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SOUNDTRACK REVIEW

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis – Music From The DC Universe Animated Movie
Studio: La-La Land Records, WaterTower Music
Release Date: January 27th, 2015

Synopsis: La-La Land Records and Warner Bros. proudly announce the release of acclaimed composer Frederik Wiedmann's score to the DC Universe animated original movie Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. Composer Wiedmann returns to the DC Universe with another powerhouse score that expertly propels all the superheroic action and drama within this exciting tale of an attack on Metropolis by Atlantis’ troops, who are determined to avenge the death of their king. Produced by Frederik Wiedmann, mastered by James Nelson, with art design by Dan Goldwasser, this special limited release of 1000 Units contains music not available on the digital download version.

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis – Music From The DC Universe Animated Movie
LLLCD 1340
Limited Edition of 1000 Units
RETAIL PRICE: $15.98
Frederik Wiedmann
1. Main Title 0:40
2. S.O.S. 2:26
3. Athens Affair 1:16
4. Water 1:12
5. Cyborg in the Deep 2:38
6. Scarecrow 2:41
7. Cyborg Reveals 3:36
8. One of Both Worlds 3:09
9. A Memory of the Past 2:04
10. No Mercy 2:38
11. Half-Atlantian 1:39
12. Peace 1:38
13. The Truth 1:56
14. The Calling 3:09
15. Royal Murder 3:49
16. Reunited 2:09
17. The Dark Trenches 2:13
18. Metropolis 2:50
19. Wave of Soldiers 2:34
20. Justice League 1:58
21. Few Against Many 2:16
22. Brothers 2:48
23. Becoming a Beacon 2:24
24. Aquaman 3:11

TOTAL ALBUM TIME: 57:42


Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Soundtrack Review
By James Harvey

To cut right to the chase, Wiedmann goes all out in giving fans a rousing, robust score to the Aquaman-centric Justice League: Throne of Atlantis animated feature. Nicely balancing the action with the more quieter moments, Wiedmann presents a great thematic sound to Aquaman's arrival in the DC Comics animated movie series. Taking some cues from his work in Green Lantern: The Animated Series (and rightly so, given the alien nature of the underwater world), and I assume drawing influence from his work on Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Wiedmann smushes the two together to create something familiar but also unique at the same time. He takes some chances, and to the surprise of no one, they pay off.

Much like the movie itself, Wiedmann has packed an incredible amount of music into a relatively short running time. Having to run the gamut, from quiet and contemplative to loud and boisterous, he's able to remarkably find that balance. Granted, since the tracks here are presented in chronological order, it can feel a bit lop-sided at times, with the film gravitating more toward the action, but don't let that throw you off. Some of the best tracks on this release are from the quieter or shocking moments of the film.

To jump right to an example, let's look at "Royal Murder" (which is also probably my favorite track on the soundtrack). What happens in that scene during the film is fairly predictable, but it's how Wiedmann scores the scene that really sells it and helps us look passed it the non-surprise of it all. We know what's going to happen once the Queen confronts her devious son, but how Wiedmann really pushes that moment, using the score to really sell the intensity, saves that scene from being stale. Wiedmann just bring out the best of that sequence.

And this isn't the only time where Wiedmann plays with out expectations. If anything, this soundtrack shows that Wiedmann knows exactly what he's doing - knowing when to play with out expectations, knowing when to stick to the script (yet still somehow do more than what's expected), and knowing when to just go for broke. There's not a single bad track on this soundtrack, though some tracks I do enjoy moreso than others.

What are my personal highlights? The fourth track, "Cyborg of the Deep," really gives listeners the first high-intensity taste of what's to come. From there, things seem a bit amped up going forward, even on the quieter tracks. Of course, we're immediately followed by the fun "Scarecrow" track. "A Memory of the Past" has this great sound to it that, while distinctively Wiedmann, plays on such a smaller, intimate level, and has this somber sound that is hypnotic and easy to get lost in. A lot of what I hear on this soundtrack is what I expect from Wiedmann, but I find in nearly all these tracks he adds something else a little extra to add some extra 'oomph' to everything, like the church bells in "The Truth." And it's tracks like those that balance out the standard-but-still-awesome fast-paced tracks like "The Calling" or "The Dark Trenches," which adds this very cool eastern flavor to the action. "Wave of Soldiers" is a classic action track through and through, reliable and unrelenting and a thrilling listen. "Brothers," though, is arguably the top action track on the release, and boy does it sound incredibly epic.

And hey, you gotta love the awesomeness of the "Aquaman" track.

If there was a preferred format to listen to this on, compact disc is the no-brainer way to go. Not only does it include a couple exclusive tracks, but the sound quality can't be matched. WaterTower Music does a fine job on their digital releases (their recent The Flash/Arrow soundtrack is testament to that), but the quality La-La Land Records puts into their titles can rarely be matched. Wiedmann's work on Justice League: Throne of Atlantis sounds fantastic here - full, robust and thundering. And thankfully this is a soundtrack worth owning, too. Wiedmann is clearly very comfortable with these animated films, and it's nice to see him starting to stretch out bit by bit and adding some interesting twists to his sound. Fans of the film should definitely give this soundtrack a spin.

Just to note, there's an excellent featurette on the work that went into scoring Justice League: Throne of Atlantis on the film's Blu-ray release. I highly, highly, highly recommend also checking that out.

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