Cinergi Pictures - 1995

1. Dredd Song - The Cure - 4:21
2. Darkness Falls - The The - 3:45
3. Super-Charger Heaven - White Zombie - 3:37
4. Need-Fire - Cocteau Twins - 4:21
5. Release The Pressure - Leftfield - 7:41
   
   Original score
6. Judge Dredd Main Theme - 4:56
7. Judgement Day - 5:55
8. Block War - 4:39
9. We created you - 3:47
10. Council Chaos - 5:44
11. Angel Family - 5:37
12. New World - 9:14

  
Soundtrack credits
Tracks 6 - 12
Composed and Conducted by Alan Silvestri
Score Produced by Alan Silvestri

Recorded at CTS Studios, Wembley, England
Mixed at Capitol Records, Los Angeles, CA.
Performed by the Sinfonia of London

Executive Music Producer: Steve Machat
Music Supervision: Barry Levine, Eric Harryman

 
Description
This is a masterpiece. Judge Dredd contains the most powerful, grand music Silvestri has ever written. The fantastic explosive, climactic main theme will get you warmed up for in my opinion the most powerful music ever: "Judgement Day". An awesome and indescribable piece of music that slowly and brilliantly builds up to a powerful choral climax. Every time I listen to it I get into some sort of trance, I get goose bumps, I just can't describe it! "Block War" is also phenomenal. It's a very rough, militaristic composition with sensational rhythmical qualities and a razor sharp clarity that we all know is Silvestri's specialty.

Although this score got a lot of very positive reviews, somehow it isn't mentioned very often in Silvestri's 'best scores list' that usually contains Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Predator and The Abyss. Strangely this score seems to be forgotten by the great majority. In my opinion Dredd belongs without a doubt on Silvestri's 'best scores list' (and number 1 on my list).

 
Judge Dredd was originally to be scored by the very talented David Arnold, but because of certain reasons the great Jerry Goldsmith replaced him and even scored the trailer. Due to Goldsmith's busy schedule (Congo and First Knight) he withdrew and Silvestri was called in. The score was recorded in London in the spring of 1995 and is performed by 99 very talented musicians of the Sinfonia of London and a choir of 35 vocalists. Interesting to note is that the choral and orchestral music were recorded in different studios and were mixed together later.

 
I sure hope that Silvestri will write more big science fiction scores in the future. Because with The Abyss and Judge Dredd he has proven that he is VERY good at it (and also with  semi-science fiction films like the Back to the Future and Predator films). I can't wait until Alan enters the science fiction arena again. And I beg him to do that more often than until now, because this genre really seems to bring out the best in him.

Interesting is that Alan himself said that he found Dredd to be richer in many ways than his previous works like Predator. In terms of orchestrations, that are fuller and more muscular, Alan surely made a leap forward with this score and let's hope he will continue on this path. Way to go Alan!