Hans Zimmer - Angels and Demons Soundtrack Review
The score by Hans Zimmer (and his team of composers?) presents us with no surprises. Nothing really new - safe and predictable Zimmer here, a heavy influence from Minimalism and Ambient music, with lots of percussion (acoustic and electronic) and synthesizers. Perhaps in Hollywood, formulae is key - and Angels and Demons suffers from perhaps an almost total lack of originality.
But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Admittingly, the score serves its purpose and function really well. I daresay, after watching this dud of a movie, that without Hans Zimmer at the helm, this movie would have fallen flat on its face.
The score contains what I term "Chase or Anticipatory music" - what you get is an unbroken flow of music and rhythm to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, with little (or no!) room to breathe. It is an effective compositional technique - Pounding ostinati on drums and tuned percussion, relentless/unstoppable moto perpetuo (motoric rhythms) on strings and keyboards, simple looped harmonic progressions (modal or minor tonality). you can even throw haunting or Dies Irae type choir moments for some snatches of 'melody' and BANG! You don't even need to have something good on the screen (Track 1 160 BPM) . The Music does everything and I mean everything, for you. The descending chromatic choral passages were very nices touches. This is the ONLY track of 'Chase' music you need here in this album. Really.
Amazing race syndrome? Turn off the music and well, you have little or no show. For most musicians (as well as highly emphamtic persons), this is a genre that they will find it hard to listen to even at times distressing - extremely tense due to its unresolving nature and constant built up of emotion and modulations. Nonetheless, this is superb for short action sequences, like trailers. But its extensive use may cause ears to tire - or recall the whole music censorship fiasco in Britain with the Da Vinci code? Yah.
The theme "Chaveliers de Sangreal" from the Da Vinci code appears as source material for most of the melodic sequences in Angels and Demons (Track 9 503) and is treated mostly by variations. Apart from this element, the entire score is really the same thing; motives being looped and repeated. You can't go wrong with Joshua Bell on the violin here though. Not exactly Itzak Perlman weeping for Schindler, but guaranteed violin satisfaction. Track 6 (Science and Religion) is perhaps the true 'heart' of the Angels and Demons score. While in itself an extended movement based on the "Chaveliers" theme, it's the Zimmer of old that we grew to love so much. Joshua Bell plays brilliantly here and at times, I really thought I'd shed a tear. Well, almost.
Verdict: A score that will launch a thousand action movie trailer soundtracks. Stick with The Da Vinci Code.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
- 160 BPM (6:42) *recommended
- God Particle (5:20)
- Air (9:08)
- Fire (6:51)
- Black Smoke (5:45)
- Science And Religion (12:27) *recommended
- Immolation (3:38)
- Election By Adoration (2:12)
- 503 (2:14) *recommended
Also, don't forget to download the bonus track "H20" anglesanddemons.com/soundtrack.
CD cover images courtesy of Amazon.