30-second snippets of Hans Zimmer's Man of Steel score have been released.  Zimmer was tapped to score the film before he was even officially approached for the gig.  Everyone simply assumed that Man of Steel producer Christopher Nolan would move his Dark Knight Trilogy composer over to Zack Snyder's Superman reboot.  Zimmer eventually took the job, which came with the unenviable task of being in the shadow of John Williams' classic Superman theme.  But Zimmer has a long and fairly diverse filmography, although his work does tend to get parodied for its heavy bass-driven punctuations (or "BWAAAAH"s).  Listening to these snippets, about half the score is unmistakably Zimmer ("I Will Find Him" even has the "BWAAAAH" sound) and the other half, such as "Sent Here for a Reason" and "Goodbye My Son" are soft, meditative pieces that are almost worthy of a day spa.

Click over to Amazon to listen to pieces from the score, which will be released in two versions on June 11th.  There will be a regular edition and a deluxe edition that contains six extra tracks.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th. [Update: We've been provided with the full press release for the soundtrack, which includes detailed information on the soundtrack release. Both the regular and limited edition soundtracks come with a 28-minute track that allows fans to listen to Zimmer's initial experiments with the score, seeing how he laid the foundation for what was to come. Hit the jump for more.]

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Here's the full press release:

LOS ANGELES, CA - April 30, 2013 - On June 11, 2013, WaterTower Music will release two configurations of the Man Of SteelOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack. The album will be available in standard form as well as a limited edition deluxe version at all physical and digital retailers. Academy Award®, Grammy®, and Golden Globe® - winning composer Hans Zimmer composed the music for this highly anticipated project, joining forces for the first time with director Zack Snyder.

"The challenges of creating a Superman score are daunting because Superman is so iconographic," said Snyder. "I really feel like what Hans created is perfect. Subtle and stirring, epic and commanding. Honestly, Hans crushed it."

Fans will have the ability to choose between the standard two disc, 18-song soundtrack, and a limited, deluxe edition of the soundtrack. This deluxe edition will be housed in a special embossed steel case, contain 24 score selections, and give fans the ability to access multiple videos showing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the music. Both the standard and deluxe editions will include the epic track "Man of Steel (Hans Original Sketchbook)" which clocks in at over 28 minutes long. This exclusive track is performed solely by Zimmer, and allows listeners to experience firsthand his initial experiments with the film's music, which ultimately lay the foundation for the film's final score.

Those fans who purchase the CD version of the deluxe edition will have the opportunity to download all 24 songs in DTS Headphone: X, which reproduces a cinematic multi-speaker surround sound experience using only the user's headphones. DTS Headphone: X presents a whole new way to hear mobile entertainment over headphones. The technology garnered rave reviews from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, and Cnet, among others at this year's CES convention.

Additionally, a double, 180 gram vinyl configuration of the soundtrack is slated for a summer release.

In addition to his orchestral arrangements, Zimmer, no stranger to stepping outside the confines of traditional film scoring, has assembled two unique musical entities to contribute music to Man of Steel. The first, a "drum orchestra," which was brought together for the album, is described by soundtrack co-producer Peter Asher as "some of the best drummers in the world all playing simultaneously in a space designed for a symphony orchestra - using not only rock drum kits but tympani and field drums as well."

The membership of this elite assembly consists of many of today's top musicians including John JR Robinson, Jason Bonham, Josh Freese, Pharrell Williams, Danny Carey, Satnam Ramgotra, Toss Panos, Jim Keltner, Curt Bisquera, Trevor Lawrence Jr., Matt Chamberlain, Ryeland Allison, Bernie Dresel, Vinnie Colaiuta and Sheila E. Their contribution, under Zimmer's musical direction, creates a towering and powerful musical accompaniment to the film.

Another distinctive group the composer assembled was a gathering of eight of music's finest pedal steel guitarists who play classical string section parts. This collective, consisting of Chas Smith, Marty Rifkin, Skip Edwards, Boo Bernstein, Peter Frieberger, Rick Schmidt, JD Maness, John McClung, was described by Asher as, "a uniquely new metallic orchestra" added its own distinct and soaring musical stamp to the soundtrack.

The Man Of SteelOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack is currently available for preorder at Amazon and will be available for preorder on iTunes starting May 7. 

SOUNDTRACK TRACK LISTING  

Disc 1 - Flight

  1. Look to the Stars
  2. Oil Rig
  3. Sent here for a Reason
  4. DNA
  5. Goodbye My Son
  6. If You Love These People
  7. Krypton's Last
  8. Terraforming
  9. Tornado

10.You Die or I Do

11.Launch

12.Ignition

13.I Will Find Him

14.This is Clark Kent

15.I Have So Many Questions

16.Flight

17.What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World? 

Disc 2 - Experiments from the Fortress of Solitude

  1. Man of Steel                                (Hans' Original Sketchbook)
  2. Are You Listening, Clark?             (Deluxe Edition Only)
  3. General Zod                                (Deluxe Edition Only)
  4. You Led Us Here                         (Deluxe Edition Only)
  5. This Is Madness!                         (Deluxe Edition Only)
  6. Earth                                          (Deluxe Edition Only)
  7. Arcade                                       (Deluxe Edition Only)

Hans Zimmer has scored more than 100 films, which have, combined, grossed over 19.6 billion dollars at the worldwide box office.  He has been honored with an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes®, three Grammys®, an American Music Award, and a Tony® Award. In 2003, ASCAP presented him with the prestigious Henry Mancini award for Lifetime Achievement for his impressive and influential body of work. He also received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2010.  Some of his most recent works include the History Channel's miniseries The Bible; the Christopher Nolan-directed films Inception, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises; and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Upcoming titles include Ron Howard's Rush, Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger and Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave.

Zack Snyder directed Man of Steel from a screenplay by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment.  Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder are the producers, with Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters serving as executive producers.  The film stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni and Russell Crowe.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, Man of Steel.  The film will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX®, and is slated for release on June 14, 2013.  It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.