Recording the Score for Inherit The Viper

It has been a blast to work on Anthony Jerjen's first feature film, Inherit the Viper, starring Josh Hartnett, Bruce Dern, Margarita Leviva, and Owen Teague. This crime thriller is about three siblings in Appalachia getting by as local opioids dealers, trying not to get caught in the spiral of violence that comes with the territory.

I felt that the dark theme of the film needed an equally dark and very visceral score. Opioid drug deals in rural blue collar Appalachia, the noisy and rusty factories, abondoned houses, the dark and dangerously deserted cityscapes of rural Appalachia - all these elements led to an equally atmospheric soundscape using bending low strings, dark aggressive synths, rusty metallic percussion found on landfills and forgotten trash sites and factories, paired with processessed acoustic sounds and heaviliy distorted electric guitars. It was a lot of fun to explore this fabric, texture, and color.

The strings were recorded in Macedonia with 40 pieces.

Stay tuned for soundtrack exceprts and festival screening updates.

Directed by Anthony Jerjen

Produced by Michel Merkt and Benito Mueller

Strings mixed by Tim Starnes