The film is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel. It's been adapted for the big screen by director Zack Snyder (and yes, Watchmen seems to be coming along nicely, thank you). 300 is the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas, faced the entire Persian army.

Bates' work here will surprise those familiar with his earlier efforts, such as The Devil's Rejects, Dawn of the Dead and Slither. Middle Eastern influences abound. Little of a melodic nature is going on here; Bates relies largely on voice and percussion to build layers of tonal coloring. Too, most of the cues here are on the brief side, none being longer than three and a half minutes. The one criticism one might make is that he doesn't vary his attack to any great extent, although another way to put it is that he has been consistent with his thematic approach to the subject matter. Still, the reliance on percussion and an essential refusal to deal with melody results in a score that is listenable and stirring but not at all hummable.

The disk opens with "To Victory," a driving piece of music with a descending string figure and an eerie semi-vocal background. It hints at discordancies yet to come, and sets the stage for Bates' stylistic approach to composition for this film.

As mentioned above, most of the cues rely strongly on voice to project mood, this being accomplished to a great extent by the Middle Eastern sensibilities of Iranian-born singer Azam Ali. Her voice is a crucial part of Bates' tonal palette.

Tasty Middle Eastern flavors

Cue 2, "The Agoge," opens with a gong, perhaps, played backward. Anyone familiar with backward recording from the era of the Beatles' experiments with psychedelia knows how this technique sucks the listener right in. The quality and timbre of Ali's voice here is reminiscent of something out of Deep Forest: an odd, eerie high-pitched wail or ululation. This phases off into a gentle, serene, oceanic passage heralded by a crescendo on the cymbals.

"The Wolf," Cue 3, is a continuation of 2 with the same suggestion of limitless depth coming by virtue of strings and distant voice—then a horn comes in, almost a clarion call. Distant Kodo drums keep the beat going.

By the time cue 4, "Returns a King," begins, Bates has introduced the main elements of his approach: strong choral and solo vocals, electric guitars and drums and percussion. He doesn't stray far from these elements for the rest of the score, though he does bring in orchestral passages from time to time. "Returns a King" opens with a very strong choral intro, the first time multiple voices have appeared. With strong percussion emphasis and powerful strings, this cue has something of a "force of nature" feel to it. Percussion is here layered with dark strings, and the change at about 1:54 to a more headlong and driving tempo really forces the listener's attention into the world Bates is creating.

300 is among Tyler Bates' best work. The impressive scale of the score, incorporating large orchestra and choir with soloists and electric elements, blends together well to create a modern yet ethnic sound, well suited for the heroes in the film.