With Mass Effect 3 having been released to the masses earlier today it also means another official launch trailer which also happened to use a piece of music from the band Two Steps From Hell. BioWare used a song from this band to score their launch trailer for Mass Effect 2 two years ago. That song was “Heart of Courage” and it was a perfect choice made by the folks from BioWare.
This time around their latest pick from Two Steps From Hell to score their launch trailer for Mass Effect 3would also come from the band and is also the latest choice for “Song of the Day”.
The song is “Protectors of the Earth” and if that is not an apt and perfect choice for a game whose tagline is “Take Earth Back” then I don’t know what is. For one thing it adds a level of epic grandiosity to the trailer and the visuals chosen to help highlight the strengths of the game. What better way to usher in the installment to the Mass Effecttrilogy than with music will help inspire gamers to, as the game’s tagline has been pushing, “Take back Earth”.
The latest “Song of the Day” comes from my latest obsession that should take up much free time I have when not blogging or working. It’s the main theme from the latest entry in the Elder Scrolls rpg franchise from Bethesda, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The theme has been unofficially called “Song of the Dragonborn” and I’m more than fine with that unofficial title.
“Song of the Dragonborn” was written and composed by this franchise’s longtime music composer in Jeremy Soule. He has done the orchestral score in this series’ previous two titles and this latest one looks to continue the quality work he’s done in the past. The song is a combination of Wagnerian-style orchestral music with the martial chanting by the male chorus. The chorus itself is from the fictional language of the Nord (the Viking like race in the game) created just for this game.
All I can say is that this song has been on constant repeat since I started playing this game and it’s such a great backdrop to slaying people and things in the game with my Nord Warrior, Berek Thunderfist.
Song of the Dragonborn
(Chorus)
Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!
Huzrah nu, kul do od, wah aan bok lingrah vod,
Ahrk fin tey, boziik fun, do fin gein!
Wo lost fron wah ney dov, ahrk fin reyliik do jul,
Voth aan suleyk wah ronit faal krein!
Ahrk fin zul, rok drey kod, nau tol morokei frod,
Rul lot Taazokaan motaad voth kein!
Sahrot Thu’um, med aan tuz, vey zeim hokoron pah,
Ol fin Dovahkiin komeyt ok rein!
(Chorus)
Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!
Ahrk fin Kel lost prodah, do ved viing ko fin krah,
Tol fod zeymah win kein meyz fundein!
Alduin, feyn do jun, kruziik vokun staadnau,
Voth aan bahlok wah diivon fin lein!
Nuz aan sul, fent alok, fod fin vul dovah nok,
Fen kos nahlot mahfaeraak ahrk ruz!
Paaz Keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin jot,
Dovahkiin kos fin saviik do muz!
(Chorus)
Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fodnust vok zin dro zaan,
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!
* * * * *
(Chorus)
Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn,
To keep evil forever at bay!
And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph’s shout,
Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!
Hearken now, sons of snow, to an age, long ago,
And the tale, boldly told, of the one!
Who was kin to both wyrm, and the races of man,
With a power to rival the sun!
And the voice, he did wield, on that glorious field,
When great Tamriel shuddered with war!
Mighty Thu’um, like a blade, cut through enemies all,
As the Dragonborn issued his roar!
(Chorus)
Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn,
To keep evil forever at bay!
And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph’s shout,
Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!
And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold,
That when brothers wage war come unfurled!
Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound,
With a hunger to swallow the world!
But a day, shall arise, when the dark dragon’s lies,
Will be silenced forever and then!
Fair Skyrim will be free from foul Alduin’s maw,
Dragonborn be the savior of men!
(Chorus)
Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn,
To keep evil forever at bay!
And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph’s shout,
For my chosen song from Howard Shore’s orchestral film score for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers I picked the tune which starts off my favorite scene in from that film. This will be the latest song for “Song of the Day”.
“Theoden Rides Forth” begins with the scene of Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas and what remains of the Rohan cavalry riding out for one last time out of the Keep at Helm’s Deep into the thick of the Uruk-Hai forces. The song takes the “Rohan theme” first heard in the early part of the film, but with a heroic flair that transitions to full brass blaring the theme to great effect. The song then segues into a brief appearance of the “Fellowship theme” as Gandalf, Eomer and the Rohirrim appear to save their king and companions. From there the song brings in the “Shadowfax theme” with child soprano Ben Del Maestro providing the solo chorus as the charge comes down the steep incline and into the ranks of Uruk-Hai waiting below. But the song doesn’t end there as it moves into the follow-up scene using the “Nature theme” to show Treebeard and the Ents make their final march to war against Isengard.
