Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Composer(s):
Brian Tyler

Released in:
2007

Reviews

Great blending of themes!
by Michael Longstreet (January 29, 2008)
Brian Tyler starts off this album with a bang with the title track “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.” The song has a little bit of both franchises themes in it. I notice that he tried to keep with his as a constant throughout the whole album. There are definitely more bits of James Horner’s “Aliens” score than there are of Alan Silvestri’s score from “Predator,” but it’s in there. The “Opening Titles” is a great example of both. You can definitely hear elements of each one in Tyler’s original score.

There are many action pieces to Tyler’s score, first and most notably is “Decimation Proclamation,” which has the Horner-esque sound derived directly from “Bishop’s Countdown” and incorporated into the track. This is one of the best tracks on the album. It’s full of action and driving beats, keeping the listener on the edge of their seat. Tyler does a great job in blending the low driving brass beats against quick string movements that give the meat to the piece. Tyler seems to incorporate many different composers’ style into his own. When listening to this track, I can hear some of Alan Silvestri (not necessarily from “Predator”), and some Jerry Goldsmith. This piece is well over seven minutes, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to it. It goes by so fast that you never want it to end. What a great piece!

If you a fan of either one of the franchises, or even just an action/sci-fi music buff, you’ll love Brian Tyler’s score for “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.” Tyler does a great job of blending the music from both Alan Silvestri and James Horner and incorporating it into his own mold for this film. “Taking Sides,” which clocks in at over 13 minutes, has probably the most examples of this. It’s definitely worth the purchase. You won’t be disappointed.

The film score equivelant of a bratty teenager.
by Shawn Watson (December 22, 2007)
I'll be the first to say that Harald Kloser's score for the original AVP was utterly worthless and he had no business writing the music for that film as much as Paul Anderson had no business directing. The new AVP movie promises to be a very gory, hard R-rated movie and has a new composer with a better track record.

But Bryan Tyler's score is nothing more than blaring brass sections and pounding percussion for near 80 minutes. There's no hint of any new theme or anything resembling melody. It does slightly resemble the sounds that Goldsmith and Horner created for the first two Alien movies but there's none of the mystery of either franchise. How I long for Alan Silvestri to return and show how it's really done.

I am disappointed. Tyler created a wonderful score for Bubba-Ho-Tep but his efforts for AVPR are so simple that anyone could really have come up with it.

It's loud, inarticulate and chaotic. Yes, it does get the blood pumping occasionally but cheesy trance music also achieves the same effect. If you must buy, pick it up cheap. Otherwise, just save your pennies for Silvestri's scores to Predator or Predator 2, both available from Varese Sarabande.

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