Stuart Hancock's score for the second series of the BBC TV show Atlantis is released through Silva Screen Records. The show follows Jason, Hercules and Pythagoras as they battle against Greek Gods and monsters...

Stuart Hancock penned over 500 minutes of music to provide a backdrop to Greek myths, heroes and monsters. This score features 30 tracks (1 hr, 13 min, 01 sec) from the show's second series.

Being a fan of Hancock's music (Hawk; The Last Belle; One Night in Turin) I was looking forward to hearing what he would deliver for Atlantis. I mean, there's monsters, magic and action galore for him to sink his teeth into and knowing that bold and beautiful is Hancock's speciality I suspected I wasn't going to be disappointed.

However, I was, slightly. It's all a bit bland really. There's no truly memorable themes or segments of music that make you stop what you're doing and give the score your full attention (which is why I've always loved the majority of his compositions previously).

There are exception. 'Medusa Uncaged'; 'Atlantis in Turmoil'; and 'Vision of the Future Title Theme' are impressive. The rest however, are a little... well... plain, really. It's a shame as given the show's theme I was expecting some incredibly powerful themes, or beautifully moving segments. What we end up with is a score that is merely functional.

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Darren Rea