Knut Avenstroup Haugen

Funny you should mention this - I'm waiting for this to arrive in the mail in the next couple of days. The first score is, as you mention, a very good 2CD set.

Yup, very entertaining music by my fellow Norwegian, even though it isn't the most original in the world. A few weeks ago, I attended a big event here in Oslo that had artists like Röyksopp and Jean Michel Jarre playing. But as part of the warm-up was a long suite of AGE OF CONAN, performed by the Army Marching Band Orchestra (of all things) and the Oslo Philharmonic Choir. Quite good, although the army band arrangements were kinda skimpy. Here's a pic:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6 … =530696277

Listening to Age of Conan: Rise of The Godslayer at the moment - I'm only about 3-4 tracks in - but I'm loving it. I'm a sucker for Eastern-influenced scoring, and this is full of it. Skimming down the credits instruments such as dizi, bawu, shakuhachi, quena, erhu, pipa, guzheng, taikos are all listed.

It's not too much of an action score at the moment. Very reflective - as many Eastern scores can be - even to the point of being ambient. But these tracks are peppered by some adrenaline-pumping action scoring.

[Edit: I'm now at track 9 and there does seem to be an emphasis on the more ambient rather than action scoring. So beware anyone expecting action, action, action.]

I'd say that it is a good companion to the original score and worth peoples' time hunting it down.

This is a package that's worth finding as a physical CD (rather than acquiring it as a set of mp3s) as there's more to this release than just a CD. A bonus DVD-video disc comes with the CD. The DVD contains all the CD tracks in the original 5.1 surround versions and there are 5-6 additional bonus tracks on the DVD (totalling about 15 minutes of music). These additional tracks are "ambient versions" of some of the tracks on the CD (though I'm not sure how more ambient some of them can get!!). I have the DVD in the player at the moment (though I can't take advantage of the 5.1 with my stereo-only system) and as the tracks are playing there's some lovely original artwork playing. Apparently there are also some selected videos in Windows Media format.

And for anyone who's actually played the game there's the following:

"...personal key that unlocks a unique Flute virtual item in Age of Conan and allows for an unlimited trial account registration. [Also] a trial client for Age of Conan PC game (installer)." (Whatever that means.)

Urghhh....more atmospheric duduking...
I'll pass.

(Although I really like his first Age Of Conan work)!

But I'm slightly confused: Age Of The Gods Slayer is yet another sequel (to Age Of The Gods)?

atmosphering duduking has nothing to do with the first score.

Sorry, sorry, my mistake. I meant RISE of the Gods rather than AGE of the Gods.
Rise Of The Gods is mentioned by Demetris in the first post, but I guess that's a mistake then?

Interview with the composer on scoring Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer.