Unleashing Musical Revolution: Composer Trey Toy's Legacy in Castlevania: Nocturne

Summary

Castlevania: Nocturne expands the world of Castlevania to the Caribbean while still centered around the French Revolution, with high fan expectations.

Composers Trey Toy and Trevor Morris make a triumphant comeback, infusing the series with fresh musical styles while staying true to the cherished Castlevania themes.

The soundtrack for Castlevania: Nocturne takes on an adventurous and versatile approach, blending unconventional instruments such as the viola da gamba and conch shells. Each character possesses a distinct and individualized sonic universe.

Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Castlevania, titled Castlevania: Nocturne, takes place centuries after the events of the mainline series. This installment introduces new members of the Belmont family and expands its setting from Europe to the Caribbean, all while keeping the core story within the backdrop of the French Revolution. After the immense success of Castlevania as a video game adaptation, fan expectations for Castlevania: Nocturne are exceptionally high. However, with the involvement of key members from the Castlevania creative team, there are promising signs for a satisfying follow-up.

For Castlevania: Nocturne, the composing duo Trey Toy and Trevor Morris will be returning. They were responsible for scoring the entire first series of Castlevania. Together, they have crafted a fresh musical direction for Castlevania: Nocturne while still paying homage to the outstanding elements of their previous work. In addition, they have brought back beloved pieces from the musical history of the Castlevania franchise, including the iconic "Divine Bloodlines."

Trey Toy On Castlevania: Nocturne

Screen Rant: I know you did this with Trevor Morris, who you have done so much with over the years. At this point, how does your collaboration work?

Trey Toy: Trevor has been my mentor since I entered the business, and we have been working together in the Castlevania cinematic universe since 2017, so it has been a significant amount of time. His storytelling philosophy and his approach to composing, production, mixing, and everything else greatly influence my work. Initially, I started by co-producing music pieces and writing additional music for him, and it was more of a mentor-mentee relationship. However, as the years went by, we evolved into partners and collaborators, even co-composing soundtracks together, which has been incredibly enjoyable. I had such a wonderful experience working on the original Castlevania, so when he asked me to co-score this one with him, it was the easiest decision of my career.

I noticed that you were also a part of the previous show's finale, and I can only imagine the emotional experience of seeing any show come to an end. Were you aware that this would be the last one as the previous season ended?

Trey Toy: No, I didn't know this was coming. As a kid, I played the games and was familiar with the depth of the Castlevania universe and franchise. I always believed it had great potential for further exploration and evolution. So, when Trevor informed me about it, I was pleasantly surprised and incredibly excited. It has been almost two years now since we became involved, which is quite special. It's not often that we get the opportunity to be part of something so ahead of its time.

Considering your extensive experience in this universe, what elements did you want to retain from your previous work in terms of palette and other aspects, and where did you want to venture into new territory?

Trey Toy: Netflix and the production team emphasized their desire for this project to be a fresh and unique take on the story of Castlevania. They aimed for Nocturne to stand on its own, with its own storyline and set of characters. In order to achieve this, we sought to create a new and different musical experience. The original score featured grand orchestral percussion and powerful synthesizers, creating a heavy and intense feeling. While we still maintained elements of this style and included incredible action sequences with classic orchestral, organ, and choir sounds turned up to the maximum, Nocturne also incorporates a grounded and organic feel, driven by its characters who have intricate story arcs.

Our intention was to make this score even more thematic than the original and give each character their own distinct sound. To achieve this, we took a new approach and recorded many soloists playing unusual instruments such as the viola da gamba, which is not commonly heard in film scores today, as well as the electric cello and even the conch shell. Don Shelton, a talented musician, played the tuned conch shells, producing a hauntingly beautiful sound. It was a truly special experience, made even cooler by watching him perform.

We embraced a more experimental approach compared to the original, which I truly appreciate. Having been raised on experimental music, it is the realm that I am familiar with. Thus, any chance I get to collaborate with unique instruments or produce unconventional sounds to create something fresh is always an exhilarating opportunity. When Netflix approached us and expressed their desire for an experimental score that stands out and differs from anything heard before, I was extremely thrilled. Such guidance is not always received. Additionally, since the story is set during the French Revolution, did you accentuate the French elements throughout?

Trey Toy believes that the show captures the revolutionary spirit of the time, even in storylines unrelated to the French Revolution. The score reflects this zeitgeist, with Maria Renard's theme embodying the youthful and idealistic revolutionary spirit. On the other hand, Annette's theme also shares this spirit but stems from the Caribbean slave plantations, creating a sense of connection to a different world.

