Call of Duty 3 (Video Game Score)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

With the constant rise of war shoot-em-up games ala Medal of Honor, Brother in Arms and Call of Duty its hard to follow which are the best of the lot. I know only that all play great yet have a distinct personal touch that make them somewhat different from one another. Yet it comes down to basically shoot your way through World War 2 missions from start to bottom. And in the case you heard music around the gunfights, it was either coming from Michael Giacchino, Christopher Lennertz, Graeme Revell or David McGarry. Showing that it all expands to movie standards each year more and more. The last man to step onboard the wagon is composer Joel Goldsmith, son of icon Jerry Goldsmith and composer of the Stargate SG-1 series including other projects. In the case of Joel its perhaps one of his few projects where he could start from scratch and make the sound his own because for Stargate in general he had to follow the sound created by David Arnold for the feature film, at least in the beginning while Call of Duty doesn't follow the thematic line as much as for instance Medal of Honor does or did. More it was a project where he could stretch his muscles and write the big bad ass orchestral pounds surrounding the gunfire and explosions. Strangely it never became that. Only in Medal of Honor did Michael Giacchino wrote the big bombastic cues, the rest all followed a line of suspense and occasional heroic rising. And if you take away the glorious main theme you are gonna witness it is exactly that which summarizes Call of Duty 3 in general. But as said the main theme is still present and luckily so because it is this moment where Goldsmith can build up his heroic resume. Drums and heroic brass up the wazoo and the 'Main Theme' is born. It holds some similarities with the latter orchestral music of Stargate SG-1 but that is of course the tone is general of Goldsmith Jr. 'Beaches of Normandy' is then more the suspension build up ending with suspenseful fanfares while 'Heroics After Chaos' is just adding the great heroic main theme to it in dare I say wonderful fashion.

But if you ever wondered if Joel could copy his father then apart from his spot on approach in Star Trek: First Contact I dare say he did it again in 'Bullet for Suspense' where he creates a Goldsmith suspense feel just like the master could conjure, especially with the way he writes for the brass. The more moody piece is 'Sneaking into Paris' even with some light electronic effects and the darker menace is omnipresent in 'A Fallen City' which makes Jerry again heard. 'What's the Plan?' holds a brief change of scenery with an amusing march but it doesn't stay that way for long while the 'Enemies' March' is dark and suspenseful but with the new theme making a point. The music of Joel is however at its best when he can add some heroism to it like in 'Liberating Paris', moody and suspenseful but then the action music rises to a more resolving finish with the main theme on brass. And in the brief but great 'Victory' he salutes the players of with a fanfare ala Stargate. The concert performance of the theme is for 'A Soldier's Salute' and its basically the same as the first track except for the percussion minute that is added. Basically Call of Duty 3 is a suspenseful score with a great heroic theme attached to it and hearing the great Jerry Goldsmith in both those styles is what makes it better than first expected. Joel Goldsmith naturally has a lot of talent and its so easy how he can make it sound like Jerry sometimes, he sure paid attention during those many years he heard his father composing. The score by Joel is like all the other Call of Duty's unreleased and you have to buy the game to hear it. This is a personal rip with track listing that doesn't accurately follow the course of the game, but in general it still makes the listening experience worth a dime, because it brings back Jerry in the suspenseful mood and Joel blazing away in the heroics. Together Call of Duty 3 makes you salute all the way.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Theme (3.15) Excellent Track

2. Beaches Of Normandy (2.14)

3. Heroics After Chaos (3.41) Excellent Track

4. Bullet For Suspense (2.08)

5. Sneaking Into Paris (2.12)

6. A Fallen City (4.45)

7. Cornered (1.58)

8. What's The Plan? (2.28)

9. Enemies' March (3.19)

10. Liberating Paris (3.16)

11. Victory (0.34)

12. A Soldier's Salute (4.36) Excellent Track

Total Length: 34.51

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