Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer
Original Game Soundtrack by Knut Avenstroup Haugen [2010]
The Age of Conan games are based on the fantasy series Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. Howard, and developed by the Norwegian company Funcom. The magnificent soundtrack for the original game: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures was composed by award-winning composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen, and was released in May 2008 on Grappa Musikkforlag. Both the game and its score have already received an overwhelming reception and good reviews, and it's reported that the game tops the charts across Europe and USA.
Now the sequel, Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, is here and once again Avenstroup Haugen is the man behind the music.
Avenstroup Haugen has composed, orchestrated and produced the soundtrack. The delectable far eastern score features the distinguished Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a huge taiko-drum ensemble and world-class ethnic soloists; among them some true masters of traditional Chinese instruments.
The music was recorded in full 5.1 surround sound in the legendary AIR Lyndhurst Hall, Angel studios and Smecky studios.
The bonus DVD contains all tracks in full 5.1 DTS and AC3 audio, MP3 versions of all tracks, trial clients for the game as well as unique art media from the game that is being displayed as the music plays. In addition to this the soundtrack also contains an in-game bone flute for Age of Conan, which is only available with this box.
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/Review_zps78b7856a.gif
Review by Gregory Heaney ~ Allmusic
Return to the Hyborian age with Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, the soundtrack to first expansion of Funcom's massively multi-player online game set in the Conan universe. The score captures all of the danger and mystery of the Conan world as players explore the land of Khitai in search of adventure and glory, immersing players in the exotic virtual world.
Notes
In addition to the soundtrack CD, the exclusive soundtrack package includes a DVD with the original 5.1 surround mix of the music � including bonus tracks � playable on home theatre- or other surround systems. Each track of the surround score is accompanied by a slideshow, featuring original concept art from Rise of the Godslayer. Most of this material has never been shown before.
The package also includes MP3 versions of all tracks, a unique Bone Flute virtual item for use in-game, selected videos and trial client installers for the �Age of Conan� PC-game.
VGMdb 0.15 (beta)
'The Rise of the Godslayer' soundtrack is the long awaited sequel to 'Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures' and again features a soundtrack by composer Avenstroup Haugen. Both the game and its music score have already received overwhelming praise and the game is topping the Games Charts across Europe and USA.
Now released as an audio CD with a bonus DVD, the entire soundtrack was composed, orchestrated and produced by Avenstroup Haugen. The delicious Far Eastern score features the distinguished Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a huge taiko drum ensemble and world-class soloists renowned for their contributions on films such as Titanic, The Mission, Braveheart, Troy, The Mummy and Mulan.
The music was recorded in full 5.1 surround sound in the legendary AIR Lyndhurst Hall Studio, Angel Studios and Smecky Studios. In addition to the soundtrack CD, the package also includes a DVD with the original 5.1 surround mix of the music - including bonus tracks - playable on home theatre or other surround systems. Each track of the surround score is accompanied by a slideshow, featuring original concept art from Rise of the Godslayer. Most of this material has never been shown before. Also included are mp3 versions of all songs, a unique Bone Flute virtual item for use in-game, selected videos and trial client installers for the Age of Conan PC-game.
~ Game-ost.com
Overview
A MMORPG revival of the Conan franchise, Age of Conan has been well-received since its debut on Hyborian Adventures. Knut Avenstroup Haugen's score offered an impeccable depiction of Conan's lush yet savage universe. The expansion Rise of the Godslayer introduced a new Eastern setting and race, the Khitai. To match this setting, the composer hybridised features of his original score with traditional Chinese instruments. He released the score as a CD, complete with a bonus DVD featuring surround sound mixes. The soundtrack is also available digitally.
Body
While Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer maintains a focus on exotic and ancient sounds, this time around the central idea is different. The score is much more inspired by Asian instruments, with traditional Chinese instruments being featured throughout the soundtrack. The "Prologue: The Bitter Steppes of the West" captures the new setting of the expansion in a cinematic manner; it develops from lush cinematic orchestrations reminiscent of Hyborian Adventures into a more intimate sound highlighting Chinese instruments. The pentatonic melodies give a firm sense of place, while the solo flute is beautifully performed. It's a great way to capture the new setting of the game. This influence continues throughout the soundtrack right up to the equally effective closer, "Epilogue: The Eternal Empire".
