CD: Castlevania – Lords of Shadow (2010)
Score: Excellent
Label: Sumthing Else
Released: October 29, 2013
Tracks / Album Length: 22 tracks / (70:21)
Composer: Oscar Araujo
Special Notes: Includes colour booklet.
Review:
Óscar Araujo’s gorgeous score for Konami’s 2010 reboot of their video game franchise – in which knights battle against supernatural forces – is definitely epic. The orchestral scope and cues with mixed chorus chanting Latin liturgies are stunning – but the score is surprisingly bereft of generic musical clichés. Araujo’s focus is on the Medieval period, with cues that unravel with grace, action material that rises instead of pumps and thunders, and thematic cues that often force the listener to contemplate (“Love Lost” is a stunner).
The album features a balanced mix of action, tension, and bonding – a web-only ltd. ed. in will feature 20+ mins. of score – with edits & sequencing providing a genuinely engrossing journey. This isn’t an album for background playing: like any great work, you’re compelled to stop, sit, and appreciate the beauty of Araujo’s writing.
© 2014 Mark R. Hasan (This review originally appeared in the Oct. 2013 issue of Rue Morgue magazine.)
Additional Links:
Composer on IMDB — Composer Filmography — Soundtrack Album
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