Inspired by Terminator the 1984 sci-fi movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger this musical tribute delivers all the drama and excitement from the movie in 10 well crafted instrumentals that could easily be mistaken for a real soundtrack. For fans of the Terminator movies this album is a must listen.

ALBUM REVIEW
Andrew Hetherington
Terminator 1984: A Musical Tribute
​self-released; 2020
3.7 out of 5
By Jamie Funk (Divide And Conquer)

I have often found that the themes of an album are often very broad. There are countless subjects packed into an album like love, hope and more so that the album starts to feel like it’s about everything under the sun. There’s something to be said about an album that has laser focus. This brings me to Terminator 1984: A Musical Tribute by Andrew Hetherington. The album title says it all. Hetherington mentions, “Inspired by Terminator the 1984 sci-fi movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger this musical tribute delivers all the drama and excitement from the movie in ten well-crafted instrumentals that could easily be mistaken for a real soundtrack.

I haven’t seen the original movie in a long time but there are some obvious things that should be included within the music. The soundtrack should have an ’80s feel, it should have a sci-fi quality and it should have some adrenaline inducing moments. I would say Terminator 1984: A Musical Tribute successfully pulls this off.

The album starts off with “Cyborg” and sort of melds classical and ’80s synths. It’s one of the more cinematic big blockbuster type of songs. The mood gets more ambient and sci-fi with “Who is Sarah Connor?” while “Tech Noir” sounds similar to ’80s new wave bands and is a dance worthy song.

“Run for Your Life” is more ominous and tense as if you were lost on an alien planet. The next song “The Rise of the Machines'' felt like a crescendo in the film with big budget CGI effects. “Cyberdyne Systems 101” felt like a journey through subterranean lairs while ‘I’ll Be Back” is jammed pack with layers of music. “(He’s) Unstoppable” sounds just like it sounds. I had to laugh when I read the title of the next song “Crushed (You’re Terminated F****r!).” Last up is “A New Destiny” which is atmospheric and serene.

​This was a fun and unique record. In a very general way this felt to me like it could have been used in a sci-fi movie from the ’80s. It felt cohesive and like a soundtrack that would accompany a film. Recommended.