![]() |
|
| ||||||||||
| | Newest Major Reviews: | . | | This Week's Most Popular Reviews: | | Best-Selling Albums: | ||
| . |
1. Nim's Island 2. The Life Before Her Eyes 3. Horton Hears a Who! 4. Leatherheads 5. The Spiderwick Chronicles | . | . |
1. Moulin Rouge 2. Gladiator 3. POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl 4. Star Wars: A New Hope 5. Edward Scissorhands |
6. Pearl Harbor 7. Schindler's List 8. Titanic 9. Braveheart 10. Home Alone | . | . |
1. Varèse Sarabande 25th 2. The Last of the Mohicans 3. Legends of the Fall 4. Schindler's List 5. LOTR: Return of the King (Set) |
|
|
![]()
Filmtracks Recommends: Buy it... if the maturity of Michael Giacchino's own style is what you've considered lacking in the other Medal of Honor scores. Avoid it... if you really have no confidence in the quality of any score in a video game, despite its potential. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Gone forever may be the bombast that accompanied the gung-ho spirit of the first Medal of Honor game. Some listeners who enjoyed Giacchino's obvious stylistic similarities to John Williams' music of the 1980's will disappointed by this fact, but the transformation which has taken Giacchino's style further from that enthusiastic start has also led him down the path of creating his own style. Indeed, the title theme for the Allies is back, as is the Nazi theme and an adaptation of a major character theme, but they are not presented with the same heroic vigor during most of Medal of Honor: Frontline. Only in the final mission on the album, "The Horton's Nest," does a hint of that American patriotism begin to shine once again. On the other hand, Medal of Honor: Frontline isn't as subtle and understated as much of Medal of Honor: Underground was, and when Giacchino does provide moments of suspense in the newest score, he raises the bar by utilizing an adult chorus to accentuate the horrors of war. The chorus also works to brighten the beauties of war, with cues such as "After the Drop" and "Arnhem" offering harmonious, though bittersweet passages that exceed the quality of Giacchino's other music for the series. The score has a more powerful effect on the listener, and yet, even in its magnificent consistency, it lacks the enthusiastic grip that made the first Medal of Honor so enticing on album. Thus, despite being a superior composition and recording, Medal of Honor: Frontline is about equal to the original, and slightly better than the previous entry. Recorded in a Seattle cathedral, this score has a slightly more acoustically dynamic sound. Part of this is likely due to the location, though Giacchino's use of the chorus, chimes, bells, and anvil also add a welcomed depth. The album is not available through the same limited online avenues as the previous two; it is only to be purchased through EA Games' online gaming store. Luckily, it is still a popular seller and is priced at an inexpensive $10. Beware of a hideous, drink-induced hidden track at the end, however. Medal of Honor: Frontline confirms what many have suspected since 1999: Giacchino is ready for a major motion picture scoring assignment, and with such consistent quality in music, that assignment can't be far from reality. ****
The insert includes considerable information about the game and its music, including a cue-by-cue description of the music. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|