AMG Review of Apt Pupil

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

An unusually cerebral variation on the modern horror score, John Ottman's compelling #Apt Pupil channels the music of the 20th century's most abominable real-life monsters -- the Nazis -- to create a richly orchestral yet menacingly powerful suite of themes rooted in Teutonic elegance. Apt Pupil is overwhelming both physically and psychologically. Ottman's choral vocals, bombastic brass arrangements, and militaristic rhythms vividly evoke the music of war-era Germany, capturing both the decadence and the depravity of the Third Reich.