Without giving too much away, our intention was to create a primary villain in the series who embodies both aristocratic and historical aspects, while also conveying a sense of ancient malevolence, as they are a vampire. To achieve this, we utilized a distorted, uniquely French-sounding harpsichord, manipulating it with unconventional effects to give it an otherworldly quality. Additionally, we incorporated ancient-sounding vocals, low horns, and more obscure instruments to further enhance the character's esoteric persona.

Although we aimed to capture French elements in our composition, we were mindful of the fact that our story is set in the French Revolution while many of the characters have lived for thousands of years. The epic battle between the Belmonts and the forces of evil has been ongoing for centuries, and we acknowledge this enduring conflict within our music.

I came across Divine Bloodlines on YouTube after seeing your Instagram post. A comment made a year ago expressed concern that Netflix might not give this song the recognition it deserves, but just a few months ago, someone confirmed that Netflix did indeed do justice to this song.

Trey Toy: That's fantastic! That's absolutely incredible.

Evidently, it's a subject that ignites intense passion among people. While you were orchestrating this timeless music, did you feel any pressure or were you simply thrilled as a fan?

Trey Toy: [Laughing, sarcastic tone] Absolutely no pressure whatsoever.

As mentioned earlier, I used to play these games as a child and have always had a strong affection for them. However, for many years, I was distanced from them. Working on the original series allowed me to rediscover the immense passion still held by the fan base. It was an incredible experience to revisit some of the games and I am currently playing one of them again to immerse myself in the essence of it all. I have come to understand, in a whole new way, the profound impact the games' music has on the fans. As a result, I am constantly mindful of this fact.

Our utmost priority is to excel in the art of storytelling. Our role entails providing support to the story, the production team, and the characters in order to create the most compelling narrative possible. However, we must also keep in mind the devoted fan base, which adds an additional layer of pressure. This pressure drives us to take the score to new heights, as we are aware that people are listening and paying attention. Netflix shares this sentiment, which is why they entrusted us with elevating the score and giving it prominence.

As for the original game music, the decisions regarding its usage are made by the lawyers, as it is owned by Konami. Therefore, it is truly exhilarating when we receive the call granting us permission to incorporate tracks like "Divine Bloodlines" or, in the case of the original series, "Bloody Tears."

We put great emphasis on these pieces, investing in numerous revisions, gathering extensive feedback, and dedicating as much time as we would for an entire episode. There is an abundance of tender love and care poured into them.

Illustrating with "Divine Bloodlines," how significantly has it transformed from your initial attempt at arranging it? Considering the immense time invested, there must have been substantial modifications.

Trey Toy explained that when working on the composition "Bloody Tears", he prefers to refer back to the original version from the game rather than being influenced by other versions. He feels a lot of pressure to create something that lives up to the amazing versions that are already out there. Trey likes to focus on the original source material and build upon it, starting with the melody and harmony. The main goal is to create a piece that fits the scene and enhances the storytelling in the trailer. They experimented with different instruments and arrangements, eventually settling on guitar, electric cello, and vocals by Ari Mason. The composition went through numerous iterations and required extensive collaboration between Trey, Trevor, and the production team to achieve the final result, a massive piece that evolved from a simple melody.

Can you discuss any aspects that you're looking forward to people seeing or hearing in this release, even if you can't go into much detail?

Trey Toy: Absolutely. While I don't want to pick favorites, I believe the most thrilling additions to the Castlevania cinematic universe - if I may say so myself, I might have even coined that term - are the characters Annette and Edouard. The original Castlevania and its games primarily unfold in Europe, influencing both the setting and the characters we are familiar with. However, with Nocturne, we expand the show's geography and culture to encompass other parts of the world, which as composers, was incredibly exciting for us. Annette and Edouard, originating from the Caribbean and having experienced vampire-enforced slavery there, allowed us the opportunity to delve into a fresh context, explore new instruments, and create innovative sounds.

More specifically, with Edouard, the character is a world-renowned opera singer, and he is played by Sydney James Harcourt, who is an absolutely unbelievable vocalist. He has a remarkable Broadway career, having been part of the original cast of Hamilton. His extraordinary talent allowed us the privilege of collaborating with him early on, rehearsing the classical pieces Edouard sings. This opportunity was truly extraordinary, one that may never come my way again. Trevor and I were brought in at such an early stage that there wasn't even an animatic to refer to. We based our work solely on reading the scripts and engaging in discussions with the showrunners, Kevin and Clive, as well as the directors, Sam and Adam. Working closely with Sydney on these pieces was an absolute delight. His immense talent and enthusiasm made the process enjoyable, especially as it allowed me to revisit classical pieces I had studied long ago and reacquaint myself with them.

About Castlevania: Nocturne

In the midst of the French Revolution, Richter Belmont fights to preserve and defend the legacy of his family and thwart the imminent rise of an evil vampire ruler.

Castlevania: Nocturne will be released on Netflix on September 28th.