From wailing female vocals to the usual duduk, stereotypical elements representing the Middle East are employed to give the score a sense of antiquity. Not missing the opportunity for a touch of coolness, though, electric guitars aid the action rhythms in several places. The scope of the work is massive, and if you didn't know that this was written for Meet the Spartans, you could be fooled into thinking it was for one of Lennertz's video game assignments or even a feature drama. There is a certain sense of humor in the application of the grandiose tone throughout Meet the Spartans. The score is at times so overwhelmingly heroic or beautiful that you can get the feeling that something in the equation is awry. Perhaps that sense comes from the fact that some of the gorgeous female vocals are actually performing Lennertz's lyrics of "The great hero falls and is asphyxiated by Penguin testicles" translated into Greek (and yes, it does relate to the action in the film). The sometimes sudden shifting of style, a frequent requirement of parody films, can also betray the score's intent. But otherwise, Meet the Spartans competes favorably with 2008's most dramatic action scores. Where it fails in terms of the length of development in each idea, the score excels in its instrumental creativity, mostly tonal constructs, and occasionally triumphant fanfares like the choral and brass outburst in "He's Got a Huge Package." The large scale expressions of heroics are led by the monumentally rendered "Land of Sparta," "A King Returns," and "A God King Falls," each exploding with harmonic resonance that is actually easier to handle that Bates' 300 (and no, Lennertz doesn't quote Goldenthal's Titus, though that would have been highly amusing). Woven into many of these cues are the stereotypical Arabic chord progressions, lamenting female vocals, the duduk, and a few percussive effects that tingle and bang that ethnicity into the work. Not surprisingly, the ensemble and solo vocals provide the score's most attractive moments, with "Goodbye, My Queen" following two soft, but seemingly meaningful explorations of theme on woodwinds and solemn brass. The weighty string layers of "The Army Assembles" are about as close as Lennertz comes to Zimmer's brooding mood from Gladiator. The vocal sequences are very reminiscent of Nathan Furst's Dust to Glory from 2005.

The uninhibited action sequences can be grating in their flashy personality, utilizing several metallic hits and abrupt changes in direction, but even in these cues there are entertaining passages. Lennertz's employment of synthetic elements as sound effects is perhaps the score's greatest detriment as a listening experience, though they add another dimension to the music that the electric guitars cannot alone accomplish. Those guitars are mixed as chugging rhythmic devices in several cues (including "Cliff Diving" and "Leonidas Steams") and don't interfere with the orchestral performances in the forefront. In sum, all of these elements come together with Lennertz's keen sense of style, forgiving the potentially unrealistic epic qualities by expressing them with intelligence. Unlike the composer's prior Comebacks, a sports-related parody, Meet the Spartans is a wild ride that may prove too obnoxious in its bloated character for some listeners. But if you take the circumstances that Lennertz faced with this production, from the obvious stupidity of the film's haphazard, shifty plot to the limited budget and the employment of song placements throughout the narrative, you can't help but admire the resulting score. Whether you can stomach them or not, there is a place for scores like Meet the Spartans in the industry, and you really can't ask for a better product in the genre than what Lennertz has provided. Understandably, the score was not released on album commercially, though a 34-minute score-only promotional pressing (which is quite lengthy given that the film shifts to credits and outtakes a little after an hour) was circulated on behalf of the composer. Despite less than perfect sound quality, it was to be expected that the promo has stirred speculation about why Lennertz's career is seemingly constrained to video games, television music (where he was nominated for an Emmy), and films like this and Alvin and the Chipmunks. This kind of material is obviously worthy of a better home, and even when taking into consideration the drawbacks of a lack of continuity inherent in the juvenile parody genre (including the short cue times), Lennertz's music for Meet the Spartans is among the most entertaining of 2008. While probably a score that will require a certain forgiving mood from the listener, it is refreshing enough to qualify as the year's most surprising guilty pleasure.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download