Download (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1WEVGTYB/Kingdoms_(Special_Edition).7z_links)
MP3 / 320kbps / 40 Tracks / 79min
This is Kirkhope’s best work to date. A marvelous, fantastic, superb fantasy score. Unfortunatly the album has some problems. However, it was foolish of me to condemn it for that reason. But I tried to "fix" the album by doing the following things:
– Replaced the album’s action loops with the prober "CD Endings" from the gamerip
– Added new tracks: Theatre of Fate (missing fanfare), Tuatha (missing combat music with major motif), Heightened Stress (CD version that’s not on the CD?), Meditate (menu?, inventory?), Cataclysm (cinematic), Reckoning (Ending Cinematic that SHOULD have been the last track on the CD!)
– Changed some tracks: Warsworn (longer), Scholia Arcana (now combined with Adessa), Mel Senshir (interior version before orchestral theme)
– Rearranged the album for a better balance and the album ends proberly with the "final cutscene?" from the game (string version of the Main Theme)
I hope you find this to your liking, and buy the CD or the itunes version if you can. This is the kind of music that "we" (or at least I) want from Hollywood. Enjoy.
EDIT: The CD versions from the gamerip sounded not as good as on CD so here is a fix for that: Kingdoms of Amalur: Battle Fix (http://www.mirrorcreator.com/files/1C8PDC3P/Kingdoms_-Battle_Fix-.7z_links)
Fair enough:
For starters, I prefer orchestral music over synth most of the time and I really love Williams and some of Elfman’s work. Kirkhope is clearly inspired by those two (he even states it in an interview). It’s also a very thematic and melodic score (my favorite kind of music) and the Elfman-like Theme is present and prominent throughout the score, especially in the Williams-inspired action tracks and boy do they rock! This is the kind of Oldschool-Hollywood action music with substance, melody and themes that is missing from modern Hollywood scores.
I also love the many variations and motifs of the Theme in ambient and action tracks, granted the ambient cues are not quite as lovely as in Viva Pianata but tracks like "The Plains of Erathell" come very close.
Even in context with his other scores it stands out because of how "cinematic" it sounds and how it combines the somber and wonderful moments of Viva Pinata with exciting action tracks that Williams could have composed. The only thing missing is the sort of "Quirky Fun" that has become some sort of trademark for Kirkhope since the N64 Days and now that he scored a more serious work it might have alienated some of his fans.
Nonetheless this is a serious, mature orchestral score with themes, motifs and melody.
EDIT: Added a fix for the battletracks, they should sound better now
Fair enough:
For starters, I prefer orchestral music over synth most of the time and I really love Williams and some of Elfman’s work. Kirkhope is clearly inspired by those two (he even states it in an interview). It’s also a very thematic and melodic score (my favorite kind of music) and the Elfman-like Theme is present and prominent throughout the score, especially in the Williams-inspired action tracks and boy do they rock! This is the kind of Oldschool-Hollywood action music with substance, melody and themes that is missing from modern Hollywood scores.
I also love the many variations and motifs of the Theme in ambient and action tracks, granted the ambient cues are not quite as lovely as in Viva Pianata but tracks like "The Plains of Erathell" come very close.
Even in context with his other scores it stands out because of how "cinematic" it sounds and how it combines the somber and wonderful moments of Viva Pinata with exciting action tracks that Williams could have composed. The only thing missing is the sort of "Quirky Fun" that has become some sort of trademark for Kirkhope since the N64 Days and now that he scored a more serious work it might have alienated some of his fans.
Nonetheless this is a serious, mature orchestral score with themes, motifs and melody.
EDIT: Added a fix for the battletracks, they should sound better now
@klnerfan
First I’d like to point out that I think the soundtrack is very good on it’s own. But I do like most of his other albums better.
Definitely Williams and Elfman in there.. Kill me but I saw some bernard herrmann in there too 🙂
What was missing foe me was the wealth of melodies usually present in his scores. Banjo, DK, VP, PD and other scores he had produced had a huge range of different melodies with different styles for each. Amalur has it’s main theme and about 2 more memorable themes, the rest of the tracks aren’t or are variations. I can’t deny I miss the "jollyness" of his usual stuff, And I am not sure why it’s not here. The game has some big wide open spaces that could’ve easily had more colorful tunes ala Viva Pinata. The soundtrack, while good, feels a bit too "grey" for me. Maybe it’s my "Lord of the rings syndrom".. Since those movies I have a thing against the type of "Epic-Dark-tragic-quest" tunes. Damn that LOTR main theme, depressed that genre outta me.
About his use of motifs/Variation.. That was always there with Grant so I expected no less. The soundtrack still has his touch so I enjoyed it for what it is and loved spotting little bits of pieces that reminded me of his other scores (Did you spot ’em?).
I actually baught the soundtrack because I support Grant’s work and want more released soundtracks of his in the future.
Anyways, Gave your version a listen and it indeed does the score more justice than the OST. Good job!
"On the CD soundtrack he did one of each of the pieces I faded together for Dalentarth, Detyre, Alabastra and The Plains of Erathell. In the game he did all the tavern and inn music (hand played by him) as well as some more ambient music in the aforementioned areas."
Think you could fix the tags based on this?
How come the Tuatha battle music was not included in the official album?
Thanks in advance.