ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - The Dark Knight (Warner)

Aug 18 2008 By Paul Coile

WHEN called upon to write the soundtrack to the darkest Batman movie yet, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard decided to dispense with a hummable hero theme, instead building densely layered cellos and double basses to reflect the complex character of the caped crusader and his Joker nemesis.

It follows that you need to have seen the movie for the album to work, and understand almost heavy metal moments that rival anything Apocalyptica serve up. Listen, too, for edgy skittering strings that run, sometimes almost subconsciously, from start to finish.