The music of the original Hellsing series has been described as everything from masterful to unpleasant, but it never fails to evoke a strong reaction.

Within the context of the show, the music was integral to setting the dark mood and frantic pace of the action sequences, and did so without a hitch.

The OSTs, Raid and Ruins provide yet more of what you heard in the show, with extended-length tracks that fuse jazz, blues, rock, and alternative together into something different from the sum of their parts.

Raid, the first OST, features pounding backbeats and melodic dissonance, showing off the range of Yasushi Ishii’s talents and the versatility of the band. Many of the more upbeat and active songs from the show are in this album, though a few of the slower, moodier tracks, such as Pure Demon make their way onto it as well.

My favorite of the two, Raid provides nice background music for almost any task, as many of the tracks inspire motion and action. In case of point, it’s currently playing on my sound system.

Ruins, the second of the two OSTs, features some of the less conventional songs, with smoother, bluesier feel. Though most all of the music of Hellsing is dark, Ruins lives up to its name, providing music mostly heard in the harsher, second half of the show. There are up-tempo tracks, but the emphasis here is mostly on the slower, more introspective songs.

Heavy on the distortion and bass, Ruins is an album you should listen to alone, with the headphones on, when you have nothing else to do for a while – at least the first few times. This is not an album you want playing at a party, but it is one you want in your collection, even if only for the remix of “Logos Naki World” dedicated to Malcolm X.