Spinoffs are always something of a creative hazard for all involved.

For Austrian composer Paul Haslinger, scoringFear The Walking Deadwas never going to be a small undertaking.

We recently caught up with him for a brief chat about his work on the spinoff series to date.

I was called earlier this year to meet with showrunner Dave Erickson and music supervisor Linda Cohen.

Based on this conversation and some music I had submitted earlier, I was picked for the gig.

Bear McCrearys work onThe Walking Deadobviously has its own very distinctive sound.

I was not asked to create anything that anybody is familiar with.

This show, despite sharing aspects of the original show, aims to stand on its own feet creatively.

Did you use McCrearys work as an initial frame of reference though?

Were in a different setting, a different timeframe and a different storyline.

It made sense to take an independent music approach.

I do of course appreciate McCrearys work, not only onThe Walking Dead, butBattlestar Galacticaand elsewhere.

Hes a wonderful composer and he knows what he is doing.

This is actually the second time I am scoring Los Angeles in the throes of destruction.

The first was with Tangerine Dream Miracle Mileand it never gets old.

I dont think we picked industrial sound as a concept.

We just tried different things and what you hear in the show seemed to work best.

Is that something youre looking forward to as the show goes in to its second season next year?

Well see how it develops…

I am not writing the scripts, so Ill follow wherever the story leads.

While you composed the music for the series itself, Atticus Ross was responsible for the shows opening stinger.

Did you have any contact with him regarding this?

How did this come about?

I am good friends with Atticus, and have the greatest respect for his work over the years.

We and the audience are ahead of the characters.

What were some of the most creatively challenging moments for you on the show?

Getting these balances right is one of the greatest challenges in this project.

And were in something of a golden age for TV drama at the moment, arent we?

Music is obviously playing an enormous part in this.

Do you tend to pay much attention to what other composers are doing in the field?

Who else inspires you in this regard?

I do listen to shows and films pretty much like I listen to music in general.

Some of my recent favourites arePeaky BlindersandBlack Mirror.

Finally, youve also worked in video games as well as TV and films.

So yes, the mechanics are different, but the creative quest is similar to any other project.

Paul Haslinger, thank you very much!