The grim, dark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe deeply embedded in fans of the Games Workshop intellectual property has consistently proven about being over the top. Gritty battlefields, casualties and collateral damage spiraling into numbers that’d make Stalin pale with envy and gore that supersedes any of Eli Roth’s wettest of dreams. Yet, it is all befitting that WH40K not only contains such impetus, drawing players and potential fans alike, but continuously paints the entire underlying imaginative ideas behind the games, stories, characters and everything therein in an epic spotlight. Such is even the case with the music to the latest installment in 40K, Space Marine.
Replete with legendary warriors such as Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, exceptionally performed music only improved upon the overall atmosphere. Including heroic orchestral fanfare, gamers were further induced to perform greater feats of heroism as they slaughtered countless Orks before eventually moving onto the force of Chaos later on in the game. Fantastically, each and every piece throughout the album composed jointly by the intrepid duo Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco fits incredibly well with the sections of Space Marine in which they were intended and, played in order, walks the listener through the same journey as if they were playing.
From the opening Prologue, which creates a palpable feeling of foreboding, echoes the opening splash screen of Space Marine depicting Captain Titus taking down a handful of Orks in dramatic slow-motion, captivating those who are yet to play as well as those who may have already completed the campaign. A series of heavy dins throughout highlights the crescendos in the music, whether they are simple rises to accent sections of lower pitch or increasing series of tonal inclinations, all of which succeed in inspiring a listener to imagine gratuitous scenes of battle. Leading into Titus’ Theme, the entirety of the album slowly proves to be a philharmonic masterpiece the further down the rabbit hole one ventures a listen.
Perhaps most notable is the fact that there are several stand-out tracks throughout that will immediately trigger player memories who looks back on Space Marine fondly. Battlements and Valkyrie Run will imbue listeners with audible reminders of the devastation wrought upon the Orks throughout giant set piece levels, while others will do no less than end up as additions to thesoundtrack accompaniment painting miniatures. Regardless, the pounding orchestral music emanating from any adjacent speakers will leave a distinct flavor behind in the ears of any who happen to give the Space Marine soundtrack a listen whether they support the Emperor, one of the four Chaos Gods or even get hyped up at the thought of a Green Tide capped off with a thunderous WAAAGH!
Considering the price, currently under $10 on Amazon, this is more than a justifiably great admission to nab the music as it costs roughly equivalent to a blister pack miniature, or slightly more expensive than a pot of paint – depending on where you might be shopping at the time. Utterly though, it speaks volumes that a soundtrack can still remain memorable in the face of an otherwise solid title, adding a significant amount of appreciable laudability to Space Marine where in any other game such music would be an afterthought, reduced to nothing more than ambience. Hopefully game designers take note and continue to put such effort forward.
Final Score: 4/5
The full track list is below:
1. Prologue (2:26)
2. Titus' Theme (2:59)
3. Prelude To War (2:58)
4. Against All Odds (2:40)
5. Valkyrie Run (3:36)
6. Battlements (3:16)
7. Whispers Of The Dead (1:30)
8. The Blood Ravens (2:15)
9. Reunion With Mira (1:00)
10. The Weirdboy (1:58)
11. No Man's Land (3:02)
12. The Inquisitor (2:38)
13. The Meat Grinder (3:05)
14. Heart Of Darkness (2:08)
15. Fight For Honor (2:44)
16. Titan (2:05)
17. Legions Of Chaos (1:52)
18. Heresy (3:52)
19. A Hero's Legacy (5:00)
Full Disclosure: The Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Soundtrack is currently available and was purchased via Amazon’s MP3 store for $8.99 and listened to over the course of a week, comprising roughly 10 hours. The soundtrack can be previewed and purchased here.
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