This track from the score finishes off the two parallel story lines of Helm’s Deep and Isengard. The transitions in the song from one story line to the other were flawless. The fact that Shore was able to incorporate and combine so many different themes not just from this film but from the previous one shows an artist who is definitely a master of his craft. There’s no denying why “Theoden Rides Forth” became the best tune from the The Two Towers film score and why so many fans of the film and the score wholeheartedly agree.
With my favorite scene from The Fellowship of the Ring chosen and posted it’s now time to pick my favorite piece of music from that film’s orchestral soundtrack. This was a soundtrack that I consider just one-third of a massive 12-hour symphony. The song I’ve chosen is actually a re-edited version of this film’s “Complete Recordings” release: “The Breaking of the Fellowship”.
Howard Shore’s work as composer for Peter Jackson’s monumental and epic (if there was ever a subject deserving of that overused word it would be Jackson’s fantasy trilogy) has been hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the best, if not the best, film score of the new millennium. Shore doesn’t go for the typical overly bombastic score that’s become the go-to style for epic films of any stripe. His work on this first third of the total Lord of the Rings score even manages to outdo John Williams’ own compositions for the other major fantasy series to come out the same year in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer Stone.
Where Williams’ had begun to partially cannibalize his own past film scores for his recent ones, Shore was able to look at what Jackson was creating and decided to base the entire score for The Fellowship of the Ring on three motifs which were airy, subtle with the loud and expressive brass section only appearing in one of these three. “The Breaking of the Fellowship” ends the film on a mixture of triumph and sadness as the track’s title describes. Shore takes the peaceful “hobbit theme” from the beginning of the film and combines it with the more rousing “Fellowship theme” then topped with as bonus with sections from the “Rivendell theme”. These three themes combine to highlight not just the breaking of the fellowship in the end of the film, but some sense of loss of innocence of the hobbits in the group as heard by a more somber and pensive rendition of the “hobbit theme”.
Of all the musical cues in The Fellowship of the Ring it’s the one which makes up “The Breaking of the Fellowship” that fully expresses the overall thematic and narrative themes of the film. It’s a song that tells the audience that the peaceful nature of the hobbits have now been tempered by their complete understanding of the exact nature of their fellowship’s quest. It also underscores how even in triumph the fellowship will encounter heartbreak and tragedy. These two themes will continue to be explore in the next two films and their respective score, but it’s in this first one that it truly shines.
A Sunday night has arrived and that means the latest episode of HBO’s instant medieval fantasy hit series, Game of Thrones, adapted from the George R.R. Martin novel of the same name. This show has pretty much ruled my Sunday nights and for the past ten weeks I and a couple other writers for the site have done recaps and reviews of each episode. As great as the show has been the soundtrack to the show has been equally grand and epic in sound. Tonight’s season finale finally unleashes the finale music and, paired with the now recognizable “Main Title” music for the show, becomes the latest song to make “Song of the Day”.
I can’t pick the “Finale” by Ramin Djawadi without also including the “Main Title” music which the former is born from. Ramin Djawadi has taken the initial song, with its blending of medieval chamber sound with some Mediterrean stylings, and adds in an ominous and martial quality for the finale. It helps punctuate the season finale and how it ties up the loose ends of the premiere season’s prologue storylines and lays the foundation for what looks to be second season with the world of Game of Thrones fully at war with dangers not just from north of The Wall, but now a resurgent old royal line across the Narrow Sea.
The “Finale” doesn’t actually return to the “Main Title” motif until a third of the way through but certain notes and chords from that initial theme could be heard throughout until the finale reaches it’s final 30 seconds and the “Main Title” motif returns in a crescendo of brass, percussion and strings before finishing suddenly. It’s a testament to Ramin Djawadi that the score never dominates the show unless it’s in the intro title sequence and the end credits when the music won’t overcome the performances on the screen. Other composer might look at the opportunity to flex their musical muscle and just go full bore from beginning to end, but not this score.
It’s a good thing I bought the Game of Thrones soundtrack off of iTunes. It’s definitely joined the Conan the Barbarian and Lord of The Rings orchestral score as some of my favorites.
Through the Shattered Lens 