ok, this is a little different than a normal music review since the music comes from a video game. the silent hill series, beginning with the playstation one, has always been known for its creepiness and the music definitely helps set the mood in the game. the first soundtrack from the game that i heard was from silent hill 2 and most people in forums regard that soundtrack as akira yamaoka's (soundtrack composer) best. i disagree.
the music from the second game is good, that's true, but i like it the least. first of all, the soundtrack did not come with the game, i downloaded it and burned it and listened to it at work, home, and in the car...the soundtrack for silent hill 3, however, took me by surprise. it accompanied the game and i listened to it a lot. this soundtrack had at least 3 songs with vocals (in english) and they were nice...as one of my co-workers would describe it: sexy female vocals. the fact that there are vocal tracks on the third soundtrack as opposed to silent hill 2 raises it higher in my opinion...and they're done well, so that's icing on the cake.
but this "review" is for the latest game's soundtrack. i haven't had the game for that long, let alone played it (jessica's played it a little, though), but it seems like it's pretty creepy already. there are a few changes here and there as far as game mechanics go, but the music is still the same, and that's a good thing. this soundtrack doesn't seem to have the dark and cacophonous tracks of the previous two. instead, it progresses along with softer beats that support the story of the game. it's hard for me to describe, but it fits...the best comparison i know of is to watch the movie 28 days later and pay attention to the music when the main character is walking down the street. it's very similar to the silent hill music and one of the reasons i liked the movie.
anyway, this soundtrack surpasses its predecessors in every respect. the vocal tracks are very melodious (one exception - there's a track where a guy sings and, while ok musically, i wouldn't compare it to the female vocal tracks). the music is beautiful. i think the vocalists from the third soundtrack came back for this one and i'm glad they did....it worked so well before that i was looking forward to hearing them this time around. the style of music may not be for everyone, but i like listening to it and, like i said before, this sounds like it's the best so far.
Posted by godemperor at October 12, 2004 12:42 PM