Showcase of Band's superb talent, by Alex (March 27, 2007)
It is quite saddening that Richard Band is virtually unknown. He's one of the most consistantly excellent composers out there. His scores for "Mutant", "Troll", "From Beyond", and "The Day Time Ended" are all beautiful works of orchestral genius, and while the films he wrote music for were often grade-Z or worse, his music stands alone as highly accomplised works of art. He's that great a composer, and with one listen to this album, you'll agree.
Here we are presented with two scores on one album: "The House on Sorority Row" and "The Alchemist". Neither films were particularly good, but this soundtrack is certainly no indication of that. For "House on...", Band constructed a classically-inclined theme. This isn't the best theme he's written, but it's robust and themitically stimulating, like all his work. Written for full-orchestra, Band introduces two rather unusual elements into this score: A solo boy vocalist, and a "music box" theme that is reprised several times, first in "Music Box", and later in "Last Hallucination" and "End Credits" (which is also the best track, drawing all the themes together). This score sounds almost uncannily like Hans Zimmer's score for "The Ring" as well (hmm...), structurally if not in sound. Though not his best, "House on Sorority Row" is a majestic, classy score to a decidedly average slasher flick.
The second score on the disc, "The Alchemist", is absolutely lovely. The Main Theme is written and performed by full-orchestra, like "House of..." but is led, interestingly, by a Glockenspiel or Xylophone (another Band trademark, few other composers use these two instruments as frequently as he does). This score takes up only 7 track on album, but it really is beautiful work. The main theme is present in almost every track, but Band twists it around through various different (and often unusual) orchestrations, thus preventing monotony. The final track, "Aaron's Last Fight", ends with a heartbreaking piano motif, before reprising the main theme (presumably for the end credits).
Band constructs both scores around beautiful main themes and creative, poignant orchestral flourishes. As always, his music is very colorful. "Colorful" may seem like an odd word for describing music, but in Band's case, it is an accurate one. Richard Band is one of the best composers out there. Why this man is not regarded in the same league as Williams, Zimmer, and Hermann is a complete mystery to me.
A highly recommended album. Check Amazon.Com's reviews as well, they're pretty damn favorable if this review didn't convince you. At 57 minutes, this is a highly enjoyable listening experience.