Akkadian Empire

   When Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was announced back in 2011, it was called "The most anticipated game of the year." I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype, but the music sure was pleasing. As the final concluding chapter in the series, I believe that it did.

   The reveal trailer features Audiomachine's Akkadian Empire, but you will not be able to hear it very well unless you have previously heard the song yourself. Watch the trailer below and see if you can pick up the basic theme.

   Did you hear it? The music that is playing is in fact from Akkadian Empire, but the catch? The percussion stems are the only thing that is present from the original track.This is an interesting way of going about this campaign, which seems to fit the trailer perfectly. The increasing intensity and simple sound are a good match for what is going on in the video. After all, this is just a reveal trailer.

   Now listen to the master mix with all of the stems combined (below). When you watch the video above again, you can almost hear the choir where it used to be.

   I suppose this track is simple in nature to begin with, and very short, but with a good level of intensity. The drums truly are epic and fun to listen to, so here it is once more. The same stem that is used in the reveal trailer, but without all of the extra sounds. Just pure percussion. 

   It is very interesting to see how the advertising company manipulates the music to fit their needs in trailers. This is the least amount of music from the original mix that I have come across when it comes to trailers. I admire creativity, and that can come from original work, or how someone can take that work and change it up. Do you know of some instances where the music is changed significantly? 

Decimus: The Abbey Road Sessions

Well, I'm off to a late start today, but in time for lunch you will listen to the best trailer music from 2015. Audiomachine treated its fans with not on official release, but three! I have yet to listen to Magnus: B-Sides.

Today is the source of inspiration for this week's Abbey Road series. Decimus is filled with epic themes to jump start your adventure, rejuvenate your strength, and push you forward. Now go kill that monster!

The Lion's Heart sets the mood for the album and presents a good start. Today I will be mainly focusing on Unbroken. I love this song so much.

It is a beautiful representation of the strings, blending spiccato and arco, which shapes the theme. Coming in at the perfect time, the choir adds to the mix, but does not overpower the dominant sound of the instruments.

Faint percussion in the background and some accompanying brass. Being a string player, you may have already guessed that I always prefer the sound of the strings, which are the main instruments in this piece. If you listen for it, you will hear the brass near the end when the climax is reached.

My favorite part in this piece begins at 1:24 when everything ceases except for the violin and the choir. The violin, playing in spiccato, takes a short pause before returning using much higher notes to increase the intensity and eventually reaching the final climax.

What are your thoughts on this beautiful piece? If you like this track as much as I did, you should also look into Voyage of Dreams.

I hope you have an excellent Friday. See you again next week!

Above and Beyond by Audiomachine

To wrap this wonderful week up in one tight ribbon, I have here a track from Audiomachine.

Audiomachine is my favorite trailer music company. Today's track comes from 2013's Tree of Life and was featured in the trailer from Monday's film: Cinderella.

Composed by the talented Paul Dinletir, Above and Beyond

Slow piano begins the track and gives us the theme. A short burst of percussion is the cue for the strings, coming in as spiccato and starting the buildup. The cello invites itself in, playing some high notes and introducing the primary theme.

Everything begins to come together as the percussion maintains a steady beat that forshadows what is to come. The percussion and strings play together shortly before reaching its peak and bringing in the choir, which is perfectly balanced and does not overpower the instruments.

I love how everything is so delicately mixed. This is one of my all-time favorite songs from the trailer genre.