With a wave of his conducting baton, James Newton Howard whisks us back into the magical world of Fantastic Beasts with his new composition for the latest installment of the movie: The Crimes of Grindelwald.   Some of the scores feature remnants from the first film’s soundtrack, as well as a nod to John Williams by featuring  Hedwig’s Theme in the album opener, The Thestral Chase.

The dynamics of each composition brings me chills each time I listen. Heavy percussion mixed with deep brass and melodious woodwinds creates sharp contrasts in the music and always catches me off guard by not following a predictable rhythm.

Although there are no lyrics, his skillful use of vocal and instrumental elements contributes to the growing anticipation for the release of the movie on Nov. 16. The release of the soundtrack, which came on Nov. 9, gives glues as to the plot of the film by the titles of each individual score as well as their tone.

Sinister song titles such as “Matagots” -a colloquial term from southern France which represents a spirit that takes the form of an animal, usually a cat- addresses some cultural aspects of the new setting as well as a dark spirited entity.

Overall, this score is drastically darker than the one for the first film. Deeper choral accents are incorporated compared to the lighter tones from the first film, alluding to the potentially darker plot in the movie.

The pitfall of the soundtrack was the lack of strings that were heard in the background of the trailers. Their hearty sound would have added more intensity and suspense to the tracks. Also, there is a lack of distinction between the scores. There are many similarities between each track that blend most together.

I give this soundtrack 4/5 stars.