The Prophecy

David Williams

Written and Directed by Gregory Widen The Prophecy is an interesting story starring Christopher Walken as Gabriel the angel who has a plan to come to earth, capture a soul which will end the war that is going on in heaven. Of course the plot thickens with the fact that another angel has hidden the soul making it difficult for Gabriel to find it. The Miramax film was a fairly low budget one (8 million) and it has already returned well over 16 million dollars for them. It has turned into a cult classic and there have been 4 sequels as they are now up to Prophecy 5.

David "One Man Show" Williams truly impressed this reviewer with the score. He performed, produced, mixed, and orchestrated the entire score and in only 18 days! The only thing he couldn't accomplish was getting the score released in 1995 when it first came out. Finally, Robin Esterhammer of Perseverance Records to the rescue, and although 11 years have gone by it is finally being brought to market.

The first track "All About Faith" is a track with choir and religious thoughts. As David explained in the liner notes he was "always trying to hint at the presence of God" throughout the score and this is an excellent example of what he accomplished. In addition, the classical training he received at Julliard with John "Red Violin" Corigliano, becomes quite evident not only on this track, but in the entire score. You have to keep reminding yourself that this is not a symphony orchestra but just David Williams! The average listener to this would just think it was a normal orchestra playing a series of tracks. For the horror fan there are tracks such as "Out The Window" which are full of the shrieking violins and weird sounding effects but even this track is quite toned down compared to many others I have heard. "Medallion/Going Home" is a meditation/elegy piece with chorus and very solemn chords followed by solo piano. "Confession" is a repeat of the "All About Faith" the main theme, which is also repeated in the final track "Propecies" as a slightly longer expanded version. There is an addition of more electronics at the end of the track with chorus otherwise it is quite similiar to "All About Faith." "Mesa" is an interesting track with the Native American flavor that would be interesting to listen to with symphony orchestra in an expanded version. Still David seems to push all of the buttons correctly and include enough variety to make the track work correctly in the film. I feel compelled to ponder how would this soundtrack have sounded with a full symphony orchestra. The sound quality and mixing are not an issue as this was a digital recording from beginning to end. There are interviews with the director and the composer as well as general information about the movie itself in the liner notes.

The reason for wanting to purchase this score is to listen to the training and versatility of David Williams. The classical training makes a difference! The main theme is a nice melody and David uses just enough of the chorus samples in key parts of the score to enhance it without the typical female wailing on track after track. Of course if you are a fan of the film and are part of the cult status it has achieved over the years you have already been patiently awaiting this release and happy that Robin was able to bring it to market. The older listener, and I put myself in that category could marvel at the wonders of electronics when used properly. You can order it directly from www.perseverancerecords.com.


Tracklisting

1. All About Faith (02:38)
2. The Prophecy (01:41)
3. Thomas and Simon (03:06)
4. Questions Of Doubt (00:54)
5. Out the Window (01:27)
6. Stealing The Soul (01:25)
7. Medallion/Going Home (01:40)
8. Angels Beckon (01:55)
9. Refuge (01:15)
10. Gabriel (02:49)
11. Mary and Simon (01:16)
12. Part Of The Plan (02:06)
13. Transfer Of The Soul (02:58)
14. Mesa (03:00)
15. Drawings (02:28)
16. Hawthorn's Film (03:05)
17. Burning Uziel (02:04)
18. Jealousy (02:16)
19. Fate (03:26)
20. No Giving In (03:20)
21. The Mine (04:14)
22. Confession (02:02)
23. Breaking Through (01:38)
24. Lucifer (02:27)
25. He's Coming (02:28)
26. Up in Flames (02:13)
27. Divine Intervention (01:23)
28. Prophecies (03:15)

Total Time is: 01:04:29

Thomas L. Kiefner - September 12, 2006