A dramatic stylistic blend of twanging American Western and serene Japanese Samurai forms the orchestral sound of David Fleming’s Wolverine, with a standout main theme cue and several excellent action tracks cementing it as a solid soundtrack for the titular superhero game.
David Fleming’s score for Marvel’s Wolverine is (unsurprisingly) centred around a theme for James “Logan” Howlett himself, introduced in the album’s opening track “Logan”; plucked strings introduce this damaged and rather downtrodden motif in the six minute cue’s first seconds, with an intriguingly American Western style in centre stage. As the theme continues however prouder electronics and strings start to build an air of hope, with a rather Japanese-y Samurai flair also interestingly joining the Western one. Thudding drums then drive Logan’s theme into action territory for the cue’s final minutes as volume levels reach fever pitch, with a soaringly triumphant rendition then powerfully crescendoing on heroic brass to finish. All-in, it’s a pretty solid start for Wolverine; I can’t say I was expecting lots (as I’ve not dabbled much in Fleming’s music before) but there’s a solid main theme here that fits Wolverine well in tone with an intriguing marriage of orchestral styles, and it reaches pretty tremendous levels too (particularly in this suite’s back half). As a result, I’m intrigued to hear how the theme powers through the rest of the album. Onwards!
“A Dream Of The Future” opens coldly, with high-pitched and rather wary strings playing centrally. As the cue continues, sombre piano, eerie electronics, moody brass and downtrodden organ notes sequentially start to build in the background, with the ensemble eventually reaching a deeply villainous crescendo with thudding drums holding the orchestra at deafeningly dramatic levels. After an air of gentle string and synth tranquillity builds to soaring grandeur in “Red”, thematically representing mutant superhero Jean Grey in its rising triumph, “Adamantium” returns to Logan’s theme with thunderous emphasis as pounding drums and surging strings usher the motif along in frenetic action mode. Ominous, slithering electronics are then the stylistic focus of “Trask And The Machines”, harkening back to the darkly downtrodden sound of “A Dream Of The Future” earlier but now with orchestral aggression in centre stage. A dramatically heavy metal vibe is then central for the propulsively head-bopping “His Creed Is Mayhem” as a throbbing electric guitar and ferocious percussive beats crash along for three ferociously action-centric minutes.
Solemn strings evoke deep, heartfelt romance in “Twin Flames” before dramatic drums are once again centre stage for frantic action setpiece “Death Be A Lady” (presumably for Lady Deathstrike) with a sultry strings-focused flair also abound for the first half until a fragmented Logan’s theme starts to gain the upper hand on brass in the second. Ominous vocal chants then pair with aggressive surges of percussion and brass in the opening minute of “The Hand”, before ferociously rapid strings shift the tone into action afterward with the eerie new material for the Hand held malevolently high. “Family Reunion” then reprises the unsettling sound of “A Dream Of The Future” once again – which we’ll now call the Future theme for ease – with angry brass reaching a series of increasingly tense crescendos alongside the imposing organ and strings. Twanging strings then start to bring hope back into the fray for “Raven And The Hunter” as notes from Logan’s theme swell with rising power, before “Omega Red” returns to aggressive action as blasting brass, swirling organ notes and in-your-face vocals crash angrily along through much of the three minute cue until Logan’s theme finally leaps heroically to the forefront at the end.
A grandly determined rendition of Logan’s theme powers through the frantic “Attack On The Fortress”, thudding tensely against shrill enemy electronics, before the subsequent “Reavers” then overtakes in similar action style with sinister swathes of synth and increasingly ominous bursts of brass until Logan’s theme returns triumphantly in the final minute. Dread-inducing surges of brass also occupy “Dawn Of The Sentinel”, with percussive rumbles and moody electronics reprising the eerie material from “Trask And His Machines” earlier alongside increasingly emphatic choir. A solemn piano reprisal of Logan’s theme then opens “Death’s Door”, with Western-styled guitar twangs and a rather lovely swell of strings following to lift the theme up to more hopeful heights. The action finale of the score then arrives with “The Cruelest Cut” as the sinister Future motif rears its head again, with “Weapon & Master” afterward pitting both it and Logan’s theme against one another for a powerfully thunderous and indeed rather spectacular action sequence until Logan’s emerges victorious towards the end. Final track “Remember” then closes the album with one last and rather gentle rendition of Logan’s theme.
Overall, David Fleming’s score for the Marvel’s Wolverine game is an explosively cinematic orchestral experience, and one that is fully thematic in style too (much like John Paesano’s music for the Spider-Man games). Leading it is an aptly ferocious theme for Logan himself, introduced in opening and standout suite “Logan” on an intriguing stylistic marriage of American Western string twangs and Japanese Samurai-sounding flair. This well-crafted thematic blend cements Wolverine’s lone wolf stature while also providing a memorable and indeed versatile motif that surges through moody lows and triumphant highs across the album, and is absolutely the highlight of it as a result (see “Adamantium”, “Attack on The Fortress” and the conclusive “Weapon & Master” for fantastically brassy examples of Logan’s theme in thunderous action). Joining said theme is then a gentler, rather morose piece for Jean Grey (“Red”) and some aggressive villain pieces in one for Bolivar Trask and his Sentinels (“Dawn Of The Sentinel”) as well as a currently unknown antagonist (“A Dream Of The Future”) which only the game can reveal. All these themes weave well together and make for some very enjoyable setpieces as mentioned above, resulting in an album overall that’s well worth the price of admission.
Just hit play on “Logan”.
Score: 7/10
Standout Cues: Logan, Red, Weapon & Master
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