MovieScore Media returns to work with the creators of Black Site, writer/director Tom Paton and composer Max Sweiry in order to present their latest collaboration, The Ascent (released in the United States as Black Ops and also known in some territories as Stairs). The film tells the story of the special ops squad “Hell’s Bastards” who are sent to infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel. The unit soon find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell forced to climb or die. If they want to survive, they must revisit their past sins, otherwise they will never be able to get off and return to their homes…

“It was clear from the initial script reading with Tom Paton that this film would benefit from a soundtrack emulating the surreal level of suspense which the characters must endure,” explains Max Sweiry about the score. “In addition to heavier ‘drum led’ action sequences, there are dark drones and horror licks used to emulate the tension and fear within each character; perhaps more integral to the story than those would be the ‘Lullaby Theme’. At first I imagined this piece to be a comforting and familiar song which the mercenaries could relate to, bringing them out of the state of fear and tension they must endure; however it soon became clear to me this song could just as easily be the one constant, relentlessly repeating through their heads, eventually driving them to insanity – if they hadn’t succumbed to that already. There are many ways to describe the score for this film, but I think its best description would be that of the movie itself – a journey into the mysterious unknown.”

London based composer Max Sweiry started his musical studies by playing the cello, appearing with youth orchestras all across Britain. He received his degree of Music Production at Leeds College of Music with Honours. He has been working together with writer/director Tom Paton since Pandorica (2016), including Black Site (2018), which has been released by MovieScore Media. The main focus of their collaborations is diversity, ranging from the 80s electronica soundscape of Black Site to the enhanced suspense music of The Ascent.

MMS20013 THE ASCENT (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Music Composed by MAX SWEIRY
Release date (digital): June 26, 2020