About the Soundtrack (from the Press Release): Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with SEGA®, proudly presents
Empire: Total War™ - The Soundtrack featuring the musical score from the latest installment of The Creative Assembly's multi award winning
Total War™ PC gaming franchise.
Empire: Total War - The Soundtrack will be released on June 30th to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works
www.sumthing.com, and will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital
www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes®.
Empire: Total War - The Soundtrack features the epic orchestral score composed by Richard Beddow (
Viking: Battle For Asgard), Richard Birdsall, Walter Nair, Simon Ravn and performed by The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall in Bratislava. The score was orchestrated and conducted by Nic Raine (
Viking: Battle For Asgard) and the soundtrack was produced by lead composer Richard Beddow.
What You Need to Know: Further blurring the lines between orchestral representation and high quality electronic tools,
Empire: Total War is the type of score that both fans of film music and game soundtrack followers will enjoy. It has a fairly large scope to it and delivers quite a bit of excitement throughout the 32 tracks on the disc. The 4 person composing team attacked the material with a consistent approach and the great Nic Raine sealed the deal by orchestrating and conducting the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra.
Typically, a score with as many as 32 tracks and a team of composers behind the helm might have produced inconsistent results with so much material in play. What I've started to find out is that, while such perils might have held true for a film score, game music is a whole new world of development. The composers on this team, under the lead of Beddow, created a score that is quite consistent in its approach and style, making Empire a cohesive effort that one can listen to with ease. It stayed within its own boundaries nicely.
The majority of the tracks on this release are bold enough to represent the action that the warfare of this series requires. There are also representative themes for key characters and significant events as well, though I must admit none really stood out individually as must-have takeaways. Instead, the themes are a collective success, which is apt since there was a team of composers behind them, and offers a dashing, epic taste of what the story and gameplay is about.
Lastly, the 32 tracks on this release were not to the detriment of the score. In short, it didn't feel long nor did it become overbearing. I found it to be just the opposite -- a solid, entertaining campaign!
