Listen to the Complete Soundtrack for 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Ask any movie fan and they'll tell you that music is a vital part of any successful film. Just try and imagine Star Wars without John Williams' unforgettable score or The Lord of the Rings without Howard Shore's evocative themes. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has similarly relied on the talents of composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton-Howard, who collaborated on the memorable music for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

However, with The Dark Knight Rises, Zimmer composed the score on his own for the first time in the trilogy. We've already heard a preview of his work for the film, but now the full soundtrack is available online (courtesy of Empire).

Below is the score's third track, which may serve to introduce Tom Hardy's Bane to moviegoers:

Zimmer's career dates back to the 1980s and includes such films as The Lion King, Gladiator and all three Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. More recently, he signed on to compose the score for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, which is probably due to Nolan's involvement with Superman's big-screen return. The Dark Knight Rises marks their fourth director/composer collaboration following 2010's Inception.

In a press release, Zimmer spoke about the partnership he shares with Nolan:

'We're comrades in arms, the way we try to cheer each other on and try to really do the best work we possibly can. And part of that is you have to be prepared to not hold back. You have to put everything into the movie.'

Though it's unfortunate that Newton-Howard is not returning to wrap up the trilogy, Zimmer has proven himself to be passionate about the series and more than capable of delivering music powerful enough to match Nolan's striking visuals. Check out another standout track from The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack below and then listen to the full album at Empire.

 

Let us know what you think of the film's score in the comments. Does The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack live up to your expectations? Does it make you more or less excited for the film itself?

The Dark Knight Rises ' in case you're one of the few NOT counting the days until its release ' hits theaters July 20th, 2012.

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Source: Empire