300 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

300 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Listening to this soundtrack at full blast one often feels as if the Spartan and Persian forces are coming right at you, then ferociously pummeling your eardrums--and this is meant as a compliment. Tyler Bates's score is basically a modern update of the battle classic to end all battle classics: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. On the opening cue "To Victory," Bates throws in everything he's got: powerful choral singing, massive percussion (you can almost feel the weight of those Japanese taiko drums), and of course an otherworldly female voice. All these elements are then parceled out over the following tracks, taking turns to dominate the cues, and sometimes coming together again in majestic shows of force--the music can sound absolutely humongous at times ("Submission," "Come and Get Them," "A God King Bleeds"). The most interesting development is the use throughout of electronic treatment; even when the technique is applied subtly, it's very efficient in adding a spooky dimension to the album's very sonic texture. And while you'd think an electric guitar would feel incongruous in a movie set in 480 BC, it actually injects a screaming sense of urgency into a track such as "The Hot Gates." As for that aforementioned female voice, it belongs to Iranian-born, L.A.-based Azam Ali (of the duo Vas), who makes essential contributions on tracks like "Cursed by Beauty" and "Goodbye My Love." --Elisabeth Vincentelli