Mercenaries (Video Game Score)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

La-La Land Records continues to prove with video game scores that they favor equally the bold orchestral efforts, because after Secret Weapons over Normandy comes Mercenaries. An action game promising great things if you simply consider the visual style of the game, but equally on this part more and more companies start to consider live orchestral music. Because the games expand, so does the music need to follow that growth. This time Michael Giacchino stayed personally in the background since he only wrote the themes of the score, and let the scoring duties to Chris Tilton who he knew from writing additional music for the series Alias, as the games Giacchino had a hand it. And its true Tilton tried to stay close to the Giacchino sound, because at times you would swear it is the master at hand. But this also has to do with the whole concept that it are Giacchino's themes and that Giacchino favors to use every part of his orchestra. Still Tilton obviously listened well to his master and tacked the way it should be done. Only that if you consider Mercenaries with the Medal of Honor scores and Secret Weapons over Normandy, you feel Giacchino still has the advantage of being the more experienced composer. Mercenaries however has a cool theme, as ever Giacchino knows how to bring themes and 'Mercenaries Main Theme' is perhaps a simple theme, but perhaps its so an inventive one that it again presents everything war games stand for, anyhow it starts with light suspension music but soon builds to the brass outburst that will dominate this theme's performance, later on ethnic mayhem, percussion as choir will give it further its strengths. Occasionally we have the softer tracks, necessary stuff if you don't want to hear bombast repeated, and 'Destination: DMZ' is a moody piece with a variation on the theme, 'For the Motherland' a cello morning with strings, equally around the theme and 'The Blinding Flash' covers the theme very soft. These are the counterparts to what dominates this album.

Like 'Allied Nations' with its ideas around the theme, pounding percussion setting the power to that and while the themes are not intermingling through the action sound like Giacchino so masterfully exhibited it, its still all solid and fun with a great brass building near the end. 'Deck of 52' has good pumping variations on the theme, 'Family Business' almost returning to Medal of Honor territory with Nazi marches while 'Honor and Strength' is something completely different. Solely ethnic flutes and live percussion dominate with even shouting voices near the end, its basically Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but it doesn't work because its frankly boring in my part, intriguing it must perhaps be in the game. I love it when choir adds the punch to tracks, and 'Hidden Valley Bunker' has that punch, it grows with the orchestra and almost states Latin chants ala The Omen near the end, but it sets well some diversity to the music. 'Swedish Fireballs' is basically the action music with the main theme circling the power and so does 'Trouble at Work' continue to sound large and covered with the main theme, but the control of themes and the interest you gained with Giacchino's scores (because he either handled the progression of themes or basically one theme through each other) is losing here your attention, which shows Tilton is not there yet. 'Trains, Plains and HMMWV's' shows progress in a powerful thematic content, as does 'Gas Tank on the Roof' which covers a lot of rhythm and brass (almost The Incredibles) while the choir returns for 'Thermal Event' but here again the same problem, it loses your focus after a minute, while still containing the good hidden ideas. Luckily the end doesn't cover that problem, with 'Countdown' basically growing with theme and choir to its climax. Altogether, there is a lot to like of Mercenaries, its powerful, orchestral and covering good themes, but Tilton must now tackle the Giacchino impression and then you have to say he's not there yet. If you have to compare Mercenaries with Secret Weapons over Normandy, then Giacchino handles the scoring baton still a little better, but not to worry because Tilton did a good job nonetheless in warming up the audience with a scoring assignment that never failed. He just had to battle against the almighty power that the name Giacchino stands for nowadays.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Mercenaries Main Theme (4.11) Excellent Track

2. Destination: DMZ (3.37)

3. Allied Nations (3.21)

4. Mercenary Without A Cause (5.39)

5. Deck Of 52 (2.03)

6. For The Motherland (2.31)

7. Family Business (3.02)

8. Show Me The Mercenary (2.04)

9. Honor And Strength (3.26)

10. Hidden Valley Bunker (4.53) Excellent Track

11. Sniper (2.15)

12. Swedish Fireballs (3.02)

13. Trouble At Work (2.05)

14. Trains, Plains And HMMWV's (2.02)

15. Relentless Pursuit (2.25)

16. Gas Tank On The Roof (1.03)

17. Explosion Scherzo (1.50)

18. Thermal Event (2.11)

19. Countdown (3.05) Excellent Track

20. The Blinding Flash (1.07)

21. World's Best Carpool Lane (1.54)

Total Length: 58.38

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=== Link to Composer Site: Michael Giacchino ===