Starhawk

I've listened to soundtracks for movies and television shows, even a few that were from plays, but this is the first time that I've listened to the soundtrack to a video game. Looking at the cover to the CD of Starhawk I thought it was going to be music with fast, loud beats that would have a futuristic feel. Instead the music composed by Christopher Lennertz features songs that have a grand and full sound that could fit easily in a movie or for a stage play. Christopher Lennertz has composed some entertaining music on this soundtrack that makes me want to play the game just to find out how this music relates to what is happening in the game.

As for the style of the music, it's an odd mixture for a soundtrack for a video game that is about shooting and fighting. What caught me off guard was how some of the songs sound like they are for an old west type show. There's none of the twang of the guitar or the whistle during a show down, but the feel of it being a western is there. With a name of Starhawk, the artwork of a giant machine, and space in the background I was not expecting to hear songs that would go well with a Clint Eastwood movie. However, just when I was thinking I had a handle on the music going from being an orchestra to a western, there was the track "Outcast Warrior" that has female vocals doing some sort of chant in the song. It's good, I liked the tone and vibe of the song, but it did catch me off guard.

What I liked the most about this CD is the different settings the music puts me in when I heard them. At times I thought I was in space, other times during a moment in a battle where I realize this will be a tough fight, I was hearing horns, there's the western sound being used, and even a military order to the music. While allowing the music to give off those feelings in them, they're all composed and played really well. If I had not looked at the CD cover I would not have guessed that this was a soundtrack for a video game. I've been to some concerts where the orchestra does not do as good a performance as what I heard on this CD. It's very enjoyable, it has a good flow to it, and the music goes from being full of energy to having this somber sound without skipping a beat.