| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 10 |
| Interest | 10 |
| Melody | 9 |
| Performance | 10 |
| Lyrics | 0 |
| Enjoyment | 10 |
| Recording Quality | 9 |
| Commercial Appeal | 7 |
| Overall | 9.3 |
This an immensely dramtic and emotional piece of music. It's actually difficult to think where to start. The beginning is probably the best place.
The haunting melody at the beginning truly sums up the emotion I can only imagine would be felt by prisoners being taken to the gas chambers. The bells add a nice touch, hinting to everyone that death is close. You can almost smell the mud and filth churned up by the shuffling feet of the condemned.
The next section brings to mind the frantic actions and commands of the nazi camp guards. The hints of confusion, fear and panic, pushing and shoving of the prisoners who start to comprehend what is happening to them. Very passionate section. Builds up really well into a crescendo of despair and terror.
Suddenly it all goes calm. I imagined the prisoners sitting, holding each other, crying, praying and accepting that there was nothing they could do to change their circumstances. Almost a stoic acceptance of what is to come. Towards the end of this section, you can practically hear the xyclon b being put into the 'showers' almost see the prisoners taking their last deep breaths to get it all over with as quickly as they can. Then, to the end with a sudden stop and you just know, instinctively that it's all over.
This piece of music really tugs on my heart strings. One of the best pieces of soundtrack music I have ever heard. Having studied WW2 and the Nazi's final solution in great detail, I can fully appreciate what the composer is trying to do. The snare drums throughout remind us that this is a military exercise, nothing more, nothing less.
I could probably go on for hours about this piece, but suffice to say that it may not be very 'commercial' in the sense of a number one hit, but it is certainly up there with the cream of it's genre. John Williams, Danny Elfman, look out. Andy's coming.
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