Overview

Eighteen months after the release of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Turbine developed an expansion and new storyline for the MMORPG dedicated to one of the most memorable locations in Tolkien's universe, Mines of Moria. Chance Thomas returned to score the expansion, working alongside Turbine's Stephen DiGregorio, and produced an impressive soundtrack. The official soundtrack was included in the collector's edition of the game.

Body

While written for the same MMORPG, the soundtrack for Mines of Moria has very little in common with Shadows of Angmar. While the original game opened with playful folksy themes concerning Hobbits and ale, the expansion takes listeners into dark symphonic territories right away. The elegaic melodies of "The Hollin Gate" and the uncertain orchestral suspensions of "A Journey in the Dark" are hardly welcoming, but they capture Moria perfectly — both its dark grandiose scenery and the desperate feelings they evoke. There certainly aren't any laughs or frolics to accompany this journey through Middle-Earth's most formidable location — tracks such as "Drums in the Deep" and "Archers of the Galadhrim" only increase the pace and thicken the texture — and only with the "Hour of Doom" does some of the darkness retreat.

In addition to being a darker experience, Mines of Moria is a richer and more polished experience than its predecessor. There isn't a single brief track here — every single one is a fully-fledged symphonic movement with plenty to offer. Inspired by fantasy score staples, "The Falls of Nimrodel" blends slow romantic strings with mystical harp arpeggios; while it could have come across derivative, the exquisite nature of Thomas' part-writing and the expressive implementation ensures the final result is astonishingly beautiful. "The Golden Wood" takes a more lavish approach to orchestration, culminating in a section from 1:58 that is as dazzling as a romantic symphony. The Utah Film Orchestra brings out the most of these compositions and emphasise that samples cannot compare. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is also a glorious addition to the score, particularly at the spectacular culminations of "Khazad-Dum" and "Flame of Udun". With their tribal percussion and choral chants, these tracks are among the most similar to Shore's themes dedicated to Moria, but in many ways actually exceed them.

What the soundtrack lacks is a clear narrative structure. Guided by propulsive themes and epic narration, Shadows of Angmar's soundtrack told a clear story of good versus evil. In contrast, Mines of Moria's soundtrack is much more scenic in nature — concerned mainly with conveying darkness, mysticism, and awe within Middle-Earth's enormous underground complex. The musical colours converge on the dark side of the spectrum and, with an hour separating "The Hollin Gate" and "Hour of Doom", this will tire listeners expecting a more varied listen. Even more cinematically inclined tracks, such as "They Are Coming" and "In the Dark Bind Them", tend to meander and may frustrate those used to Howard Shore's concise approaches. But those willing to stick around for the ride are likely to be inspired by the subtle harmonies and segues that such tracks have to offer — they are certainly artistically inspiring examples of dark fantasy scoring, but perhaps lack in outward entertainment value.

Summary

For Mines of Moria, Stephen DiGregorio and Chance Thomas didn't create a bunch of fitting loops. Instead they created a dark fantasy symphony. Some of the moments scattered in this score are among the most breathtaking and profound in any game score, sometimes even exceeding Howard Shore's greats. The score may spend too much time in dark territories for casual listeners, but its centrepieces and subtleties will appeal to classically-oriented score listeners.