I don't think that is a fair assessment. (Destiny)

by Harmanimus , Friday, July 14, 2017, 17:46 (2776 days ago) @ Cody Miller

Given that the context here is title screens, the comparison I am making is between "Path to Oryx" and "Rise of Iron" and not any other content within the soundtracks. For the sake of sensibility I will also address "The Traveller" as was the title music in Y1. I do not recall if TDB or HoW had different title music and a quick google didn't give me the info that I wanted.

Preface to this comparison: I personally reject your requirement of character for good music. At least isolating to that term. I consider emotive force more important and the given context, and I do consider memorable to be an aspect of "character," but made more important by the emotive force of familiarity. More on that later.

So, we will start with out baseline: "The Traveller."

Twenty seconds of isolated horn followed by hopeful string and building layers. A sharp crescendo and a cut to something more ethereal. This song when taken as a whole becomes very familiar as it moves through different sections and how it mirrors the players involvement in the game world. You start alone, but it builds on an intense feeling of hopeful growth. It is very appropriate to the game it precedes.

This music has a very distinct character to it (loneliness meets hope) and it is in this sense that it is easy to become familiar with. The repeated recognition of sequential shifts through the song become very enjoyable. I would compare this with "Hedwig's Theme" in The Sorcerer's Stone, though highlighting that the emotion is more on the side of wonder than hope. It is easy to get lost within either of these songs.

I think this is somewhere in the realm of what you mean by character? Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Most people seem to agree that this was great title music and it is remembered very fondly. "The Traveller" set a very good baseline and people like it because it lifts them up.

"Path to Oryx"

The first fifteen seconds is a build of ominous strings with a percussive support. It starts spooky. And it tends to stay that way. The key, pacing, and focal instruments all support that you should be uneasy. Perfect, definitely befits the story we're prefacing here. And that sensation doesn't really change throughout the song. It's all spooky dread.

In reference to almost everything else in Destiny, this stands out like a nail in your foot. It was a spectacular tonal shift and an emotion that we didn't really get with most of vanilla. Most of the tracks associated with the Hive in Vanilla had hints of being spooky, but I don't think any of them built dread. That is important.

The entire soundtrack of Insidious or the main theme of The Thing are both soundtracks that I feel build dread through anticipation. However, only one of those really stands out as memorable in regard to being full of character. This is not a bad thing as they both fulfill their purpose in their context. I'm pretty sure that unsettling, erratic strings aren't what you mean when you say a song has character, and perhaps for independent listening that is correct. "Heels" from It Follows is also a solid comparison for setting up spookiness.

"Rise of Iron"

A somber start and then a break in the clouds, but it retains the grave tone throughout. It shares some of the lifeblood of both "The Traveller" and "Path to Oryx" while also having its own identify. The song is not as aggressively paced either. It is much longer. And it does take advantage of that fact. It builds on itself, almost like a sword being forged. It is much more grand than "Path to Oryx" and possible even more than "The Traveller."

Quite plainly it is more for a fantasy epic than anything else. I guess if you don't take the time to listen to it that it has no character due to the slow build. But damn if you do take the time to listen to it. It wouldn't be out of place in something set in Middle Earth. It fits nicely along side Two Steps From Hell's "Heart of Courage" and would fit in with anything like the darker side of Willow or the main theme from Conan: The Barbarian.

So, really. Long winded way to say "lolno" to the assertion that the title music for Rise of Iron doesn't have character and doesn't adequately set up the story that follows. Perhaps only in the context that "Path to Oryx" takes cues from horror does it really stand out more than either "The Traveller" or "Rise of Iron."