Earlier this year, film and TV composer Bear McCreary unleashed his star-studded, metal-as-hell solo album The Singularity featuring Corey Taylor, Serj Tankian, Slash, Kim Thayil, Scott Ian and Meshuggah’s Jens Kidman, among others. Now, McCreary has re-teamed with Kidman, as well as drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan, for “The Last Ballad of Damrod,” the first original song from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season Two: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack).
The epic song is about a vicious Hill-troll, and Kidman is the perfect vocalist to embody the mythological beast, as can be heard above.
McCreary commented, “When I first glimpsed Damrod, the murderous troll in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season Two, I knew immediately I had to call Jens Kidman. The aggressive frontman of Meshuggah, Jens put a searing brand on ‘The Last Ballad of Damrod’ with his blistering vocal performance. I am exhilarated to team up with Roadrunner Records, home to some of my favorite bands of all time like Gojira and Slipknot, to bring our song to the world. My collaboration with Jens, alongside virtuoso drummer Gene Hoglan, on ‘The Last Ballad of Damrod,’ offers an introduction to my exploration of the darker recesses of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium and sets the stage for the rest of the sweeping score to come.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings ofPower (Season Two: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack) will be released worldwide August 23rd, tied to the highly anticipated return of the series later this month.