Soundtrack Review: Angels & Demons (2009)
This is a review of the motion picture score Angels & Demons by Hans Zimmer & Joshua Bell.
“A stronger effort than The Da Vinci Code overall, but lacks a defining theme.”
Most agree that Hans Zimmer delivered a great score for The Da Vinci Code in 2006. Particularly the theme ‘Chavaliers de Sangreal’ was constructed in such a way that screamed instant classic. When the next movie in the series was to be made, the natural choice had to be yet again Hans Zimmer. This time his chances got stronger by including the violin of Joshua Bell who recently added a touch of class to the James Newton Howard score Defiance. I wouldn’t call Zimmer and Bell the dynamic duo since it’s been so overdone for him and James Newton Howard for The Dark Knight, but it sure is a tantalizing partnership.
Track List
- I60 Bpm (*****)
- God Particle (****)
- Air (*****)
- Fire (****)
- Black Smoke (*****)
- Science And Religion (*****)
- Immolation (***)
- Election By Adoration (*****)
- 503 (*****)
Aggressiveness
This time the score is a bit shorter, 14 minutes in fact, but the overall theme hasn’t changed much. It’s the same type of style, just with added aggressiveness and feel. When it opens with ‘I60 BPM’ there’s something un-Zimmerish about it all, yet you can clearly feel, as the cue goes on, the Zimmer production. It used a choir for the thematic elements which is a great choice and a great start. It is one of the best cues on the score and 1 minute and 13 seconds in you can already hear the main difference between Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. This score has a darker and much more aggressive feel to it. The way the choir just shouts at you and the particularly the percussion is much more violent here.
‘God Particle’ was one of the cues that sounded amazing when listening to the samples, and judging by the beginning you would think you have another classic. Smart use of Joshua Bell’s violin gives us a nostalgic feeling as parts of ‘Chevaliers de Sangreal’ are being played. That doesn’t last as it all blurs into a more ambient segment. I do like that Hans Zimmer has clearly defined the science part and the religious part. This is a common theme throughout the score with the science being represented by subtle electronica and the religious parts being defined by ambience, choirs and Joshua Bell.
Long Cues
There are some great cues on here and particularly the long ones. ‘Air‘ is over 9 minutes and it is a wonderful cue with choirs, church bells, electronic sounds and violent outbursts of percussion and mentioned choirs. ‘Science and Religion’ is a great cue built on the very foundation of this score, the battle between science and religion. I’ve heard it before, but not by Zimmer. The theme being used here is almost identical to Christophe Beck’s most excellent love theme ‘Moment of Happiness’ for Buffy & Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Score. Just one tone sets it apart, but I don’t feel bad about that, because there’s a lot more to it and Joshua Bell’s violin is perfect for this purpose. The cue itself is 12 minutes and 27 seconds long and with first listen, it was good, but when listening to the details, it’s a great cue, possibly the best on the whole soundtrack. Around 5 minutes and 27 seconds in, Zimmer turns on the heat with a more aggressive theme, more Zimmer-like. I like the way it changes pace and form, making this an instant hit for me with enough Zimmerism to keep me happy while Bells violin doesn’t hurt. Add the great theme by Beck which I truly love and this cue feels very special to me.
Conclusion
After listening to the full score a few times, there is one ingredient missing. Unlike The Da Vinci Code, this soundtrack doesn’t have a strong theme like ‘Chevaliers de Sangreal’. It hurts the overall score quite a bit, but the sheer quality of the work here almost makes up for it. That theme is heard a few times in this score, most notably the beginning of ‘God Particle’ and also in ‘503‘ the last cue. It still is miles away to be near anything like the theme from the first movie. Still, I feel that overall it is a stronger effort than The Da Vinci Code overall, but lacks a defining theme. Cues like ‘Black Smoke’, ‘Election by Adoration’ and ‘503‘ make up for that. ‘Election by Adoration’ is the closest we get to a defining theme here and it’s a great effort even though it fades in comparison to the stellar theme from the first movie. I really like what Zimmer and Bell has done here and commends them on their great effort. I like this score better than I do The Da Vinci Code and that says a lot. Angels & Demons doesn’t disappoint Zimmer-fans and fans of the first movie score so it is without any hesitation that I can wholeheartedly recommend you buy this for your collection (if you haven’t already).
Listen to Angels & Demons by Hans Zimmer & Joshua Bell below:
Find more videos like this on Soundtrack Fans
Other articles of interest:
(21 votes, average: 8.05 out of 10)
Loading ...If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Downloaded, but haven’t had a chance to listen to all of it yet. Good so far and in the ipod rotation. Thanks for the review. Great site/blog!
Attended a friend’s memorial service this morning where Leona Lewis’ version of ‘Run’ was played and this evening wathced Angels and Demons. Couldn’t help but notice the similarity between ’503′ and the strings on ‘Run’. Has anyone else picked this up?
[...] 05. Angels & Demons by Hans Zimmer There were a lot of expectations for this one because most would agree that The Da Vinci Code was a great score by Zimmer. I liked The Da Vinci Code, I liked it a lot, but I felt that apart from Chevaliers De Sangreal it was a bit lacking. That being said, the theme is what the score was remembered for and that’s what made it so great for most people. In Angels & Demons Hans took another approach, one of sheer explosive tones instead of themes. It’s a bit like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in that respect but oh boy does it work. From the start with 160 BPM you get a sense of what to expect and it is violent, it is explosive, it is all what you want to listen to. It delivers on all fronts and deserves to be in the top 10. Read my review here. [...]
This soundtrack has got to be the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard! As mentioned, there is a lot of choir parts, which makes this soundtrack absolutely amazing. It gets in your face and tell you how aggressive things in the movie really are. Lots of violin solos are in this album (by Joshua Bell as everyone knows)and it is kinda different than the whole cello thing that Zimmer normally uses. I think the violin gives this soundtrack voice, peace, and beauty. 5O3 is so amazing, and the cello and violin in that track playing together gives me the chills! Way amazing. The use of more electronic instruments in this soundtrack compared to The Da Vinci Code helps bring out a good feel to the movie, and really makes the music rock! There is some “un-Zimmerish” style going on in 160 BPM, but if you pay attention to the strings (especially the cello part), you can easily say, “Yup, this is Hans Zimmer.” That track is my favorite (along with Black Smoke) and is even more amazing when you listen to everything that is going on. Really, I do believe this is the best soundtrack I’ve ever listened to. Everyone should give it a listen.
Game Music
Soundtrack Seek
I thought the score was actually a bit weaker than its predecessor, which had a good exploration of its thematic diveristy and boasted a number of superb vocal solos. Now (as you accurately surmised) there is no central theme; Langdon’s theme only gets a few reprises, while the rhythmic choral chanting from the first cue is not definitive enough. Still, the overall structure works for the most part, with a few cues (e.g. the first) coming off as strong, though the recycling of ambient moments from The Dark Knight prove grating and a bit out of place. The final two cues make a gorgeous understated tandem, and if the resulting score had sounded more like those (or featured more obvious use of violinist Bell) I would’ve probably liked it a bit more. As such, it’s a score with no surprises and thus a disappointment for me, but I still enjoyed hearing it.
Reply