Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
Knut Avenstroup Haugen
" Welcome to game music heaven "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is an action role playing game that delivers raw bloody gore in a visual staggering landscape. Considering the visuals and the audio must conform to bring us cinema magic, Knut Avenstroup Haugen made the transition to that level musically. Without question in the matter of game music, Age of Conan becomes that way the surprising highlight of the year.
The score is a mix of vocal, samples and various ethnic instruments. And together it creates a wonderful world of power, magic and ethereal tranquillity. The opening track alone will deliver you what I've said here. "Ere the World Crumbles" opens with a haunting vocal of Helene Bøksle, while the drums and the score rise above it. Without a doubt a sign of the things to come, plus it is a powerful knockout cue that takes you by surprise.
During the first journey (first part) Haugen delivers you a musical taste of Age of Conan's underscore. The lovely guitar in "The Sands of Forgetfulness / Tortage Beach" and the main theme of the first track repeated in "The Damp Barachan Nights", with again a wonderful instrumental and soothing performance. And yet that tranquillity is gone during "The Awakening / Hyborian Adventures" where metal clangs, choir and brassy fanfares (you'll hear some of Poledouris's Conan in it) deliver us an example of the action music to come.
Loved the Norwegian touch in The Two Towers? Then be ready for more in "The Arrival / Cimarron Welcome", giving the main theme an utterly wonderful performance. And yet Haugen is just warming up. The fight between the wonderful solo vocal and the rising thumping underscore is covering unseen partnership in "Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mountains".
To talk about the positives is pointless, because Haugen brings forward a perfect balance between beauty, power and magic. Now the magic of "The Vista from Mount Crom" shows you nothing but wonder (albeit a little influenced wonder) when the brass aids the strings. And the same is heard during "Echoes of Atlantis", only this time giving a clarity to the influence, namely an Abyss like quality. Trust me, it's awesome.
The dreamy "The Lure of Atali" is shattered when we reach "Phalanx of Conquest", giving you a taste of Haugen's action voice for Age of Conan. It is a frenzy of choir battling the brass samples. And from that powerful action piece, we go back to vocal refinement in "Field of the Dead". It is really nice to discover that Basil Poledouris isn't forgotten, because "Hamlets of Aquilonia" is "Theology / Civilization" in huge parts. But we can't see this as influences, we see this as respecting the material that represents Conan the most. The same can be said of "Behold! / Tarantia - Royal City", reusing some other Poledouris mixes in a blazing meld of Haugen's own material.
The choral hymn for "Hymn for King Conan" unleashes another choral inspired piece while the surging string work of "Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain", the spiritual choir during "Foundations of the Temple / Mitra" and the western vocal with appropriate instruments in "Akhet / Portal to Stygia" all prove that Age of Conan has a large array of intriguing underscore.
And during the final part of Conan's journey, the story ultimately becomes very western in both story as sound. The string work in "Beyond the Pyramid / Sunrise in Khopshef Province" will remind you of the many western based adventures. It toys with the theme formed in 17, giving you further examples in 19, 20 and 21.
And while this is all cosy and relaxing, Conan still strikes down hard in the part where everything is revealed. "Combat Reborn / Stygia" repeats the main theme of that part with a choral back up (giving it some weight), "Combat Reborn / Cimmeria" and "Combat Reborn / Aquilonia" are even bigger with their supporting choir. "Memories of Cimeria" bring back the wonderful vocal work of Helene Bøksle to end the score the way it began.
If I must talk about problems it is that the score loses its charm during the middle, this due to many softer pieces and the absence of Helene Bøksle as overall supporting voice. But these are but quibbles in what is essentially Knut Avenstroup Haugen's ode to Conan, giving it a strong enough voice. The wonderful fusion of his music with light touches of Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarian is a masterful move, while the lightly Norwegian influences (due to the voice) comes over splendidly. It delivers you especially in the first part mesmerizing music that gives Video Game music back that sparkling quality.
Tracklisting
1. Ere the World Crumbles (2.04) Excellent track
2. The Sands of Forgetfulness / Tortage Beach (2.46)
3. The Damp Barachan Nights (3.23)
4. The Awakening / Hyborian Adventures (1.57)
5. The Arrival / Cimarron Welcome (3.13) Excellent track
6. Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mountains (3.22) Excellent track
7. The Vista from Mount Crom (2.17) Excellent track
8. The Lure of Atali (3.29)
9. Phalanx of Conquest (3.13) Excellent track
10. Field of the Dead (3.41)
11. Echoes of Atlantis (2.29) Excellent track
12. Hamlets of Aquilonia (1.52)
13. Behold! / Tarantia - Royal City (3.24)
14. Hymn for King Conan (3.04)
15. Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain (2.24)
16. Foundations of the Temple / Mitra (1.53)
17. Akhet / Portal to Stygia (3.17)
18. Beyond the Pyramid / Sunrise in Khopshef Province (2.58)
19. The Purple Lotus Swamp (2.57)
20. Khestatta / City of Mages (2.23)
21. The Black Ring Citadel / Final Memory (3.19)
22. Combat Reborn - Stygia (3.12)
23. Combat Reborn - Cimmeria (3.11) Excellent track
24. Combat Reborn - Aquilonia (2.33)
25. Memories of Cimeria (3.30)
The score is a mix of vocal, samples and various ethnic instruments. And together it creates a wonderful world of power, magic and ethereal tranquillity. The opening track alone will deliver you what I've said here. "Ere the World Crumbles" opens with a haunting vocal of Helene Bøksle, while the drums and the score rise above it. Without a doubt a sign of the things to come, plus it is a powerful knockout cue that takes you by surprise.
