1 |
To
Victory (2:34) |
2 |
The
Agoge (2:33) |
3 |
The
Wolf (2:34) |
4 |
Returns
A King (2:22) |
5 |
Submission
(2:39) |
6 |
The Ephors (1:59) |
| 7 |
Cursed
By Beauty (1:40) |
8 |
What
Must A King Do? (1:02) |
9 |
Goodbye
My Love (3:22) |
10 |
No
Sleep Tonight (2:34) |
11 |
Tree
Of The Dead (2:24) |
12 |
The
Hot Gates (3:00) |
13 |
Fight
In The Shade (3:17) |
14 |
Come
And Get Them (2:05) |
15 |
No
Mercy (2:23) |
16 |
Immortals
Battle (2:55) |
17 |
Fever
Dream (2:23) |
18 |
Xerxes'
Tent (3:20) |
19 |
Tonight
We Dine In Hell (1:13) |
20 |
The
Council Chamber (2:35) |
21 |
Xerxes'
Final Offer (3:18) |
22 |
A
God King Bleeds (2:18) |
23 |
Glory
(1:44) |
24 |
Message
For The Queen (2:32) |
25 |
Remember
Us (3:00) |
REVIEW
At
first listen, Tyler Bates’ score for this movie based
on Frank Miller’s graphic novel does sound similar to
Hans Zimmer’s composition for Gladiator (2000). After
all, both films are about angry men fighting for glory in
an era that has long gone. The
opening track “To Victory” introduces us to the
grandeur of the 60-minute soundtrack album with its pounding
electronic beats, accompanied by a male chorus and a lead
solo that resonates of a massive battle scene. Following that
are 24 short tracks that somehow feel too rushed for an epic
movie like this.
That is
probably the flaw of this otherwise well=produced album.
There
is no main theme listeners can identify with, only snippets
of impressively-orchestrated cues that features Iranian Azam
Ali vocal solos. Listen to “Cursed By Beauty”
and “Goodbye My Love” for an idea of how a soaring
female voice can heighten your listening experience.
Elsewhere,
there are extensive orchestrations that will sweep you off
your senses. “The Hot Gates”’ features a
remarkable percussion performance while “Tonight We
Dine In Hell” is hauntingly beautiful with its strings,
horns and female choral accompaniment. It is a pity these
tracks are too brief for full enjoyment.
After
composing scores for movie like Dawn of the Dead (2004) and
See No Evil (2006), this seems to be Bates’ first high
profile project for Hollywood. The Los Angeles-born composer
does show some potential and flair for coming up with quality
scores, so we can only hope that his talents will not go unnoticed
in a sea of many other up-and-coming composers.
Welcome
to the glorious world of Hollywood.
SOUNDTRACK
RATING:
 
Review
by John Li
|
