If you know the name Bear McCreary, it's probably from the goosebumps he's given you without you even knowing it was him. You may know his work from Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, God of War, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. He's one of the most prolific composers working today, and on July 31st, he's releasing Singularity: Ekleipsis, his second metal album. He sat down with us to talk about creating something that is his own art.

We dug into how neither of us comes from a metal background and what that means for the music he is creating. He drops some great recommendations of things to listen to in order to find your way into the genre. The album itself is brilliant from top to bottom. Bear McCreary discusses how this was, in his opinion, more finely tuned than the first, but both albums have been on constant repeat for me lately.

About Bear McCreary and Singularity: Ekleipsis

Award-winning composer and recording artist Bear McCreary began his career as a protégé of legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, before bursting onto the scene scoring the revered series Battlestar Galactica in 2004. Since then, McCreary has won three Emmy Awards, including two for Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians and one for his theme for Da Vinci's Demons, a musical palindrome, and has won twelve International Film Music Critics Association Awards, including the award for Score of the Year in 2024, his second. Named the 23rd Most Definitive Bear in Popular Culture (The Ringer), he's also been the subject of a clue on Jeopardy! Project highlights include The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon); Foundation (Apple TV); the beloved series Outlander (STARZ); Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures); The Walking Dead (AMC); and Netflix's Academy Award–nominated documentary Crip Camp (produced by Barack and Michelle Obama). McCreary's celebrated scores for Sony PlayStation's blockbusters God of War and God of War Ragnarök have earned him two BAFTA Awards and two Grammy nominations. In 2024, McCreary released The Singularity, a hard-rock concept album featuring legendary rock talent including Slash, Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Rufus Wainwright, and more.

McCreary has collaborated with artists from across the musical spectrum, including Hozier, Fiona Apple, Shirley Manson (Garbage), Annie Lennox, and the late Sinéad O'Connor. In 2014, Maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducted a suite of McCreary's music with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.