There's one thing that can be said about watching Armageddon and that is that your eardrums certainly get a good workout. With explosions going off every couple of minutes it's hard not to work out your ears. Listening to the music on the other hand is a much more enjoyable experience. Trevor Rabin is yet another composer who has come into greater prominence since the success of Hans Zimmer. Zimmer's influence on Rabin is clear when listening to the score for Armageddon. As Zimmer always does, Rabin comes up with a catchy tune that serves as his main theme. This theme is introduced in Armageddon Suite since it's the first track on the score. This is a suite arranged specifically for the CD release of the score and is not contained in the movie.
With a movie like Armageddon you've got to expect action and you can expect nothing less from the score. Action is the word that best describes it. Yet, Rabin manages to come through with some softer and more touching pieces as well. On Harry & Grace Make Peace and Armageddon Piano, Rabin gives us a break from the pulse pounding action with a soft melodic piece that doesn't seem out of place compared with the rest of the score. The best track on the whole album has got to be Launch. It itself is what makes the whole score worth buying.
For those who didn't know, Armageddon was basically the story of a bunch of oil drillers who are sent into space to blow up an asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth. While the story left me a little disappointed, I can honestly say that the score more than made up for it. If you loved scores like The Rock or The Peacemaker then you should definitely check this one out. Your eardrums will thank you for it.
Total time: 50:13
1: Armageddon Suite (5:20) *
2: Harry & Grace Make Peace (1:43)
3: AJ's Return (4:27)
4: Oil Rig (1:59)
5: Leaving (2:30)
6: Evacuation (3:43)
7: Harry Arrives At NASA (1:00)
8: Back in Business (1:37)
9: Launch (7:54)
10: 5 Words (1:37)
11: Underwater Simulation (2:10)
12: Finding Grace (1:06)
13: Armadillo (1:15)
14: Short Straw (3:46)
15: Demands (1:26)
16: Death of Mir (1:32)
17: Armageddon Piano (0:33)
18: Long Distance Goodbye/Landing (6:33)