Customer Reviews

Dark Void

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a fan of Bear McCreary's work for a goodly while now, but unlike most people who're familiar with his work, I did not discover the composer via "Battlestar Galactica". I was initially exposed to his work on the Sci-Fi Original series, "Eureka". What Bear does on that show is completely different from what he wrote for his other well known Sci-Fi offerings (namely "BSG" and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles") and is about as far from his work on "Dark Void" as you can get.

The musical soundscape of "Dark Void" is broody and evocative, filled with rushing strings, pounding percussion, aggressive bass solos and a hauntingly but beautifully utilized Ondes Martenot (for those unfamiliar with the instrument, think "Dana's Theme" from Elmer Bernstein's "Ghostbusters" score). There's quite literally a little bit of everything here. It's got to feature the most eclectic mix of instruments I've ever heard in a video game score.

Speaking of instruments, it's nice to see a video game score that features almost entirely live elements. There's very little in the way of sampling here -- if any at all -- and the production values shine through beautifully. By my third or fourth hour into the game, I found myself thinking that the score must have been a pretty high priority in the budget department. That's not to say the game isn't good, but everything else simply pales in comparison to the music. I have a tendency to replay certain areas with the sound effects and dialog switched off just so I can hear the score.

As far as the album is concerned, there's no shortage of music here. At a whopping 79 minutes and 30 seconds, there's no room left to cram anything else on the disc. And best of all, nothing feels recycled or like useless padding. That's not surprising when you consider McCreary wrote around 4 hours worth of material for the game. There is an awful lot going on here, and every single moment was handpicked by McCreary. It's rare that you get a soundtrack album with not a single duff track, but McCreary pulled it off. Kudos to him!

My list of highlights include the "Theme for Dark Void" (a leitmotif which is quoted on many occasions throughout the album), "Archon" (the percussion heavy first boss encounter), "Tesla's Laboratory" (heavily featuring the balalaika and, I believe, the panpipes), "Above the Canopy" (if you've played the demo then you've heard this, and the track features one of the most impressive bass solos I've ever heard), and a bonus arrangement of the "Main Theme" performed in the 8-bit style of "Mega Man II".

If you've played "Dark Void" and found you love the music, this album is a must-have. Pretty much everything from the score is well represented, and I doubt you'll find yourself left wanting once you've finished listening to it (although I'd be surprised if you weren't tempted to play it again from the beginning). If you've never played "Dark Void" but are a fan of Bear McCreary -- or of sci-fi/action music in general -- then you owe it to yourself to add this beautiful piece of work to your collection.

You won't regret it.

Dark Void is a sci-fi video game that features what I found to be an immensely superb score from Bear McCreary. Certain elements to this score give it a classic feel. While listening through I was reminded of Jerry Goldmsith and certain parts reminded me of James Horner.

The score itself is incredibly thematically based. If there was ever a perfect example of theme and variation this would be it. McCreary sets up with the timeless sounding romanticized theme right off the bat. Another big surprise is that we have a full on sweeping orchestral score. Leave your synths at home boys and girls. McCreary successfully sets up an identity for the score even though he used a full orchestra. His wonderful percussion gives the score substance, and his use of ethnic instruments and arrangements give it character. He uses an electric violin to give it a bit of a vintage video game feel.

The music here is truly unique in that it doesn't follow traditional gaming standards. Usually what we get from video game scores is "background" music. However here McCreary has given us a grand and lush musical story complete with changing arcs and swelling emotions. The very last track is a complete homage to Mega Man II, which Bear states in the liner notes was one of his first musical influences growing up. So, I thought that was fun of him to include.

Dark Void is easily one of my favorite video game soundtracks of recent times. The creator has already done some sci-fi show soundtracks so he wasn't new to the scene at all. This soundtrack, while mostly ochestra in sound, also has some electronics in it to make a unique mixture. The real treat here is the drums and percussion. There is so much in the tracks that it gives it a very jungle, almost tribal feel at times. The final track is just for fun, a chiptune version of the theme song... sounds like a nintendo game! I never played the game, but I heard it isn't very good - but whether you liked the game or not - you need this soundtrack for your collection! High recommendation!

This soundtrack is classic Bear McCreary. A hint of sci-fi, a dose of eclectic instrumentation, and a whole lot of adventure.

After playing through the PC version of this game earlier this year I couldn't help but remember the fantastic score that went along with it. Unlike many gamers I thoroughly enjoy the scores put together for video games. In fact, probably 60% of the music on my iPod is from video games. Many people will know the composer of this score, Bear McCreary from his score work on the TV Series Battlestar Galactica. While I was not much of a fan of his Galactica scores, Dark Void however struck a chord with me, pun intended. Here are my thoughts and track ratings on this wonderfully tribal and varied sounding video game score;


1. Theme From Dark Void 8/10
2. Prologue and Main Title 6/10
3. Village Attack 8/10 (Nice drum heavy combat track)
4. A Mysterious Jungle (Mellow and eerie)
5. Altar Sacrifice 8/10
6. Archon 6/10 (Nice track ruined by unnecessary guitar riffs)
7. Ava and the Rocket 7/10
8. Tesla's Laboratory 6/10
9. The Prophesized One 5/10 (Heavy drums but more cheesy guitar)
10. Taking Flight 8/10
11. Crash Site 9/10 (Heavy percussion and flutes, great track)
12. Void Requiem 9/10 (Long and eerie percussion, string and flutes)
13. Ava and Tesla Return 7/10
14. Above the Canopy 6/10 (Nice action track that works in game but the filtered electronic violin and guitar quickly become tiresome)
15. Hieroglyphs and Betrayal 7/10
16. Defending the Ark 7/10
17. The Collector 5/10 (More annoying guitars)
18. Survivor Camp Combat 8/10 (Great drum beat but filtered guitar/violin gets old)
19. The Watcher Airship 8/10 (Suspenseful action track)
20. Watcher Prison 10/10 (Phenomenal action track)
21. The Imperator 7/10
22. Will and Ava 7/10
23. The Dweller 8/10 (Fast paced action)
24. Ava's Sacrifice 7/10
25. Will at the River 7/10
26. Dark Void End Credits 6/10
27. Theme from Dark Void (Mega Version Track) 7/10 (Amusing 8-bit Midi Mega Man sounding main theme. It is a Capcom game after all.)


Dark Void is a solid composition completely befitting of the game. Very heavy on the flutes and percussion it lends itself well to the fast paced combat and alien world of the game. My only complaint would be the twangy and often whining guitar riffs that McCreary threw in periodically. While it lent itself to the action in game just fine it just isn't something I enjoy listening to repeatedly as it gets old extremely fast. Despite that, Dark Void was a wonderfully impressive and varied video game score that once again demonstrates that games too deserve to have impressive orchestral compositions.