Overview

Inspired by the success of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Turbine developed an MMORPG based on the franchise in 2008. An ensemble team, featuring Harry Chase, Brad Spears, and, most notably, Chance Thomas, created the music for the title and portrayed the various races, locations, and battles of the Tolkien universe. Those that pre-ordered the Mines of Moria expansion were eligible to receive a CD featuring music from the original game Shadows of Angmar and several exclusives.

Body

For the most part, the soundtrack does a good job of portraying the characters and locations of Middle-Earth. The soundtrack initially captures the humble nature of the protagonists with the serene "Hills of the Shire" and lively "Bree-Land Jig". The evocative flute melody of the former is revisited at key points in the soundtrack — most notably the uncertain exploration "Silent Hope" — but isn't integrated as extensively as Shore's leitmotifs from the film soundtrack. But while the soundtrack is a little thematically barren, it makes up for it with authentic stylings. Both compositions are influenced by Irish tradition — perhaps in a manner that is too blatant for Middle-Earth — and the excellent instrument performances make up for their simple basis. The folksy component is further explored in "The Brigand's Tale", the jubilant jig "Autumn Ale", and, most impressively, the penetrating improvisation "Home from the Hunt".

Whereas most MMORPG soundtracks are meandering in nature, the music of The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Angmar has a clear narrative direction. Even before the Hobbits are characterised, the soundtrack features an epic prologue and, just a few tracks in, the soundtrack shifts to incredibly dark moods with the chanting choruses of "Ride of the Nazgul" and driving percussion of "Wreck and Slaughter". Tracks such as bold orchestral march "Triumph of Men", the main menu theme "Far Ahead the Road Has Gone", or mystical elvaan hymn "East of the Sea" keep the focus on the Forces of Light, but an ominous undercurrent runs throughout the soundtrack. The incorporation of narration from Gandalf at key parts of the soundtrack is particularly effective at giving the soundtrack a cinematic thrust. Such voice-overs can nevertheless detract from the musical experience and, coming from a pale imitator of Sir Ian McKellen, can come across somewhat cheesy as well.

As a stand-alone listen, the soundtrack is certainly inconsistent. The compositions and narrations are generally too brief to compare to the cinematic epics of the film trilogy, and even key tracks such as "Hills of the Shire" and "East of the Sea" leave one desperate for more. The discreet nature of the tracks — and the abrupt transitions between them — results in shifts from light to dark that are too sudden for a fulfilling listening experience. Thankfully, there are some more substantial compositions such as "Lament for Oakenshield" and "Fell Deeds Awake" that take the time to draw listeners in and evoke deep emotions with them. In addition, the climax does not disappoint with the sinister cinematic cue "The Doom of Edhelion" and the gorgeously produced choral piece "Garth Agarwen". It does feel somewhat premature though — coming around the 30 minute mark following the omission of many notable pieces.

There are several bonus tracks exclusive to this release. "Let Us Sing Together" portrays the jolly old fellow Tom Bombadil with standout fiddle and tin whistle melodies. "Down Down to Goblin-town" fuses the light-hearted folksy component featured in the rest of the score with more menacing chants and snares — showing Tolkien's goblins shouldn't be messed with. "Stars and Glory" and "All Other Lights" are more extensive than the main pieces on the soundtrack, serving as a prelude to Mines of Moria with their dark orchestral textures, but lack the production polish of their successor. Taken from the official Mines of Moria soundtrack, "Drums in the Deep" is easily the most lavishly composed and produced composition in the soundtrack — capturing the menace of Moria with tribal drums and choral chants. There are many more excellent compositions like this on the full soundtrack.

Summary

The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar soundtrack is an enjoyable addition to the Tolkien universe. The soundtrack lacks the depth and refinement of its expansion, The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria. However, it compensates by offering a variety of moods and styles, a narrative flow, and plenty of memorable highlights. This bonus disc features some welcome exclusives, though listeners may prefer to go for the free expanded digital release of the Shadows of Angmar and, of course, the full Mines of Moria soundtrack instead.

Overview

Inspired by the success of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Turbine developed an MMORPG based on the franchise in 2008. An ensemble team, featuring Harry Chase, Brad Spears, and, most notably, Chance Thomas, created the music for the title and portrayed the various races, locations, and battles of the Tolkien universe. The special edition of the game included a bonus CD featuring 26 tracks from the game. Later, a free official download of the score for the original game and its expansions was made available through Turbine's download manager. This review refers to the latter release.

Body

For the most part, the soundtrack does a good job of portraying the characters and locations of Middle-Earth. The soundtrack captures the humble nature of the protagonists with the serene "Hills of the Shire" and lively "Bree-Land Jig". While the evocative flute melody isn't integrated as extensively as Shore's leitmotifs from the film soundtrack, it makes up for it with authentic stylings. Both compositions are influenced by Irish tradition — perhaps in a manner that is too blatant for Middle-Earth — and the excellent instrument performances make up for their simple basis. The folksy component is further explored in "The Brigand's Tale", the jubilant jig "Autumn Ale", and, most impressively, the penetrating improvisation "Home from the Hunt". The digital soundtrack also includes delightful exclusives, such as "Let Us Sing Together" — which portrays the jolly old fellow Tom Bombadil with standout fiddle and tin whistle melodies.

The digital soundtrack further reveals that The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Angmar is full of variety. Tracks such as bold orchestral march "Courage of Men", the main menu theme "Far Ahead the Road Has Gone", or mystical elvaan hymn "East of the Sea" maintain the focus on the Forces of Light. However, the chanting choruses of "Ride of the Nazgul", driving percussion of "Wreck and Slaughter", or brutal discords of "Hammerhand" testify that darker forces dominate Middle-Earth. This darker component is explored in several exclusive ambient compositions on the score, for example "A Glimmer in the North", "Lonelands", and "Forsaken Paths". While effective scene-setters, these tracks tend to meander in a somewhat predictable manner like much underscore today. Indeed, they lack the inspired choices or refined implementation to compare with those featured on the expansion Mines of Moria, and reaffirm that Shadows of Angmar's strengths are its more potent pieces.

While the digital release gives more insight into Shadows of Angmar's vast soundtrack, it is presented in a flawed way. The tracks here are ordered alphabetically, meaning that the narrative flow and in-game synchronisation of the experience is lost. Dark cinematic scene-setters such as "Before the Storm" can suddenly be interrupted by jovial jigs such as "Bree-Land Jig", resulting in a very muddled experience, and there of course plenty of short cinematic cues that provide further interruptions along the way. But while the collective experience does not satisfy, there are plenty of standout tracks that are worth listening to. More substantial compositions such as "Lament for Oakenshield", "Things to Come", and "Fell Deeds Awake" really draw listeners and evoke deep emotions with them. In addition, the sinister cinematic cue "The Doom of Edhelion" and the gorgeously produced choral piece "Garth Agarwen" are captivating.

Summary

The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar soundtrack is an enjoyable addition to the Tolkien universe. The soundtrack lacks the depth and refinement of its expansion, The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria. However, it compensates by offering a variety of moods and styles, a narrative flow, and plenty of memorable highlights. The free digital release is inconsistent and disorientating, but gives a more thorough insight into the musical variety of the game than the collector's edition soundtrack.