Hearthstone -Heroes of Warcraft- Original Soundtrack
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Album Title: Hearthstone -Heroes of Warcraft- Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Blizzard Entertainment |
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| Catalog No.: N/A |
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| Release Date: April 3, 2014 |
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| Purchase: Download at Official Website |
Overview
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is an online card game drawing from the Warcraft universe, and is free-to-play on many devices. The freely available score is mostly done by Peter McConnell, who crafts a wonderful, intimate soundtrack with a tavern setting. Each track has a few woodwinds and strings taking turns playing off of an underlying guitar pattern. The album predominantly features this one style, but each track is well-performed and great fun to listen to.
Body
The first track of the album is an outlier. “Heroes of Warcraft (Cinematic Score)” is the only orchestral track on the album, and is rather short a 42 seconds. It’s the only composition by Jason Hayes, and was used for the trailer of the game. It is fairly exciting, but is of course too short to really leave any impact, and it also isn’t indicative of the rest of the score at all. Nice to have, but not really the focus of the soundtrack.
The main body of the soundtrack is composed by Peter McConnell, and each track features the same small, intimate ensemble. The guitar opens each track, laying down a unique rhythm for each, allowing the other instruments including a harp, cello, clarinet, and a few others, to play over top. The tracks don’t have a central melody, just various short figures from the various instruments and a freely flowing structure. Many tracks also have a short opening or closing (either some encouragement from the tavern folk or a rather out-of-place magical sound effect segue) which at times adds to the atmosphere of the soundtrack and at others feels a bit too tangential.
The first tracks by McConnell are fairly playful, and one can easily imagine some light dancing along with drinks in a fire-lit tavern. “Pull up a Chair” is is the most lively of the soundtrack, complete with an invitation from the barkeep at the beginning of the track. “Tricks of the Trade” still has a strong groove, but is considerably more toned down, accompanying a dance perhaps more choreographed and intentional. “Two Rogues, One Mark” is similar, and is a bit more serious without losing the toe-tapping character of these first tracks.
“The Arena Awaits” is the first of the more meditative tracks. The underlying guitar pattern is more basic in its rhythm, cool and somewhat hypnotic. There is a subtle sense of mystery and anticipation, likely for the player or opponent’s next move. “Playing With a Full Deck”, is similar, though a bit more laid back and patient. This middle section is by no means a bore, as the tracks are still dynamic and interesting, just differently paced.
The final stretch of tracks, “Awash in Ale, but Nary a Mug”, the short “One Last Chance”, and “Tabletop Battles” bring the pace up just a tad, having more motion and some sudden swells for drama. “Tabletop Battles” in particular sounds a bit more exotic in its arrangement. They’re not quite the lighter dance atmosphere of the first tracks, but there is a playfulness brought back to the mood that carries on with the groove of the soundtrack without feeing too serious.
Summary
Hearthstone is another great, intimate score from Peter McConnell. He doesn’t take the tavern setting over the top with cheesiness, instead crafting a soundtrack that is relaxed and easy to listen to. It doesn’t have many hummable melodies, but that keeps it from becoming quickly tiresome, and allows the listener to be guided by the musicians. More variety might have helped the soundtrack feel a bit less homogenous, but it’s fairly short, so it doesn’t overstay its welcome much. McConnell’s score is of course very different from epic Warcraft scores, but it is also more fitting, and just as enjoyable.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
3.5
Posted on December 30, 2014 by Christopher Huynh. Last modified on March 11, 2015.
About the Author
Christopher Huynh recently finished an undergraduate degree in Physics at McMaster University. He has some proficiency in singing, piano, organ, cello, and gaming. He hopes to continue exploring the vast world of music while sharing it with others however possible.
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