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The London Symphony Orchestra performs this score with much vigor and acute execution. The release is started with the impressive intro track "Krull Main Theme and Colwyn's Arrival." Repressed, angry strings eventually give way to a pleasantly contrasting angelic choir. Horner methodically builds up the orchestra, giving abrupt hints of the main theme. The main theme finally arrives and it is perhaps one of his best in terms of being quite memorable and orchestral arrangement. Also in this track is a brief appearance of the love theme which becomes quite prevalent later in the score. It can be heard in full in the second track. Included here as well is one of the strongest action movements I believe have ever approached my ears.
Flowing fantasy is the name of the game for the rest of the first disc. "Quest for the Glave" is a somber traveling cut with an outstanding vocal part about 5 minutes in. It gives me the chills each time I play it. Horner allows the orchestra to slow boil some more until a glorious climax is reached. Another ethereal track is "The Seer's Vision." Some unusual instrumentation is utilized to interpret the Seer's 'Beast'ly premonition. Take note of the style presented here because this has turned out to be one of Horner's most recognizable approaches. In fact, parts of it sound quite close to the duel between Bavmorda and Willow in the movie's (WILLOW) climactic moment. Bringing Disc One to a close is the score's striking love theme. Vintage Horner and an extreme pleasure to the ears.
Now on to Disc Two. "Leaving the Swamp" introduces us once again to the rousing central theme, but with an overwhelming sense of urgency and success. This uplifting moment is swiftly executed by the menacing presence of "The Widow's Web." In this track, as well as most of the others, Horner does an exemplary job of setting the correct mood with his music. Aside from the lukewarm critical and consumer response to the film, the score raises the entire package as a whole many notches above the level the film would reside at without Horner's efforts. This score is the best treatment an average sci-fi B-movie could deserve.
One of my favorite portions of this entire score is "Ride of the Firemares." It bursts with colorful action accentuated with epic brass and throbbing percussion. Its sister track "Battle on the Parapets" has almost the same attributes. The action tracks on this score are some of Horner's most inventive and emotionally charged. This score is a time released treasure, meaning it gets continually better as it progresses. Such a thing can be said of the track "The Death of the Beast and the Destruction of the Black Forest." Wow, that's a mouthful! At any rate, this lengthy release is brought to a close in true Horner style with a review of each theme and a superb finale sequence.
KRULL is almost unparalleled in the fantasy/adventure genre. Not meaning to sound a bit anachronistic, but KRULL is a wildly successful combination of the driving action in THE WRATH OF KHAN and the mystical fantasy of WILLOW. Regardless of what it sounds like, KRULL stands firmly by itself as one of Horner's greatest achievements. Perhaps what is most amazing about this score is Horner's great talent for thematically pleasing content. This score shows his great musical diversity and is an ideal foreshadowing of a few of his later works. The Super Tracks release is beautifully packaged, and the idea to divide the 90+ minutes of score into two discs was a good one. Another strong point is the tracks are arranged in correct chronological order. This keeps the tone and mood of the music from being interrupted. Though this release is quite pricey at about $40.00, the music you get is worth every cent. Music this good is priceless.
