Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #814
Written 1/16/01, Revised 2/1/09
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Buy it... if you appreciate B-rate orchestral space opera scores in
all their robust glory, featuring in this case one incredible melodic
track by Frederic Talgorn.
Avoid it... if you've always been dissatisfied with Talgorn's work
in this genre because of the very fact that his glorious themes aren't
consistently employed throughout his scores.
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| Talgorn |
Heavy Metal 2000: (Frederic Talgorn) Let's face it;
no matter what excuses the makers of Heavy Metal 2000 conjured
for the existence of this pseudo-sequel, the film exists to take
advantage of a target demographic that appreciates seeing exposed and
massive mammary melons on an animated woman whose mission it is to kick
ass across the known universe. Don't expect as many connections between
Heavy Metal 2000 and the cult classic 1981 film Heavy
Metal as there are between the animated sequel and the original
French illustrated concept in adult magazines. The popularity of the
sequel appealed to a midnight small venue kind of audience and, as you
might expect when trying to win over mainstream critics with terms like
"Federation Assigned Ketogenic Killzone" and frequent nudity, Heavy
Metal 2000 made very little impact in the entertainment industry.
One aspect that was very prominent in both Heavy Metal films was
contemporary music, and the sequel once again made use of extensive song
placements. Replacing Elmer Bernstein for the assignment of the score,
however, was Frederic Talgorn, a very strong match for this kind of
production. A veteran of producing scores for such B-rate science
fiction and action films as Fortress and Robotjox, Talgorn
had been known by a wider audience at the time for his conducting of
spectacular re-recordings of famous modern film music themes under
contract by the Varèse Sarabande label. For his original works,
Talgorn is a talented artist with a knack for the employment of a full
orchestra to create rousingly melodic soundtracks. His scores of the
genre often feature loud and heroic brass-dominated themes, along with a
substantial level of bombast throughout their lengths. Talgorn usually
composed his works of the 1990's from his native European continent,
acquiring the assistance of the region's symphonic ensembles to perform
his scores, and Heavy Metal 2000 was created very much along
similar lines. In this case, the group is the Munich Symphony Orchestra,
and their performances resonate with the usual metallic sensibilities
and tougher edge common to Eastern European recordings of Talgorn's work
of the era.
While the mass of robust material that Talgorn wrote
for
Heavy Metal 2000 solicits the expected tremendous volume from
the orchestra in each of the cues, the music is ultimately faceless in
that it never forms a satisfying melodic identity. Like so many of his
other works,
Heavy Metal 2000 is dominated by one singular,
stunning track that explores the title theme with development not heard
with the same consistency in the remainder of the score. In alternate
form on the album, "Julie & Kerrie" is endowed with the full force of
Talgorn's thematic talents. While the theme is not as strong as that of
the composer's much heralded
Robotjox, the track in its whole
four minutes is an exercise in sweeping orchestral beauty. Performed
with remarkable harmonic power of the brass in the major key, the theme
is complimented by pounding timpani and romantic interludes of strings.
The limiting of greatness exhibited in one track is the one flaw,
however, that hinders many of Talgorn's efforts. While the title theme
does exist in the rest of the music for the film, especially in its
latter half, the idea is never so well expressed again. For the
environment of an adventurous, space-faring epic, it is difficult to
understand why more elaboration was not possible. There is some
seductive development of a related idea on strings in "Tyler Awaits his
Wench" and "Hospitality" (for reasons we need not look beyond the cue
titles to guess). The conclusive "It's Over" offers a hint of a return
to this style of melodic nobility (which hovers someplace between the
typical Trevor Jones and John Williams sounds of heroism), but the score
ultimately ends on a harsh, dissonant note. Still, the thirty-five
minutes of material beyond the overt thematic statements consist of
strong, almost nonstop orchestral action material. The pounding
percussion, blasting brass, and chopping strings of
Heavy Metal
2000 excel at their purpose in propelling the action on screen, but
on album, you have to be in the precise mood to enjoy them. After much
work, the Supertracks specialty label produced a score-only album as a
limited promotional product. If you're a moral crusader, then beware of
both the nasty artwork on the packaging and Talgorn's shamelessly
rousing music.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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