Kameo -Elements of Power- Expanded Soundtrack

	Album Title: Kameo -Elements of Power- Expanded Soundtrack
	Record Label: Rare
	Catalog No.: N/A
	Release Date: May 1, 2008
	Purchase: Download at Official Site

Overview

While the 2005 soundtrack release for Kameo: Elements of Power contained an hour of Steve Burke’s music, it wasn’t enough to satisfy fans. Typically, at this point, nothing more would be done by official companies, but Rare has always been generous with its fans. Rather than forcing them to extract the music themselves, or releasing a second album of music, Burke and Rare instead released the music for free.

Body

Gradually updated and expanded over the course of three years, the website tracks represent nearly two additional hours of Kameo material. Some of these tracks expand on the heavy battle themes present on the CD; “Water Temple Battle,” “Final Showdown,” “Castle Fight” and others are solid tracks, though they repeat some of what’s on the commercial disc. It’s easy to see why they were left off, but the music is still worth having.

The website tracks really expand on the moody and quirky aspects of Kameo, though. The warm, sad vocals make a return in “Peace in the Kingdom,” one of the collection’s standout tracks. But the quirky themes prove to be the most delightful, from the wonderfully off-kilter tribal percussion of “Trainer Cave” to the Elfmanesque whistles and chirps of “Mystic Theme.” These songs are by far the most interesting additions, and one has to wonder why they weren’t squeezed onto the commercial disc.

The three suites, each over twenty minutes long, deserve special attention. Consisting of unreleased music from the game as well as alternate themes and demos, they represent a significant investment in listening time but a good payoff: all three are consistently high quality. The first medley expands on the gentle ethereal sound, with both wordless vocals and original songs in the mix. The second layers on the quirk with everything from troll chants to faux-Celtic dances, while the third is a bit of a grab bag that tends toward cacophonous battle music. Some listeners might be upset with the suite format, but the songs are easily pried apart in free audio editors and many of the tracks are too short to stand on their own.

Summary

The Kameo: Elements of Power website tracks uphold and expand on the terrific sound of the original album, with plenty of goodies for fans who enjoyed any of its facets. Since the music is free, there’s no reason not to add it to one’s collection post haste.

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