McCreary’s most notable work of late has been on The Rings of Power, Amazon’s high-budget Middle-earth offering that takes place long before the events of The Lord of the Rings. Because this was an original take that had never been explored on screen before, it needed a composer of McCreary’s prowess to come up with a score that complemented the ecosystem of the fantasy world.
With various diverse cultures and settings in The Rings of Power’s universe, McCreary had to use a range of different musical techniques to make it all feel believable. Luckily, the composer has confessed to being a huge fan of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work and relished the opportunity to work on the series. His music has become one of the best aspects of The Rings of Power and is a major reason why people watch the series.
Composer Has Produced Some Iconic Soundtracks Over the Years
The reason why McCreary could be Amazon’s secret weapon is the fact that there are few composers in the business that have made soundtracks as iconic as he has. Part of what makes a series memorable is its score, and some of the composer’s works over the years have helped elevate series and encourage viewers to keep watching. In fact, in the competitive modern streaming era, a soundtrack can make or break a series.
There are a few of McCreary’s works that stand out, with Battlestar Galactica and the last two God of War games often mentioned among people’s favourites. The Walking Dead is arguably McCreary’s most iconic soundtrack to date, though, and the score was a huge reason for the series’ immense success. Now, even though the series has ended, that soundtrack lives on in related offerings. For example, online bingo site players can find The Walking Dead Cash Collect, which uses McCreary’s theme. There’s also The Walking Dead game from Telltale Games, which immerses players in the post-apocalyptic world.
With such an impressive and extensive catalogue of legendary soundtracks, it’s no surprise that Amazon has turned to McCreary for its biggest budget series. Now, it would make sense for the company to stick with the composer for other important upcoming franchises, as he has the potential to elevate them from good to great.
It's amazing that McCreary is only 46 years old, as it feels like he’s been in the business for decades. He has the potential to go on to become one of the best entertainment composers of all time, especially if Amazon sticks with him for many years to come.