The Hunted

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

The young hot composers, who doesn't love them? Whenever someone new comes along, people start to the point of insanity that they blow everything into proportions since its new, and its a style people haven't heard, and what else. The point is clear: when a new composer comes along, his style speaks instantly towards you and you love it. When the time will tick, that time will have to tell if it was worth it, the fame and glory? Brian Tyler is that young composer and you discovered his perks in Darkness Falls and Children of Dune. But what about the rest? The Hunted is one to speak of, and as people said it was a rhythmic feast. Yes, to a point they were right. But the thing is, where is the rest of that rhythm? The Hunted starts as Darkness Falls opened, with astounding rhythm. Brian Tyler seems to be the kind of composer (like Horner) who can produce energy and pace well with an orchestra. And when 'Asymmetric Rhythms' and 'Disordered Patterns' start to pump up steam, you know you're in for a treat. Especially the second track takes a lot of the brilliance of Darkness Falls. But the problem is this? Where is the rest of that brilliance, that rhythm? Basically the second part of the score is boring where simply tones and a lot of dissonance take the place instead of that first part energy. And this is especially sad when you heard already something of Tyler. And especially if you consider that both Children of Dune and Darkness Falls had more to offer. The Hunted has its perks but few and the rest is basically not strong enough.

'Winter Shift' has a slow string theme but actually themes are not present, simply an energy or in the second part ambience which grows to dissonant walls of sound where Darkness Falls would even be proud of. A cool percussion rhythm starts 'Emergence' while some piano tinklings of the theme of track 2 returns in 'A Transitory Sonnet'. 'Pulse' is the last of the good sound because after that, more dissonance is heard then I spotted overall in Darkness Falls, especially 'Coda Con Furiosa' does its name proud and 'Over the Falls' is completely dissonant. Even the ending with 'Mirror Image' is capturing 'out of tones' piano and ending with pure dissonance. And this is not enough, especially not enough if you have heard the great parts of Darkness Falls and Children of Dune. The begin is great and offers the stuff I expected, the second part especially is a major disappointment and brings nothing of the good Tyler. To this point, Brian Tyler still has to blow me away (completely). He captures obvious a voice that people love but overall, his biggest and best score is still a horror effort, one where you accept the dissonance without a single problem. Children of Dune by then captured some rather normal underscore with brilliant moments. I have no doubt other efforts (perhaps even soon) will show what he's really made of but The Hunted is one that brings good and bad in a very disappointing effort. Even the song at the end (which becomes a standard apparently with Varčse) doesn't show much of interest. Sadly I have to report that The Hunted is not one to hunt for, keep it rather with some falls which are dark if you want rhythmic energy abound.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Asymmetric Rhythms (2.30)

2. Disordered Patterns (0.46)

3. Winter Shift (2.04)

4. Emergence (3.00)

5. Tracking Hallam (1.54)

6. A Transitory Sonnet (1.27)

7. Pulse (1.13)

8. Sweepers (1.51)

9. Coda Con Furiosa (2.31)

10. The Reluctant Mentor (1.18)

11. Machinations (2.00)

12. Vapor Wall (1.41)

13. Over The Falls (1.14)

14. Illusory (1.35)

15. A Vision Of War (2.32)

16. Mirror Image (2.47)

17. The Man Comes Around: Johnny Cash (4.26)

Total Length: 35.13

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Brian Tyler ===