Few cinematic events call for music to rock out to more than giant monsters destroying cities and fighting each other. The upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters will have a lot of giant monsters battling for supremacy, and it needs a soundtrack worthy of that level of wild destruction. Fortunately, the soundtrack for Godzilla: King of the Monsters has enlisted some top tier talent to do just that.
Bear McCreary, who has scored all manner of genre properties, from 10 Cloverfield Lane to The Walking Dead to the most recent God of War game, is composing the soundtrack for the sequel film. For one particularly special track, he teamed up with System of a Down’s frontman Serj Tankian.
The two joined forces for a cover of Blue Öyster Cult’s classic “Godzilla” from the band’s fifth album, 1977’s Spectres. The playful and campy hard-rock tribute to the king of the monsters became one of Blue Öyster Cult’s biggest hits, and bands like Fu Manchu and The Smashing Pumpkins have covered it over the years. The song now stands as a fun piece of Godzilla’s history.
For the cover of “Godzilla” on the Godzilla: King of the Monsters soundtrack, System of a Down’s Serj Tankian provides the vocals for the song, singing lyrics like “Go, go, Godzilla” and "He picks up a bus and he throws it back down." Also contributing to the track are the members of Metalocalypse's Dethklok, Gene Hoglan and Brendon Small. The cover also incorporates a Japanese taiko drumming group, a full orchestra, chanting, kick drums and a heavy metal rhythm section. Add in Serj Tankian’s vocals, and Bear McCreary told Rolling Stone that his “Godzilla” cover is “complete musical madness.”
That sounds exactly like what you would want from a soundtrack for this movie because judging by the trailers, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is complete cinematic madness. Also, for a franchise as old and storied as Godzilla, it’s nice to see new titles recognize the franchise’s history. And while Blue Öyster Cult’s “Godzilla” isn’t an official part of the canon, it is an important part of the pop culture history of the giant monster.
You can listen to “Godzilla” off the Godzilla: King of the Monsters soundtrack in the video below
Bear McCreary and Serj Tankian’s cover of “Godzilla” won’t be the only way the soundtrack honors the history of the character though. Beyond the cover, the King of the Monsters soundtrack features 25 tracks of score music by Bear McCreary that are influenced by and incorporate elements from the music in the original Godzilla movies.
The Godzilla: King of the Monsters soundtrack drops on May 24 in advance of the film’s opening day on May 31. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the movies headed your way in a packed summer season.
