The arrangements for choir and orchestra in both “Aurora“ and “Sky Above, Voice Within“ will impress you with their stunning clarity and clear emotional impact, white “Into the Darkness”, “Caught off Guard” or “Blood and Steel” keep tensions high and get your pulse pounding with brassy action arrangements, sometimes even reprising the Elder Scrolls theme. As a stark contrast, “Awake” will send shivers down your spine with its haunting horn melody. “Far Horizons” in particular is a beautifully written and well developed cue and one of the album’s highlights. The soundtrack impressively draws on the whole spectrum of musical expression - be it drama, tension, beauty or action. What sets Skyrim apart, though, is the sheer quality of the compositions. Indeed, Soule’s trademark sound remains strongly apparent throughout. Fans of Soule’s music will notice immediately how he hesitates somewhat to stray too far from his comfort zone (one is reminded of Guild Wars: Eye of the North every once in a while). His orchestrations are subdued and subtle, the majority of the cues low-key and melodically evasive. The composer relies heavily upon string crescendos, subtle harmonic progressions and careful use of horn and woodwinds. Most of Soule’s music is solemn and melancholic in tone and focuses strongly on underscoring the quiet beauty of Skyrim’s landscapes. Still, the heavily thematic and catchy album opening may set the expectations too high. Yet Soule responds soundly to this challenge by extending his familiar orchestrations (in the main title and beyond) to fit the tone of the rigid and harsh landscape of Skyrim. Originally, the idea to use a male choir for the main theme stems from the game’s producer Todd Howard. It is a joy for every Elder Scrolls fan to hear the famous title theme in such an exciting arrangement. Never quite holding back when scoring for fantasy settings, Soule kicks it up another notch for Skyrim a tactic which is already foreshadowed in his testosterone driven main title cue “Dragonborn” that boasts male choir and thumping orchestral accompaniment.
Skyrim is easily the most accomplished score in the Elder Scrolls series yet. The game is set in the very north of the fantasy continent Tamriel and tells a compelling story of dragons, magic powers and high adventure.Īfter a surprising absence of some months, veteran composer Jeremy Soule returns to the podium to write a score, which unquestionably proves that he is still at the top of his game. Similar to its predecessors, Skyrim’s main allure lies in its extensive scope: huge landscapes to explore, a plethora of quests to solve and a wide variety of enemies to combat. Skyrim, the latest entry in developer Bethesda‘s beloved The Elder Scrolls series, is a role-playing game of truly epic proportions. Jeremy Soule's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim OSTĠ1 - Age of Oppression (perfomed by Mulakah)Ġ2 - The Age of Oppression (perfomed by Mulakah)Ġ3 - The Dragonborn Comes (perfomed by Mulakah)