spine; The theme at the centre of 'Taylor' is another beautiful piece of music - which reminded me (ever so slightly) of John Williams's music for Raiders of the Lost Ark; and 'Cretaceous Sea' is beautifully eerie.

The album lasts for just under one hour and 16 mins, split over 29 tracks and is a well balanced collection of beautiful themes and suspense tracks. This is certainly worth sinking your teeth into.

8

Darren Rea