Customer Reviews

Shadow of the Colossus: Roar of the Earth

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This soundtrack is one of the BEST soundtracks I've ever heard: movie and video game alike. From the epic battle songs to the calmer/exploring tracks, this can rival the John Williams of the world, it's really that good! It sure fits the empty landscape of the giants from the video game, and even if you haven't played it, you can get the feel of being in a mystical place with great beasts. The battle songs sound like those from the soundtrack to Gladiator (powerful). Everything else is a masterpiece, from the chior to the soft, dream-like music.

Track Listing (everything's in Japanese):
1. Prologue: To the Ancient Land
2. Prohibited Art
3. Commandment
4. Black Blood
5. Resurrection
6. Sign of the Colossus
7. Grotesque Figures-Battle with the Colossus
8. The Opened Way-Battle with the Colossus
9. The End of the Battle
10. Idol Collapse
11. Green Hills
12. A Violent Encounter-Battle with the Colossus
13. Revived Power-Battle with the Colossus
14. Lakeside
15. Silence-Battle with the Colossus
16. In Awe of the Power-Battle with the Colossus
17. Wander's Death
18. The Farthest Land
19. Creeping Shadow-Battle with the Colossus
20. A Messenger from Behind-Battle with the Colossus
21. Counterattack-Battle with the Colossus
22. Exposed Corpse
23. A Closed Off City
24. Liberated Guardian-Battle with the Colossus
25. A Despair-Filled Farewell-Battle with the Colossus
26. Prayer
27. Swift Horse
28. Gate Watcher of the Castle Ruins-Battle with the Colossus
29. Sanctuary
30. Demise of the Ritual-Battle with the Colossus
31. A Pursuer
32. Premonition of Revival
33. Epilogue-Those Who Remain
34. Hope
35. The Sunlit Earth
36. Memories
37. Wilderness
38. Voice of the Earth
39. Marshlands
40. Anger
41. Final Battle
42. The Farthest Land (reprise)
**Tracks #36-42 are bonus tracks not used in the game!**

Composed by Kow Otani, this soundtrack is a rare gem. It's all one disc, too. Highly recommended!

Shadow of the Colossus is an epic game in which you battle giant beings on a desolate landscape with the aid of only your horse, your bow, and your sword. The game itself is filled with epic battles and detailed graphics but one of the main points of the game that add to its greatness it the score, composed by Kow Otani.

Otani, who has worked mostly on anime scores and a few videogame ones before this, fleshes out all his skills and creates not only epic battle songs that rival those in John Williams and Howard Shores scores, but also has more calmer tracks that serve to illustrate the large vast and almost empty world the beasts live in.

The game and soundtrack have raised the bar on how videogames should be treated as art in similar respect to movies and if you are looking for music to best showcase the talent put into videogames, this is the perfect choice.

I usually don't buy game soundtracks but I couldn't have missed this one. Full of adrenaline-pumping epic tracks ("The Opened Way", "Revived Power" and "Swift Horse" come to mind), as well as some of the most emotional pieces in the history of videogame (some of them brings tears to my eyes, like the opening track "To the Ancient Land", "The Farthest Land" and "The Sunlit Earth") this CD has it all. Highly recommended for anyone interested in good music. I only pray that Kow Otani composes for the next Team ICO games.

No more to add, other reviewers have expressed everything I could say about this master piece of gaming music.

I don't play games, but my nieces and nephews do and every now and then I hear music that I like. This was one of them. This composer definitely got my attention. And then I fell in love with the Shadow of the Colossus story/game, even though I don't know anything about games. So I bought the soundtrack (imported, expensive). But I'm glad I did. "Swift Horse" is my favorite track.

If you are a fan of the PS2 video game "Shadow of the Colossus", then I strongly suggest it's official soundtrack to the game: "Roar of the Earth. I've been a fan of video game soundtracks for the last 15 years and I rate this one right up there with two of my other favorites: "Vagrant Story" for the PS1 and "Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind" for the XBOX/PC. Roar of the Earth is and epic musical journey with emotional highs and lows marked by tension, desperation, and courage. The game's classic fairytale essence of a lone hero dauntlessly facing mortal danger and overcoming gigantic foes with feats of bravery shines through in the orchestra's thunderous performance of 'Roar's' 42 tracks. A video game soundtrack of this quality doesn't come around very often and should not be missed.

Videogame scores unfairly get the short shrift. They can be as sophisticated and beautiful as film scores. Shadow of the Colossus is one of the best examples, a lush, satisfying score that is as enjoyable apart from the game as it is while playing it.

Upon playing Shadow of the Colossus, I was amazed by the music. It's absolutely beautiful and really matches the enviornment. I was lucky enough to spot the Wander and the Colossus ~ Roar of the Earth ~ soundtrack at an anime store while shopping with my older sister. It is the only CD I own where I will listen to all of the tracks through. Koh Otani is an amazing composer. His music is truly moving and really brings the tale of Wander and his trusty steed, Agro, to life.

This is definately a beautiful soundtrack. I say 'beautiful' because of the strong use of the violin in the score, which although isn't one of my favourite instruments, it definately plays its part very well here. Fans of much of James Newton Howard's work will no doubt find many many things of interest here, if not the entire score - the violin creating some trully breathtaking and emotional pieces (Prologue, Epilogue, The Farthest Land...)

However, I did find some of the score to be a tad boring. I've never played the game, but i've heard it focuses on the feeling of isolation, so you can definately see why the score was composed in such a way to create this emotional feeling, so I will let it off. I didn't give it the full 5 stars because it sometimes can sound a bit too repetitive and dreary, many of the battle tracks for instance. I also found some of the tracks badly placed, for instance your chilling out to the peaceful, but also very haunting strings of a violin when suddenly a loud, bombastic and in my opinion, quite annoying battle track comes in. But, then again, that can be said for many scores. It's perhaps not necessarily a bad thing, as there does need to be some variation, but perhaps a lead up to some of these tracks would be better.

Much of my soundtrack collection consists of music from western composers, however this score definately sits among them as being perhaps not one of my favourites, but definately a great effort by composer Kow Otani. It is a score that focuses on one thing, creating a strong mood that reflects the game, and it serves it's purpose very well in this respect.