![Review: Halo 4 Official Soundtrack [Album]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/2/6/3/2/9/halo_4.jpg)
![Review: Halo 4 Official Soundtrack [Album]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/altthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fhangout.altsounds.com%2Fgeek%2Fgars%2Fimages%2F2%2F6%2F3%2F2%2F9%2Fhalo_4.jpg&w=500&h=500&zc=1&q=70){kind=small}
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Video games have become a part of life for many of us, taking their place alongside cinema and music as an art form you can enjoy in the comfort of your home. But video game soundtracks have, for the most part, remained in the background to the action onscreen. For years a video games' music was comprised of awful, dull electronic nonsense that acted only as a means of setting the atmosphere for the game.
So when I was informed that Massive Attack's own Neil Davidge had produced the Official Halo 4 Soundtrack, it was with mixed feelings of trepidation and raised expectations that I listened in. Unfortunately, with a game like Halo there's really only one mood that needs to be set; gloomy tension. In that respect, it does very well, but anyone hoping to find an easy listen will certainly be disappointed (although if you are expecting that, you've clearly never played Halo before)!
If it had to be described in just one word, depending on the listener it could be described as either epic or dull. The majority of the album is set against a wall of orchestral majesty, sure, but that's not enough to keep the average person interested. There are some tracks with real potential in them (and these are explored in the official remixed album, featuring remixes from the likes of Caspa and Sander Van Doorn) but they are too few in number and too brief in enjoyment. Awakening is the best track and even that, at five and a half minutes long, is about five minutes of clunking percussion and symphonic boredom.
LISTEN // Awakening (Full Length)
If you're not a fan of the game then this will sound much like all other video game soundtracks, but if you are a dedicated Halo fan then maybe this will appeal to you. I'm sure to anyone that plays Halo avidly the OST will conjure fond memories of thrilling missions and deadly fight scenes, although that in itself seems unlikely. Without the music as a backdrop to the game, each track seems peculiar in structure and devoid of any real emotion.
It's certainly not easy listening, the aim of video game music is obviously to fit with the action onscreen, and Halo seems to require constant tension, backed by a full string orchestra of quivering violin and pounding drums. At times it even goes for the emotional pang. But the difference between this and, say Bach or Mozart, is that you are aware that this has been created to accompany a load of pixels as you fight your way through an apocalyptic landscape, while Bach and Mozart were created to excite, exhilarate and move you.
You might complain that asking for emotion in a video game soundtrack is like asking for Oscar quality dialogue in a porno, but there has to be something to hold a listeners interest, and unfortunately with Halo 4, you're not likely to enjoy it unless you have an Xbox controller in hand and an all-out futuristic fight for the human race playing out on the screen.
To find out more visit the Halo 4 website here and Neil Davidge's website here.
So when I was informed that Massive Attack's own Neil Davidge had produced the Official Halo 4 Soundtrack, it was with mixed feelings of trepidation and raised expectations that I listened in. Unfortunately, with a game like Halo there's really only one mood that needs to be set; gloomy tension. In that respect, it does very well, but anyone hoping to find an easy listen will certainly be disappointed (although if you are expecting that, you've clearly never played Halo before)!
If it had to be described in just one word, depending on the listener it could be described as either epic or dull. The majority of the album is set against a wall of orchestral majesty, sure, but that's not enough to keep the average person interested. There are some tracks with real potential in them (and these are explored in the official remixed album, featuring remixes from the likes of Caspa and Sander Van Doorn) but they are too few in number and too brief in enjoyment. Awakening is the best track and even that, at five and a half minutes long, is about five minutes of clunking percussion and symphonic boredom.
LISTEN // Awakening (Full Length)
If you're not a fan of the game then this will sound much like all other video game soundtracks, but if you are a dedicated Halo fan then maybe this will appeal to you. I'm sure to anyone that plays Halo avidly the OST will conjure fond memories of thrilling missions and deadly fight scenes, although that in itself seems unlikely. Without the music as a backdrop to the game, each track seems peculiar in structure and devoid of any real emotion.
It's certainly not easy listening, the aim of video game music is obviously to fit with the action onscreen, and Halo seems to require constant tension, backed by a full string orchestra of quivering violin and pounding drums. At times it even goes for the emotional pang. But the difference between this and, say Bach or Mozart, is that you are aware that this has been created to accompany a load of pixels as you fight your way through an apocalyptic landscape, while Bach and Mozart were created to excite, exhilarate and move you.
You might complain that asking for emotion in a video game soundtrack is like asking for Oscar quality dialogue in a porno, but there has to be something to hold a listeners interest, and unfortunately with Halo 4, you're not likely to enjoy it unless you have an Xbox controller in hand and an all-out futuristic fight for the human race playing out on the screen.
To find out more visit the Halo 4 website here and Neil Davidge's website here.
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