Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Scorpion King Rocks!, August 31, 2002
When "The Scorpion King" was in production, I was hoping for either Jerry Goldsmith or Alan Silvestri to return, as they had made two wonderfull scores for both the first "Mummy" movies.
But none of them would. I was amazed when I heard it - Cutthroat Island`s own John Debney would write the music for the third installment of the series. When I heard that, I knew immidiatley that he would create something that surpassed both of the first scores. And yes, indeed, his score for "The Scorpion King" is a very fine way to finish an incredible trilogy of soundtracks, each one with a spirit of its own. I was worried when I saw the film. It wasn`t announced that this album would even be released until weeks after the film came out. Then, there was only a various artists album available. But fortunatley, they decided to release the original score too, and I can`t bless Varèse Sarabande enough for doing that. "The Scorpion King" offers about 35 minutes of pure, energetic action music and five minutes of calm, beautifull music. John Debney does something which I find very fun - he uses some rock guitars, may be to illustrate the raw power of the great warrior Mathayus (aka The Scorpion King). The opening track, "Boo!" is horrible, but don`t let that scare you off. "The Scorpion King" is mostly an orchestral score, and even the die-hard orchestral score fans will find treat here. Most of the heavy electric guitar parts are at the beginning, so if you don`t like that, then just start listening from track 4. But sometimes, those rock guitars work quite well, when they are not too loud - both "Mathayus Arises" and "Balthazar Arrives" are highlighted by two bars of electric guitars. And if anyone says that "The Scorpion King" is themeless, they are wrong. In fact, it has a theme that appears a lot on this CD. It is a strong, heroic theme, heard very clearly in "Valley of The Dead", which is a striking, choral action cue, and also "Mathayus Arises" which is so heroic I sometimes even want to cry when listening to it.
"Die Well Assasin" is some of the most powerfull climax music I've ever heard. "Balthazar Arrives" is also a highlight, with a lot of tribal chants combined with rock guitars and a massive choir. And the grand finale, "The Scorpion King" closes the score with a Stargate-like majesty, with the main theme heard in it`s full glory with the whole orchestra and chorus in one. It is a very enjoyable track and except for may be "Star Wars", it is the greatest finale I've heard in the year 2002.
Over all, "The Scorpion King" is a superb score. Only a stronger and more memorable theme puts this album off a top star rating.
I think that the exactly 40 minutes of music is a suitable length for this album - if it would have been longer, it would have been too repeatable, but it isn`t. In fact, this is the best score of the series, and when making scores for such films, John Debney clearly shows which genre he belongs too. Great performance by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is another plus for this album. KNOCKOUT!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The king of action music, January 10, 2003
After the successful scores of The Mummy by Jerry Goldsmith and The Mummy Returns by Alan Silvestri, John Debney was hired to score the Mummy prequel - The Scorpion King. This score is just as good as the other two and in some places, even better. Debney gives a swashbuckling, action-adventurous score with a good combination of epic orchestral works and hard rock. "Boo", the opening track, is a hard rock track with plenty of electric guitars and drums with a hint of the main theme thrown in there. "Main Titles" feature a large choir with bold brass and lots of percussion. This is the Cutthroat Island sound that Debney masters successfully. The main theme is a 6 note motif played on strings and powerful brass and is heard in several of the tracks in the score. Some softer and more laid back moments in the score can be found in "Vision of Doom", "I Had A Vision", and "The Scorpion King". But, action music is the highlight of this score and that is what makes the music excel. Parts of "Pickpockets" and "Valley of the Dead" contain racing action music that really gets the heart pumping. The next 2 tracks build up to "Balthazar's Camp" which is an orchestral race. The real solid action music is found in "I've Come For The Woman", "Die Well Assassin", and "Balthazar Arrives" which is nonstop and difficult action music that must wear the orchestra out with driving percussion, meaty brass, frantic strings, and an explosive choir. The final track, "The Scorpion King", ends the score with a full orchestral performance of the main theme. This is a knockout action music score that fans of action music will really enjoy. I seriously recommend it to anyone that likes action music.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Scorpion rock, June 24, 2002
By A Customer
This is work by John Debney. He tried to make this an epic score, like Conan, but also wanted to make it appealing to todays audience by making it rocked up. I think Debney achieved both. This score should have been released instead of that stupide inspired by soundtrack, which was a marketing gimmick, much like they did with Spiderman. How does it match with the other Mummy movies. I think the first score to the Mummy was the best, than the Mummy Returns and then this. Other all it is a great job. It's short at about 40 minutes, which can be due to the cost of having to pay the American players of the Hollywood symphony.
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Various Artists
~ David Arnold
~ John Williams
~ Craig Armstrong
~ Randy Edelman
by John Debney 
