DIGITAL ALBUM REVIEW - PIRANHA 3D


Piranha 3D
Music by Michael Wandmacher
Lakeshore Records
26 Tracks 58:24 mins

Not only does '70s cult favourite Piranha get a re-working here, but it's also the latest to take advantage of 3D technology, so expect plenty of toothy fish flying out of the screen at you in US theatres from August 20th.
Michael Wandmacher has supplied the music for the film, available digitally from the 10th of this month, and on CD from the 17th. Of his score, Wandmacher says: "there were two priorities for the score, one was to find a central theme and motif for the piranha and the other was to capture the utter chaos that the fish bring to the screen. In addition to a large orchestra, heavily layered electric guitars, electric cello, bowed piano and rock percussion were used in combination with custom signature electronic sounds created specifically for the film." It's an approach that works perfectly as right from the first track, "Whirlpool," he whips his forces into a frenzy, creating many an exciting action cue. His motif for the attacking piranhas, first heard at the culmination of that first track is a terrifying slice of dissonance, which perfectly suggests the feeding frenzy that presumably happens on screen. The following title cue continues with strings-dominated dissonance before eventually a foreboding, questing theme is introduced.
Of course, in addition, prior to all the action, there are mysterious, suspenseful interludes, the composer sometimes emulating John Williams' approach to Jaws with his low, base-heavy sounds (and this can also be said, to a certain extent, of some of the string work in the action sequences); with of course the music alone for the obligatory shock moments being menacing enough to lift you out of your seat. It's not until the penultimate track, "Breathe," that any sort of calm is restored.
Perhaps purists will not totally take to the rock elements incorporated in some of the action writing, but anything is fair game these days and these work well enough for the more open-minded listener. Probably the rocking "End Titles" are best avoided though.
All-in-all, this is certainly one of the most savage, thrilling and intense film scores I have heard in quite a while.