During the first journey (first part) Haugen delivers you a musical taste of Age of Conan's underscore. The lovely guitar in "The Sands of Forgetfulness / Tortage Beach" and the main theme of the first track repeated in "The Damp Barachan Nights", with again a wonderful instrumental and soothing performance. And yet that tranquillity is gone during "The Awakening / Hyborian Adventures" where metal clangs, choir and brassy fanfares (you'll hear some of Poledouris's Conan in it) deliver us an example of the action music to come.
Loved the Norwegian touch in The Two Towers? Then be ready for more in "The Arrival / Cimarron Welcome", giving the main theme an utterly wonderful performance. And yet Haugen is just warming up. The fight between the wonderful solo vocal and the rising thumping underscore is covering unseen partnership in "Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mountains".
To talk about the positives is pointless, because Haugen brings forward a perfect balance between beauty, power and magic. Now the magic of "The Vista from Mount Crom" shows you nothing but wonder (albeit a little influenced wonder) when the brass aids the strings. And the same is heard during "Echoes of Atlantis", only this time giving a clarity to the influence, namely an Abyss like quality. Trust me, it's awesome.
The dreamy "The Lure of Atali" is shattered when we reach "Phalanx of Conquest", giving you a taste of Haugen's action voice for Age of Conan. It is a frenzy of choir battling the brass samples. And from that powerful action piece, we go back to vocal refinement in "Field of the Dead". It is really nice to discover that Basil Poledouris isn't forgotten, because "Hamlets of Aquilonia" is "Theology / Civilization" in huge parts. But we can't see this as influences, we see this as respecting the material that represents Conan the most. The same can be said of "Behold! / Tarantia - Royal City", reusing some other Poledouris mixes in a blazing meld of Haugen's own material.
The choral hymn for "Hymn for King Conan" unleashes another choral inspired piece while the surging string work of "Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain", the spiritual choir during "Foundations of the Temple / Mitra" and the western vocal with appropriate instruments in "Akhet / Portal to Stygia" all prove that Age of Conan has a large array of intriguing underscore.
And during the final part of Conan's journey, the story ultimately becomes very western in both story as sound. The string work in "Beyond the Pyramid / Sunrise in Khopshef Province" will remind you of the many western based adventures. It toys with the theme formed in 17, giving you further examples in 19, 20 and 21.
And while this is all cosy and relaxing, Conan still strikes down hard in the part where everything is revealed. "Combat Reborn / Stygia" repeats the main theme of that part with a choral back up (giving it some weight), "Combat Reborn / Cimmeria" and "Combat Reborn / Aquilonia" are even bigger with their supporting choir. "Memories of Cimeria" bring back the wonderful vocal work of Helene Bøksle to end the score the way it began.
If I must talk about problems it is that the score loses its charm during the middle, this due to many softer pieces and the absence of Helene Bøksle as overall supporting voice. But these are but quibbles in what is essentially Knut Avenstroup Haugen's ode to Conan, giving it a strong enough voice. The wonderful fusion of his music with light touches of Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarian is a masterful move, while the lightly Norwegian influences (due to the voice) comes over splendidly. It delivers you especially in the first part mesmerizing music that gives Video Game music back that sparkling quality.
Tracklisting
1. Ere the World Crumbles (2.04) Excellent track
2. The Sands of Forgetfulness / Tortage Beach (2.46)
3. The Damp Barachan Nights (3.23)
4. The Awakening / Hyborian Adventures (1.57)
5. The Arrival / Cimarron Welcome (3.13) Excellent track
6. Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mountains (3.22) Excellent track
7. The Vista from Mount Crom (2.17) Excellent track
8. The Lure of Atali (3.29)
9. Phalanx of Conquest (3.13) Excellent track
10. Field of the Dead (3.41)
11. Echoes of Atlantis (2.29) Excellent track
12. Hamlets of Aquilonia (1.52)
13. Behold! / Tarantia - Royal City (3.24)
14. Hymn for King Conan (3.04)
15. Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain (2.24)
16. Foundations of the Temple / Mitra (1.53)
17. Akhet / Portal to Stygia (3.17)
18. Beyond the Pyramid / Sunrise in Khopshef Province (2.58)
19. The Purple Lotus Swamp (2.57)
20. Khestatta / City of Mages (2.23)
21. The Black Ring Citadel / Final Memory (3.19)
22. Combat Reborn - Stygia (3.12)
23. Combat Reborn - Cimmeria (3.11) Excellent track
24. Combat Reborn - Aquilonia (2.33)
25. Memories of Cimeria (3.30)