The scenic tracks on Haugen's score tend to keep things simple, but are generally very effective. For example, "Villages of Khitai" features little more than flute melodies above plucked strings. While sparse, it's the perfect way to capture a peaceful country life. It's the richness of the featured melodies that ensure it is still satisfying and Haugen certainly incorporates some Western influence. Meanwhile "Northern Grassland" introduces the most sacred place in the game with another intimate ensemble performance. The instruments describe everything from the ancient temples to the wolf-infested tropical outlands. "Silken Wind Through the Bamboo Forest" meanwhile has a more desolate and desperate tone. The soloists � especially the erhu, guzheng, and dizi players � are so expressive in each of these tracks.
There are also exciting action tracks to contrast with the scenic entries. "Warriors of the East" and "Battle of the Factions" are incredibly fast-paced and have a savage sound. The taiko ensemble is particularly effective on such tracks, giving a percussive driving force, while maintaining the Asian influence. Other tracks continue the bombastic orchestral style that Haugen developed on the Hyborian Adventures, notably "Hyrkanian Raiders Attack" and "All Heroes Unite!". They're excellently written and vibrantly performed, with the latter being a pinnacle of the score. The climax of the soundtrack is also darkened by suspenseful event tracks such as "Charge of the Corrupted" and "Horrors of the Jade Citadel", both of which hybridise horror influences into the score. The only limitation is that several of these tracks are brief, due to restrictions imposed by their in-game usage.
Summary
To create a musical score for Age of Conan, Haugen turned to many different sources: For the music of the different ethnic groups, Haugen studied traditional music from relevant parts of the world. For the overall sound of the Hyborian Age, Haugen studied ancient and medieval music as well as the romantic orchestra repertoire and film score. His tremendous hard work is definitely reflected in the soundtrack to both the original and the expansion, which is nothing but fresh and enjoyable. The Asian instruments on Rise of the Godslayer are a particularly enjoyable addition to the universe's sound. That said, it's not necessary to appreciate Chinese or Conan music to truly appreciate the soundtrack � its melodic focus and emotional richness should make it highly accessible to all. by Harris Iqbal
Personnel:
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Klemens, Anthony Hinnigan (dizi, bawu, shakuhachi, quena), Wang Xiao (erhu), Cheng Yu (pipa), Sun Zhuo (guzheng), David Corkhill, Chris Terian & Cameron Sinclair (taiko drums, Chinese & Japanese percussion)
Score composed, orchestrated and produced by Knut Avenstroup Haugen.
Score performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Klemens.
GENRE: Score
DATE: 2010
COUNTRY: USA
AUDIO CODEC: M4A
QUALITY: 256 kbs
ARTWORK: Complete
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/Tracklist_zps8cb8d255.gif
01 - Prologue: The Bitter Steppes Of The West
02 - Hyrkanian Raiders Attack
03 - The Mountains Of Night
04 - Northern Grasslands
05 - Ambush From Three Directions
06 - The Gentle God
07 - Villages Of Khitai
08 - In The Temple
09 - The Red Forest
10 - Battlefields Of Chosain
11 - Warriors Of The East
12 - Through The City Gates
13 - The Ballad Of The Barbarian King
14 - Silken Wind Through The Bamboo Forest
15 - The Black Desert Of Kara Korum
16 - Charge Of The Corrupted
17 - The Crater
18 - The Road To Paikang
19 - Battle Of The Factions
20 - Descent Into Darkness
21 - Horrors Of The Jade Citadel
22 - All Heroes Unite!
23 - Epilogue: The Eternal Empire
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/Download_zpsc2567a55.gif
RiseGodslayer.zip (141,74 MB) - uploaded.net (
http://uploaded.net/file/j4nzak7o)
Rip by Lykosa
