Resident Evil 5 Selection Track
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Album Title: Resident Evil 5 Selection Track |
| Record Label: Capcom |
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| Catalog No.: N/A |
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| Release Date: March 5, 2009 |
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| Purchase: Buy Used Copy |
Overview
The Resident Evil 5 Selection Track was a promotional item released in Japan alongside the game. Featuring a small selection of pieces composed by Kota Suzuki, orchestrated by Wataru Hokoyama, and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra, it offers a glimpse into the sounds and styles that would be heard in the game. Many of the orchestral versions are exclusive to this release even though a three disc commercial soundtrack was later made available.
Body
The promotional album, unsurprisingly, starts with “Opening -Chris’s Arrival-“. This is definitely one of the highlights of the whole soundtrack. From the tribal tones created by the exotic percussion and the vocals, to the suspense created by the ambient atmosphere and strings, Suzuki creates a strong composition, with Hokoyama accentuating it with his orchestration choices.
The next four themes, “An Emergency,” “A Big Despair,” “Wind of Madness,” and “Deep Ambition” are all action themes that incorporate a wonderful use of brass and strings to convey a great sense of intensity and suspense. Of particular interest to me is “Wind of Madness”. It’s probably my favorite theme, aside from the vocal theme, from this promotional album and the soundtrack as a whole. It has a very intense sound and I love how it incorporates the main theme in its work with bombastic brass and frenetic string work. Both composer and orchestrator did a fantastic job on this one.
“Plan of Uruboros” also incorporates the main theme, but does so in a more timid manner. The strings work creates an atmosphere of suspense, mystery, and despair. It has a very ambient nature, and while I’m not too fond of overly mysterious themes, I think this one struck a nice balance.
The theme song, “Pray -Theme Song-” is another amazing piece. Some have said that by not singing in her native language, vocalist Oulimata Niang loses some of the atmosphere of the piece. However, I would be one to disagree. The way she sings the English lyrics is both haunting and beautiful, while the accompaniment helps to construe a nice sense of suspense and tribal influences.
Summary
This short promotional album might be worth picking up, considering the original soundtrack features digital versions of these orchestrated themes. While I’m not the biggest fan of music in Resident Evil, the music for this game is easily the most accessible and action packed of the series’ soundtracks to date, and one I see myself getting into with more listens. Both the composer and orchestrator do a superb job at bringing a variety of emotions and influences into the mix and I hope one day they collaborate again. If you can’t find this on eBay, though, I’d just settle for the original soundtrack.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on August 1, 2012 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on August 1, 2012.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
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