Writer/director Neil Marshall is proving to be an interesting voice in cinema, with his impressive debut Dog Soldiers, his supremely scary The Descent, and now with the big screen mash-up/homage Doomsday. It is a film that brings to mind the best elements of the Road Warrior series, Escape from New York, and Aliens, and playing like a greatest hits reel of those elements. Joining Marshall for his post-apocalyptic adventure is composer Tyler Bates. Bates is another artist who is fast becoming an interesting voice in cinema, but instead of putting his vision on screen, he composes it and uses it to bolster the on screen action.

It is only recently that the work of Tyler Bates has come to my attention. Of course, it was only recently that my soundtrack addiction began to take hold. Bates has quickly become a recognizable name for genre films, particularly through his work with the likes of Rob Zombie and Zack Snyder on films such as Halloween and 300. Bates has an approach that feels fresh and refreshing, not reliant on the orchestral sounds of other composers. He is more like Charlie Clouser and Clint Mansell, using the orchestra but not being afraid of bringing in electronics and synthesizer into the mix.

Doomsday is a movie that mixes a bleak world-view with fun, pure and unadulterated fun. To that end, the movie is a rousing success. It is the story of a future where a disease outbreak has forced the UK to make the decision to wall off Scotland in order to contain it's spread (it was apparently not an airborne infection). The wall did it's job, or so everyone thought. Years later, the virus returns and a team must venture inside the wall in the hopes of finding a cure. Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), a stoic cross between Sarah Conner and Max Rockatansky. She is a tragic figure, leading a team, yet very alone. She is faced with gangs of wild, over-the-top characters, such as Sol, the leader of a cannibalistic sect that has developed within the wall.

Much like the tone of the film, Tyler Bates score follows suit. It follows an ebb and flow that is all its own, not so much about the full composition as a piece unto itself, but rather about the moment, about capturing the mood of the scene. In order to achieve this, the music uses some recurring themes and a mix of traditional strings, synth, and voice. It is a roller coaster of bleak sonic landscapes and dense, fast-paced action sequences. It is a wild score that is engrossing and original.