CD: Thundercats (2011)

August 29, 2013 | By

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Rating: Very Good

Label: La-La Land Records/ Released: October 16, 2012

Tracks & Album Length: CD1: 11 tracks / (64:17) + CD2: 14 tracks / (50:20)

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Special Notes: 12-page colour booklet with liner notes.

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Composer: Kevin Kliesch

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Review:

Based on the 1985-1989 TV series, this rebooted version of Thundercats features an unusually epic score built up from orchestral and sampled sounds, with some beautifully detailed orchestrations. Kevin Kliesch has scored a variety of animated, TV, and videogame projects, but his experience as a top orchestrator included many high-profile productions, such as brooding actioner X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006), and the dynamic Kung Fu Panda (2008).

As the CD’s liner notes detail, Kliesch was asked to emulate several key composers known for their orchestral scope – John Williams, Howard Shore, and James Horner, but one can also hear a little bit of Alan Silvestri in some spots (namely “Song of the Petalars”). Some of the cues do pay very close attention to the inspired sources, and while they’re not outright soundalikes, the clustered trumpets in “Sight beyond Sight” immediately recall Williams’ Star Wars prequels; the buoyant opening and sweeping strings and trilling flutes also recall a handful of Steven Speilberg-produced kid-friendly adventures.

“Ancient Spirits of Evil” follows Horner’s classic 80s brass fanfares, and his identifiable chord progressions are also up front in “Legacy.” The homages aren’t distracting, but when whole suites of episodes are placed side-by-side, it can sound like a pastiche of Horner & Williams, with Kliesch’s own material seemingly functioning as bridge material.

That said, there’s no denying Kliesch’s firm grasp of the orchestra, and there are several cues which feature his own material, especially his action writing which is first-rate. Whether it’s the extreme shifts in tempo within “Old Friends” or the contrasts between furious action and mystical thematic material in “Between Brothers,” each cue is filled with energy and substantive orchestral details. If there’s any issue with the score, it’s the recurrent use of choral samples which have a generic sound after the first few iterations, but it is part of the epic sound sought by the series’ producers; on an episode-per-episode basis, it’s less repetitive, but the samples lack the dramatic diversity in the orchestra parts.

Probably the score’s strongest parts are Kliesch’s brass writing – the action cues are especially punchy, and one can easily see the composer branching off to an epic live-action saga, or a hard, experimental work – and his ability to maintain continuity between dramatic sections. Thundercats has great continuity, and Kliesch knows how to make his material flow like a dynamic, fast-twisting rollercoaster ride.

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© 2013 Mark R. Hasan

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External References:

IMDB Soundtrack AlbumComposer Filmography

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