The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter Original Soundtrack

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

	Album Title: The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter Original Soundtrack
	Record Label: The Astronauts (Promotional); Sumthing Else Music Works (Commercial)
	Catalog No.: N/A
	Release Date: September 25, 2014; January 27, 2015
	Purchase: Download at Sumthing

Overview

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is, without a doubt, one of 2014’s most engaging releases with story and visuals that pull you in. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the game’s brilliant music. Right from the first track, it is apparent that Mikolai Stroinski has employed a variety of vibrant instruments and effects to give life to the game’s world. You get to hear both the sad and haunting sides of Red Creek Valley, the place where the game takes place. More importantly though, the instrumentation is so uniquely done that listeners will enjoy going through the score track-by-track.

Body

The first track to begin with is Ethan’s theme, which is absolutely gorgeous due to the beautiful piano melody that balances on the edge of sadness and tension. The melody perfectly captures a child’s innocence and ever-growing imagination, which suits Ethan well. “Valley of the Binding Mist,” on the other hand, is the theme for Red Creek Valley, a place that hides its ugly secrets beneath a breathtakingly beautiful veil. The theme gives ample weight to both sides, with a vibrant woodwind and string melody showing the valley’s promise and its dangers. The violin just past 0:52 sinks my heart with its heartbreaking melody every time.

One thing I really admire that Mikolai has done is stop himself from going overboard with his tracks, whether horror or exploratory. He sticks to what works from beginning to end, so you never suddenly hear loud brass or extremely high-pitched strings inserted lazily to create tension. Instead, he takes his time and slowly builds the experience with different instrumentation and melodies. Take “Inside of the Deadly Wound,” for example, a highlight horror track on the soundtrack. It uses various melodies and techniques to grab the listener or player by the heart, guiding them through the game’s more sinister parts. I particularly like how he gives a healthy dose of creepiness by throwing in brief but powerful piano sections.

“Lonely Planet” is another one of my favorites, and one that you will hear quite often as you start exploring the stained parts of the small town. The howling string medley is the highlight, reminiscent of a more classic method of horror scoring. You won’t hear him unnecessarily throwing in tasteless or forgettable electronic screeches or filter effects. Stroinski uses organic instruments to the best of his ability and excels. There are electronic aspects to some tracks, but they are healthily mixed with more organic techniques, like in “The Dark Witch,” which, even though it mainly uses a slow ambient backdrop, manages to add string sections that bring its creepiness to a more organically relatable level.

I also really like how he has made good use of rhythmic percussion instruments like bells, xylophones, and the like. In my opinion, rhythmic percussion instruments are a horror scorer’s best friend, as they tend to sound both mysterious and beautiful at the same time. Play a beautiful medley on strings and it becomes heartwarming, but play it on bells or glockenspiel and suddenly you have a track that is not only beautiful but also a bit creepy. You will fortunately get to see Stroinski use this to great effect throughout the soundtrack. Whereas most composers rely on heavy-sounding basslines or distorted pads to fill out tracks, Mikolai uses a much more conventional method: rhythmic percussion.

There is some vocal work present that really elevates the game’s mood. An excellent example is the game’s ending, a vocal-based mix of “Valley of the Binding Mist,” which takes the original track to a whole new level — not only because of the hauntingly beautiful vocals but also the heartwarming string sections, which show that Stroinski is, without a doubt, able to work with a variety of techniques. The last track I have to talk about is fittingly “The Last Walk,” which plays during the game’s climax. It makes good use of the heartwarming string theme heard in “Valley of the Binding Mist,” this time on woodwind.

Summary

I have listened to the soundtrack quite a few times now, and, for the first time, there is nothing I would like changed. This soundtrack is not only a great example of how to memorably score a game and provide a beautiful standalone listen, but it also shows Mikolai Stroinski’s masterful and effective handling of different instruments, making the final soundtrack absolutely lush with the range of instruments it uses. Whether it be cello, piano, woodwind, rhythmic percussion, or even vocals, each and every element has an important role to play in providing a solid listen. Stroinski is absolutely talented, and he shows how you don’t waste the instruments at your disposal. I would recommend this to everyone who loves music, as it is something fresh amidst disappointing horror soundtrack outings such as The Evil Within. To be fair, many composers, even the big ones, can learn a lot from this. The album is available digitally now through Steam and Sumthing Else Music Works.