I’m feeling a bit under the weather. I swear the crazy raining then sunny then raining split-personality of Bay Area weather will be the death of me. So, instead of a review of an animated film about a toothless dragon or a war zone where someone is punishing criminals I’ve decided on a new “song of the day”. This time the latest song is a short one, but what it lacks in length more than makes up for it’s epicness. It’s the Tyrion Lannister of epic music. The song I chose is from the production music company Two Steps From Hell: “Heart of Courage”.

What is a production music company?

It’s a company who makes nothing but music for trailers and tv spots for shows, film and video games. Yes, Two Steps From Hell makes trailer music. So, if you’ve ever watched a film trailer or even the latest video game trailer then you probably have heard one of their music. The fact that they make trailer music shouldn’t take away from the quality work they’ve produced through the years. The one piece of music they’ve done which have stood out for me is “Heart of Courage”.

This song begins with a bevy of strings creating an ethereal intro which suddenly transitions to the inclusion of the percussion section. The intro of the percussion section would soon be followed by the very strings themselves changing from ethereal to a martial tempo. It’s in the middle of the song where the choir joins in to complete what I consider one of the most epic-sounding pieces of music I’ve ever heard. It’s no wonder that people who make film and video game trailers often pick this song to complement the visuals they’ve spliced together to sell a product.

The song was most recently used in a fan-made trailer for the upcoming EA shooter, Battlefield 3. Watching that fan-made trailer one could see how the music added more drama and gravitas to the scenes being played out. While the trailer’s editing itself didn’t fully match every beat and crossovers in the song there were enough that did match to make the trailer become accepted and approved by the publishers of Battlefield 3. But it’s another video game which used this song that really used it best.

It was a game which came out in early 2010 and the trailer itself even premiered during the Half-Time of the Super Bowl. Some who saw the trailer thought it was a commercial for an upcoming sci-fi blockbuster. To their surprise it wasn’t but for an upcoming game instead. What convinced some that it was a film was the music. Just watch the trailer below and you’ll know why this song makes anything with drama and action very epic.