Iron Man Soundtrack CD

Composers: Bobby Tahouri; Atli Övarsson; Lorne Balfe; Clay Duncan; Ryeland Allison; Ramin Djawadi.
Personnel: Aaron Kaplan (guitar); Greg Ellis (dulcimer, percussion); Martin Tillman (electric cello); Ryeland Allison (drums).
Audio Mixer: Alan Meyerson.
Recording information: AIR Recording Studios, London, England.
Arrangers: Bobby Tahouri; Atli Övarsson; Lorne Balfe; Clay Duncan; Ryeland Allison.
Ramin Djawadi is largely known for his television work, with PRISON BREAK and the BLADE series among his credits. So it's natural for him to pull out all the stops to impress the world with his first true Hollywood blockbuster score. IRON MAN is an engaging experiment in film score hybridism, as Djawadi blends elements of traditional film orchestration with boisterous instrumentation typically reserved for hard rock. In fact, at times, IRON MAN feels more like a rock or metal opera than a film score with heavy-rock elements. Since the central theme of the movie is war, Djawadi echoes the sentiment by having the string and horn sections battling with rock guitar and drums. And rather than centering on a superhero theme song or recurring motif, this score features more pulse-racing, incidental action-savvy music.
Composer Ramin Djawadi (Mr. Brooks, Open Season, Deception) imbues director Jon Favreau's adaptation of Marvel Comics' Iron Man with enough bombast to fuel two sequels. Djawadi, who has scored his fair share of action-packed television shows like Prison Break and Blade: The Series," treats the superhero with a predictably heavy hand, resulting in a soundtrack that takes the slow-build menace of Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard's work on Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise and dials an industrial army that utilizes crushing percussion, huge strings, and a symphony of distorted guitars that echo Metallica's concerts with the San Francisco Symphony (S&M) minus the vocals. John O'Brien and Rick Boston, as well as Jack Urbont give the old goofy "Iron Man" theme a tech-heavy update, while California punk metal legends Suicidal Tendencies offer up their classic anti-anthem "Institutionalized." ~ James Christopher Monger