Hello,

I like soundtracks which are extremly dark and epic. A few examples are:
- Patrick Doyle - Eragon
- Patrick Doyle - The Last Legion
- Ilan Eshkeri - Stardust
- Alan Silvestri - Van Helsing

Can you people recommend me some simular albums which feature a big real orchestra and/or choir??? So no Zimmer or Badelt synth soundtracks please

Thanks!

I urge you to try out this soundtrack:



Title: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Composer: Wojciech Kilar

Trust me, it won't disappoint. It's perhaps the best soundtrack ever composed, IMO.

If you like Doyle, then check out Henry V.

I can't think of many dark, epic scores, but there are quite a few big ones with choir:

Poledouris - Conan the Barbarian (obvious)
Goldenthal - Titus, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, nearly everything else
Horner - has a few early epic-sounding scores like Krull, Willow, Brainstorm
Goldsmith - The Omen trilogy, The Wind and the Lion, The 13th Warrior, The Mummy
Silvestri - The Abyss (more for the finale, really, just like Newton Howard's Redemption track from Flatliners)
Joel McNeely's Shadows of the Empire has some awesome choral cues too.

If you want to go further back in time, scores don't get much darker or epic than Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky or Vaughan Williams's Scott of the Antarctic.

Are you looking for blood-pumping battle music in particular, or just large choral cues in films? If you truly want some dark choral music, check out Alfred Schnittke's Requiem. I'd say you'd have a much better selection in the classical realm if you like that kind of music.

^^ Thanks for the suggestions I'll check them out

My favourite tracks on albums is usual the battle music. A huge orchestra with a large choir but also with a lot of percussion.

The percussion usually has a lot of echoes an reverb filters on it so it sound really really big. Pure classical music doesn't have these sound filters and sound often a bit "flat" for me...

^^ Thanks for the suggestions I'll check them out

My favourite tracks on albums is usual the battle music. A huge orchestra with a large choir but also with a lot of percussion.

The percussion usually has a lot of echoes an reverb filters on it so it sound really really big. Pure classical music doesn't have these sound filters and sound often a bit "flat" for me...

i need that type of orchestra/choir battle music too

Ya know, its not a movie score, but Dargaard's CDs are pretty dark and classical. You should check 'em out. www.dargaard.com.

I'm sure you've already been told, but all of the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks. Amazing, I tell you.

Also, Batman Begins is pretty epic. And, while it may not be terribly epic, I loved the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack.

The two that come most prominently to mind are Basil Poledouris' work on Conan The Barbarian and Conan The Destroyer and James Horner's work on Braveheart.

I personally think that Requiem for a Dream by Clint Mansell is one of the most epic. It's really well done and it's used alot in newer movies

Bal-Sagoth covered a Conan song.

Believe it or not, but King Arthur had a dark and epic score. However it was really short.

Armeggedon (sp?) - pretty much anything by Trevor Rabin, actually.

Dark City. Another short one, but has been used in many many trailers.

Plunkett & Macleane - especially tracks 16 (hanging) and 17 (escape). They are essentially a single track broken in two. And also used in many many trailers.

You could always try the Lord Of The Rings OSs by Howard Shore, but they've been used so much in reality shows and stuff that most people got bored of hearing them ^^
Still a nice listen once in a while though.

I say the Batman Begins OST sounds really epic

Hmmm....

Even though the films weren't good, but I like the soundtracks: Resident Evil Apocalypse. I don't know if it'd be defined as epic, but it's theme is very dark and it's got a lot of good rock on it.

Hmm nice thread, lots of good suggestion. Will definitely give a few of those a listen.

Thanks

Hmmm....

Even though the films weren't good, but I like the soundtracks: Resident Evil Apocalypse. I don't know if it'd be defined as epic, but it's theme is very dark and it's got a lot of good rock on it.

The music was the only good thing to come from those movies.

The music was the only good thing to come from those movies.
Ouch! True, though.
But, someone already said this, but the battle themes are usually the best, whether the big choir with deep percussion, or the heavy rock bits.

bump!!!!!!!!!

Maybe you like the soundtrack of "Requiem for a dream"

Tyler Bates' 300 score is epic i think. Returns a King - Great choir