Plaza Mayor Company release the soundtrack for two Hong Kong crime thrillers L Storm and P Storm. The albums feature the original music composed by Anthony Chue. L Storm revolves around the investigation of a corruption and money laundering case, while P Storm sees William Luk return, this time going undercover as a prisoner to investigate correctional officers who are receiving bribes...

Following on from his work on Z & S Storm, Anthony Chue returns to deliver more of the same. I don't mean that he follows a path well trodden, but he delivers new and engaging themes that are in a similar vein to his previous work. a score for these two movies which is hard hitting, whilst being full of intricate themes and lots of little moments of ingenuity. It's a score that feels natural as well as acting wonderfully as background music. Yes there are plenty of music cues, but to be fair they never feel like the usual going nowhere pieces of music designed to be dropped in anywhere.

The album is split into two halves, one for each movie, with the total running time coming in at 31 tracks (1hr, 04 min, 51 sec). It's an electronic score which is so well produced that for the majority of the time you'll forget is electronic. I was half convinced that it was an orchestral score with the occasional electronic element, and on some level you can be forgiven for thinking this as there appears to be the occasional real instrument thrown into the mix.

It's a wonderfully diverse collection of themes, maybe a few too many music cues for some, but still a worthwhile addition to your soundtrack collection.

7

Darren Rea