Review
I was not expecting this one to wow me as much as it did! It started out ambient for about half of the first track, so I thought perhaps it would be an ambient score through and through. But then that first track, (entitled “Family”) builds in intensity, and introduces a very hummable motif. Composer Ramin Djawadi makes good use of dissonance here, particularly in parts of the theme, such as in “Kait’s Theme” with its dissonant piano melody. While “Azura Combat” works in context of the album as a whole, it feels very repetitive (it is a combat piece, after all), and if I heard that track in isolation I would perhaps have been hesitant to give the score a listen. The score has quite the variety of emotions, ranging from calm, almost soothing melodies in “Riftworm Village,” high intensity, such as in “Kraken Combat,” even to unnerving, as in “Burned Up.” There are brass, drums, and strings throughout the album, and in some tracks unique instruments provide the melodies, such as what sounds like a flute in “Ice Overworld” and some sort of percussion stringed instrument in “Riftworm Village.” And yet for all its variety, this soundtrack still feels like the same score throughout. Overall a beautiful soundtrack, one that I will certainly be frequenting.
Review by Michael.