Offbeat documentary predicting humankind's showdown with insects. A cult favorite due to its visually compelling close-up photography and tongue-in-cheek narration. Pleasing for fans of intellectual horror films and trippy cinema. 1971

1. The Hellstrom Chronicle (Life Evolves) 3:25
2. Primeval Beginnings and The Deadly Traps 9:02
3. Horror Montage and The Harvester Ant Community 8:28
4. Metamorphosis 4:13
5. The Termite World 6:40
6. African Drums, Moths and Communication 3:38
7. The Acts Of Love 5:27
8. Bees, Wasps and Mayflies 6:57
9. Rampage of the Driver Ants 8:13
10. The Hellstrom Chronicle (Finale) 2:19

From the CD:

Rarely is a composer in a scoring assignment permitted to let his musical imagination soar totally unfettered - but the battle for survival between man and insect provides such an opportunity in David L. Wolper's production, "The Hellstrom Chronicle."

I attempted to create a fantasy of the insect world - a concatenation of earth sounds as I imagine they might seem to the insects themselves. Since I anticipated no protests from any hastily organized "insect lib" groups, I confess I took generous artistic license.

Musical effects were achieved through an eclectic combination of instruments embracing exotic electronic synthesizers, wind chimes played by keyboard, unusual percussion devices, and conventional orchestral pieces played in unconventional ways.

-Lalo Schifrin