Customer Reviews

Medal of Honor: Underground (2000 Video Game)

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For every person I know who owned the original "Medal of Honor" soundtrack, not one of them said a negative word about it. Of course, for all of the Giacchino fans, we all wanted to hear a sequel to "Medal of Honor", and sure enough, guess who got the job. With all the experience he had gained for composing the original "Medal of Honor" soundtrack, Giacchino took the score for the sequel above and beyond that of the original. It is not very often that you find a sequel better then an original, but when it comes to music, Underground in particular, that is not the case. For every minute you spend listening to this score, you will never doubt all the time and effort Giacchino put into composing it... --- Like Giacchino said before the release of Underground, the musical style was to be much different then its predecessor. In many cases, this is true, but you always know a Giacchino score when you hear one. If you're like me, you always looked forward to the "German theme" that was spread about in "Medal of Honor", and to my surprise, it is used periodically in Underground. As a matter of fact, the opening main theme begins with thick piano chords thundering in the background, immediately followed by the German theme. (Yes, it makes you say: "They're back!") This is followed by a soft rhythm for the strings brass, and sometimes even an accordion! Since Underground is based on the French Resistance forces who menaced German occupation during World War II, the accordion really takes the music into shape, even if it does sound rather funny at first. --- Although every track for Underground has it's different themes and styles, none are as good as "Escape from Casablanca". Just as "Taking Out the Railgun" was the big hit in "Medal of Honor", Casablanca gets the fame for Underground. Here Giacchino combines a swift rhythm, bold brass, and the ever-so-fearsome German theme to make a king of all the tracks. "Escape from Casablanca" is definitely one of the main attractions for this score. --- So, "should I get it" you say? For me, the answer is a little obvious. Get it now!!! Especially for those of you who own the original MOH. Underground is twice, or even more, better. It's another one of those scores that becomes addictive after awhile. (and there aren't many soundtracks like that) As always, you can here all the interesting techniques that John Williams uses in his music throughout Underground, so if you're big on Williams, this couldn't better. Give this one a try. A definite must-buy.

You'll LOVE "Medal of Honor: Underground"! When my best friend let me borrow his CD, I didn't think that I would like it.... ha ha ha, he sure showed me. Thanks, Joe. : ) Anyway, I listened to it non-stop. It is a really good soundtrack to get if you like intense music, because believe me, it'll get you pumped. Michael Giacchino certainly knows how to make breath-taking music, and I believe that he is up on the charts with John Williams. The Orchestration is fantastic and one of the best I've heard... This one is definitely worth every cent.

The Medal of Honor games have the best composed music because it does not use keyboard or techno music, it actually uses carefully orchestrated music. Giacchino does an excellent job composing. The music itself enhances gameplay many times, its suspenseful and adds a sense of victory when levels are accomplished especially during Mission 6 of of third medal of honor which encorporates the same music but is reprised with more instruments and added note. Giacchino also does very well with the new WWII game that was released last fall which was Call of Duty. Overall, the soundtrack for the Medal of Honor series is material that are equal to other great composers like Hans Zimmer and John Williams.

This awsome album by -previously unknown to me- Michael Giacchino, is an inspiring work of art to me. Since this album was released, I found more of his work and grew to like it more and more. I like it so much that I have been looking for its predecessor Medal of Honor and just now I got a hold of it, after more than a year. Both CD's are quite rare. Also, I am looking forward to the potential successor's soundtrack with Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. I hope mr. M. will release one soon! This MoH:Underground is the best!

Underground is perhaps the best soundtrack in the MOH series. Giacchino adds a boys choir to enhance the listening experience, and they deliver great performances on many tracks. An ethnic flavour, ranging from Frence (accoedian) to Italian and Greek is present throughout the score. The main theme is a great one, which really conveys Manon's resolve and courage. The Nazi theme returns, as pompous and fantastic as ever, ready to do battle across Europe. The Ally's and Patterson's themes may be absent, but this does not detract from the soundtrack. The Panzer Motif is also here (in 'Panzer Blockade').
Great tracks include 'Amongst The Dead,' which is really eerie, 'Fleeing The Catachombs,' a great chase-piece and 'Panzer Blockade,' where the Panzer Motif is splendid.
'Labyrinth of the Minotaur' is a Greek themed piece, with a wonderful rendition of the Nazi Theme. 'Last Rites' and 'The Battle Of Monte Cassino' are both choral epics that portray both the action, and saddness of war around this Italian Monastry.
The finale, 'Beneath The City,' is a fast-paced race against time with a triumphant announcement of Manon's Theme.
'Each Night He Comes Home To Me' is a quirky fun piece that slots into the album nicely.
You will find this album is very beautiful, and furthur develops Giacchino's style. The artwork on the book (which includes extensive notes on each track) and disc is spot on.
Buy soon, because this title is out of print, and there aren't many left!

In his score for Medal of Honor Underground, Michael Giacchino has managed to surpass the levels of excellence he reached with its predecessor, adding a choral and vocal element to the proceedings which adds more colour to the score. The almost hypnotically rhythmic, fantastically dramatic tunes of MOH are still here in tunes such as 'Labyrinth of the Minotaur' and 'Escape from Casablanca', and these are enhanced by a choir in pieces like the superb 'Battle of Monte Cassino'. The basic structure of the CD remains unchanged - there is still a scherzo in 'The Motorcycle Chase', which has managed to keep away from being identical to John Williams' 'Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra' for Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, without being too dissimilar; There is still a contemporary-style piece, with a song replacing the rather incongruous big band track, in both standard and radio versions, and there is an 'alternate version' of the main theme. All in all, an excellent CD, heartily recommended to anyone.

The first one was very impressive, this is mind-blowing! I can't think of a finer CD from 2000, not even from John Williams himself. Giacchino pulls out all the stops and writes one truely magnificent score. The Sinfonia explodes like a radiant bomb of music and never lets up. Last Rites, The Battle of Monte Cassino and the Motorcycle Chase are ranked as some of the most epic and pulse-pounding works heard in a long while. Good job Mike and Tim Simonec, for delivering a score that was hard pressed to beat the original!

Now for Medal of Honor 3...? Now THIS is going to be interesting!

This is one of the great game soundtracks. It's orchestration is a welcome change for video games. It is my opinion that Giacchino would be great for doing movies as well. Every song on the soundtrack fits the mood for the game PERFECTLY. There are a few that I don't personally like to listen to, but I'm sure others would, and if not, it fits in the game anyways. Even if you've never played the game, it's a great classical cd that's very well worth the great price. Pick it up today!!!

MOH Underground has a darker tone than the first MOH entree, but the quality of the music has not diminished one bit. The May 10 theme heard in the first track is one of the most beautiful themes to ever grace the MOH franchise, second only to Dogs of War from MOH European Assault by Christopher Lennertz. The action tracks are nothing less than tremendously exciting, although they don't quite match the awesome power of MOH Frontline. My favorite addition to this entree that is absent from the original MOH score is the boy choir; they add tremendous emotional depth to the music in certain tracks including the May 10 theme and The Battle of Monte Cassino. The quality of the music in this series cannot be praised enough; it stands as the best of the best in the videogame genre. MOH Underground is no exception.