300

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Frank Miller's name was introduced to us and I believe to many through the visual breathtaking Sin City movie. Now Frank Miller's story of Sparta is brought to the screen somewhat in the same style in Zack Snyder's 300, the epic thrilling and majestically brutal tale of 300 Spartans that stopped an army of a million. You don't have to tell me that the gore or the violence will shock and will be detested by a lot of people, but Snyder knows one thing well. He can paint the most brutal violence and sell it as art. So brutal it actually is, so beautiful its presented on screen. I find 300 a thrilling experience visually and artistically, and all the actors bring out their best in what is essentially a brutal battle to the death. Now apparently Zack Snyder found his soulmate musically in Tyler Bates. Their first promising experience together was Dawn of the Dead, and after 300 follows Watchmen and who knows what else. I always find it nice when directors re team with the same composer, because you immediately feel the love and the respect the director has for the work of the composer. And even if Bates/Snyder isn't Williams/Spielberg, the duo has potential with a somewhat different kind of art. For 300 Bates probably had to write his biggest score yet and in the end he brought various styles together, in what became essentially a temp track score arranged by Bates. Sadly it is that but in the end I still believe the only real temp track is that one of Elliot Goldenthal's Titus. Basically its not ripping, its stealing because few differences can be heard between 'Returns a King' and 'Victorious Titus' from Titus itself. Sad but true, it works amazingly well with the visuals and stunningly how Bates still presents it, it is 95% Goldenthal and Titus in tone. However I always spoke of the temp track, never despised their work for it, so 300 will be no exception. That people basically hate this score to the death because of those 2 rips is their problem, and that's their lame excuse for butchering a score to the death. I see it as the greater grander picture, it works in context and the rest of the soundtrack is more Bates in tone, despite going for a certain kind of style heard in other movies.

With 'To Victory' the album opens but in fact this is the end credits piece and its an electronic rhythmic piece with choral work and ethnic vocals, electrifying you immediately in the right sense for what to come. 'The Agoge' and 'The Wolf' are 2 gloomy pieces with percussion or electric guitar spicing things up while the aforementioned 'Returns a King' is the Titus piece. There are various moments of dissonance in 'Submission' that linger back to Dawn of the Dead and 'Cursed by Beauty' is covering hypnotizing vocal and percussion effects. However with 'Goodbye my Love' Bates paints another story, one of sorrowful goodbyes and emotional firework through the voice of Azam Ali (from the mesmerizing The Nativity Story) and here her inclusion is less enchanting but equally beautiful, especially in unison with a growing choir that impressively adds the other tone Sadly this is apparently another temptrack issue since its based on an old Macedonian folk song. 'No Sleep Tonight' and 'Tree of the Dead' are darker pieces, often assisted by the vocal work or gritty underscore and percussion. In 'The Hot Gates' you soon hear another similarity with a score not by Bates, because the gritty tone aided by guitars and percussion could be ala Black Hawk Down and yet its a bit that. It soon explodes in a feistier rhythm full of electric guitars and how ugly it sounds on disc, consider it works amazingly well in the movie. 'Fight in the Shade' brings us to war and the percussion doesn't lie in the rhythm, electric guitar twangs create the gloom and the inevitable explosion follows in 'Come and Get Them', recreating the Titus material with full choir. I find this moment more exhilarating because it unleashes more choir and its not a total rip ala track 4. 'No Mercy' adds a rough level to that with percussive power. 'Immortals Battle' is definitely one of the great visual feasts of the film and the score delivers once more percussion, solo vocals and a growing sense of epic choir. What seems completely unfitting for 'Fever Dream' is another amazing visual feast of brutal slaughter and the rocking attitude of the guitars give even a more rougher edge to the visuals, and once more it works surprisingly well. The emotional link returns in 'Tonight we Dine in Hell' and the voice of Azam Ali and the growing strings work great in unison.

The final few tracks all lead up to the emotional firecracker of the finale, first all glory is heralded in 'A God King Bleeds' heard in the trailer so amazingly well and how it grows from dissonant Dawn of the Dead creepiness to glorious heroic material is excellent. And with 'Glory' the choir reaches its peak, emotionally that is delivered through the love theme on flute and vocal in 'Message for the Queen' and in 'Remember Us' Titus sadly returns in the form as 'Finale', yet Bates and Snyder sure know how to use it in the best sense, through a growing galore of majestic brass and wonder. 300 as a movie is what a motion picture today must be. Visually breathtaking, gruesomely violent and artistically creative in both word as style. With Frank Miller you receive these great dialogues that spiced up Sin City, and now they are spoken so wonderfully again in 300 by all the actors. Musically 300 is rougher and more modern then most epic battle scores and you can't resemble anything with what a Bernstein or a Steiner would have written. Bates adds electric guitars to it, a rough edge but luckily he didn't forget to use an orchestra and choir to basically flourish the heroic duties of the 300 men. Meaning 300 is essentially a very modern score for a very modern film, but together they mesh so well that a viewer will be able to appreciate the effort more then just a listener. As a listening experience the rips are evident and shameless. From a total picture 300 musically adds the movie that last defining touch of excellence, on disc its exhilarating at times, gritty all the way through and emotionally captivating in its moments. Meaning its Tyler Bates' best work, despite some highlights weren't written by him at all. And then you come to the conclusion, must you sacrifice for that its remaining gritty but powerful score?

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. To Victory (2.34)

2. The Agoge (2.24)

3. The Wolf (2.10)

4. Returns A King (2.24) Excellent Track

5. Submission (2.40)

6. The Ephors (1.59)

7. Cursed By Beauty (1.41)

8. What Must A King Do? (1.05)

9. Goodbye My Love (3.32) Excellent Track

10. No Sleep Tonight (2.33)

11. Tree Of The Dead (2.25)

12. The Hot Gates (3.00)

13. Fight In The Shade (3.17)

14. Come And Get Them (2.05) Excellent Track

15. No Mercy (2.23)

16. Immortals Battle (1.53)

17. Fever Dream (2.33)

18. Xerxes' Tent (3.20)

19. Tonight We Dine In Hell (1.15)

20. The Council Chamber (2.35)

21. Xerxes' Final Offer (2.39)

22. A God King Bleeds (2.16) Excellent Track

23. Glory (1.44) Excellent Track

24. Message For The Queen (2.32) Excellent Track

25. Remember Us (2.56) Excellent Track

Total Length: 59.43

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