The 6th Day

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Trevor Rabin is now already known as not one of the finest composers. In my eye he is the kind of composer that offers good moments yet apart from that not entirely successful scores onto themselves. The themes are usually good and he develops his ideas around that, yet they don't make the score successful on their own. One of the few electrifying tracks that could dazzle anyone from start to finish was the 8 minute roller coaster ride 'Launch' of Armageddon. In The 6th Day, it are just the moments that make the score worth it. And not coincidentally, it are the themes that are the moments of it to speak entirely the truth. The main theme of the score and Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie is really good, at least I like it for what it is, a theme that can easily work as a calm soother or as an action theme. The other theme is the Cloning theme and works much better in the movie then on CD, even if it has effect. But all in all, I expected The 6th Day to run a lot smoother then it actually turned out. One of the examples of an action track that mixes the good with the bad is 'The Roof Top', a track that easily tests your ear limits with an at times hurtingly loud noise. But at the same time mixes the good things in it, that not only save your ears but more your hatred for these tracks. In it you have the main theme and the ethnic vocals that accompany it, and here you figure out that Rabin indeed has several ideas that weren't expected from the start.

Indeed the story behind The 6th Day takes sometimes strange turns. At the end of 'The 6th Day' there is a short Irish influence coming from nowhere and frankly what it represents I'm not sure. And as said the ethnic vocals make something of a sense but what exactly it it, I'm wondering still. Still for one reason the ethnic vocals make something of sense, the Irish moment doesn't. 'In the Beginning ...' has the cloning theme to sometimes extreme proportions and indeed fits better in the film then on CD, equally appearing in 'Cloning', 'The Roof Top' and in the end of 'Adam goes Home', which is carrying more then it should offer. Here the main theme is presented with an excellent action rhythm and proves its effectiveness as action theme, during the film it made a cool impression. Its soft performance yet growing a la Deep Blue Sea, Gone in Sixty Seconds and Enemy of the State is found in 'Adam's Theme' and its simple form is completely heard at the end in 'The Kiss'. During all this you have the actual action tracks and there Rabin tries sometimes a bit too much to test the limits, meaning they don't come as interesting as they might have sounded like during the film. 'One for the Team' is carrying the theme with the ethnic vocals but equally the parts which made Gone in Sixty Seconds not so attractive, and 'The Rescue' is a bit of the same, even if he throws in the tested and tried action rhythm heard in Armageddon and Deep Blue Sea.

The mood is of course not surprisingly completely synthesized. The electric guitar briefly makes appearances and can drive people up the wall, including some of the weird inventive yet distressful sound effects and droning noises. Even the cloning theme takes on too much of the bad at the end of 'Adam goes Home', which is a shame since the main theme kicks butt therein. It is frankly a score that suites the movie better. During the action sequences the music can take much more control of the ruckus and there of course it can, by a matter of speaking live its life in better harmony. This makes then of course Trevor Rabin's The 6th Day not that enthralling on disc. Sure it has its better moments and the music makes sense during it, but even I was tested sometimes to the brink of insanity, and someone speaking of liking his Con Air and others is something of a mystery. This makes it one score that falls beneath many scores with the same quotation and is only a recommendation for those that can accept loud if even pompous scores. Furthermore, it is a "no brainer" listen that only at times makes the listen worth it. So The 6th Day is only good for its moments and fits the movie better, simply to hear that theme during the end scene of 'Adam goes Home' with this wonderful performance. So the good moments can't make up what is actually a rather average listening experience on the whole.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The 6th Day (4.04)

2. In The Beginning ... (2.02)

3. Cloning (2.22)

4. Adam's Theme (3.31)

5. One For The Team (2.22)

6. The Rescue (3.48)

7. Playing God (3.33)

8. The Roof Top (4.47)

9. Adam's Birthday (1.16)

10. Kill The Doctor (1.56)

11. The Hospital (1.39)

12. Drucker Meets Drucker (3.30)

13. Adam Goes Home (2.39)

14. The Kiss (1.14)

Total Length: 39.23

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Trevor Rabin ===