Godzilla Minus One Gets a Soundtrack Release

We here at Waxwork Records are excited to once again jump headfirst into the realm of the kaiju with our newest release: Godzilla Minus One! This has been hailed as one of the best movies of 2023, and one of the best Godzilla movies ever! We were so excited at the opportunity to release this vinyl in the United States. We have worked with Toho many times before (King Kong Escapes, War of the Gargantuas, Mothra, The Sword of Doom) so we jumped at the chance to have even more Godzilla goodness in our catalog!

Godzilla Minus One tells the story of Japan at the very end of World War II. Kiochi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a failed kamikaze pilot, dealing with the destruction and loss of his home and family, as well as his feelings of guilt over his dereliction of duty during the war. While wandering through the ruins of his neighborhood, he meets Noriko (Minami Hamabe), a woman with no home, no family, and left taking care of an abandoned child she found in the rubble. Together, these three begin to form a fractured family as the society around them begins to be rebuilt. It is at this point, however, while Japan and its people are at their lowest, that Godzilla, mightiest of all monsters, climbs ashore and unleashes his fury.

Sure, Godzilla Minus One is a traditional kaiju movie, but what makes it special is that it is also so much more. This is the story of grief and of guilt. It is about the meaning of family, of friendships, and of service. What gives this movie its heart is that while it shows Godzilla ripping apart a city, it is the story of the people, the humanity, that make this such a great movie.

Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki, wrote the majority of the script during the 2019 Covid pandemic. Thinking about that unique time in history, and the similar unprecedented societal trauma of World War II brought a more emotional feel to the monster movie. Said Yamazaki, “Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if 'fear' itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair.”

The score was composed by Naoki Sato. The music is filled with beautiful and heartbreaking moments of serenity, as well as bombastic and action-packed music that amps up the tension of battle and the horror of Godzilla. Sato was inspired by the works of Japanese animated films from Studio Ghibli for the emotional moments, and he uses the powerful music of the original Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube’s score to emphasize the kaiju terror. All of these elements make this one of the most beloved film scores of the year! We are proud to be presenting this double LP record on 150-gram “Godzilla Heat Ray” colored vinyl, with deluxe heavyweight gatefold packaging, and an 11”x11” insert. Order here!

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