In this edition of Rick’s Picks, we look at the first Halo 2 soundtrack both from an overall and track by track perspective.

There is nothing more dangerous than listening to a video game soundtrack BEFORE playing the actual game. You run the chance of reading a track listing that gives away something important in the game or you may be spoiling the initial game play experience by hearing the music before experiencing it in its intended form. The good news is, none of that came true as I immersed myself in the sounds that comprise the Halo 2 Soundtrack, Volume 1. Yes, I said Volume 1. In what could possibly be the most important American video game soundtrack release to date, Halo 2 will feature a pair of albums released separately to fully encompass both the massive score along with a selection of “inspired by” tracks. Such a massive release deserves an in depth review.

Beating the Sophmore Jinx
There actually is something considerably more dangerous than hearing a game’s music before playing it and that is the gargantuan task composers Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatroi had in making the music for the sequel to the killer app for the Xbox. This meant out doing themselves by coming up with a score as memorable as their now legendary original. O’Donnell and Salvatori have flawlessly executed with Halo 2 what any composer strives to do when they are attached to a franchise. Come up with a soundtrack that is evocative of the original, while still being completely unique to the new game. The composers’ use of strings, percussion and monk chant style vocals has such a unique signature that is instantly recognizable as being from Halo. This “Halo Sound” is prominent throughout the score sections of this album. It evokes a militaristic quality, without sounding like a brass and snare march, which would sound very out of place in the Halo future. The “monk choir” voices are even more prominent this time out. The male voices are joined by angelic-sounding female voices, which lend a haunting, ethereal quality to every track they appear on. 14 pieces of the original score made it on to Volume 1, with the promise of more appearing on Volume 2. What does album producer Nile Rodgers do to make what could arguably be considered the most anticipated American game soundtrack release as memorable as its predecessor? Call in some extra artillery.

Vai? Vai not!
The album’s producers obviously don’t subscribe to the “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. the "Halo Theme" returns in its original glory, with one improvement. I always thought the cello lines in this song sound as if they could have been done on a guitar. Apparently so did the composers because for the album’s lead track, “Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix,” they have enlisted the six-string hammer of Steve Vai. The man who has abused more guitar strings in the name of music has played with a who’s who of musicians, from Frank Zappa, to PiL and David Lee Roth. This time out, Vai wields his guitar like an MA5B, by adding his signature shred to what is the most important piece of music to the Halo franchise. The mix on this track is utterly amazing. Where it could have easily become a guitar-driven wall of sound, instead, the producers have struck an incredibly balanced mix where every note of every instrument shines through without drowning out any part. The monks, the string section, the percussion and Steve Vai’s fret board frenzy all coexist without overpowering each other. The song wasn’t broke, but this was a fantastic way to improve upon the original.

“Why do we always have to listen to this old stuff, Sarge?”
Sergeant Johnson: “Watch your mouth, son. This stuff is your history. It should remind you grunts what we're fighting to protect.” Sergeant Johnson would be proud to know that in addition to Steve Vai, Breaking Benjamin, Hoobastank, Nataraj and even Nile Rodgers himself get in on the “inspired by” tracks on the album. The alt-rock radio friendly tracks by Breaking Benjamin and Hoobastank are solid (read the track by track section further down for details) but the unique inclusion of an exclusive by Incubus is more over the top than the sub-orbit high dive Master Chief pulls off in the Halo 2 trailer. “The Odyssey” is actually a four part Incubus opus. In total, the four tracks, which are broken apart throughout the disc, clock in at over 24 minutes and comprise a progressive rock/fusion jam the likes of which haven’t been recorded since the 1970’s. Now, I am not intimately familiar with Incubus, apart from their songs in heavy rotation on radio, so I could be way off base on this, but I have never imagined that they would be able to turn in a performance such as this. For Incubus fans, this Halo 2 exclusive is a must have. If you appreciate a multiple time signature musical marathon that shifts relentlessly between styles, you simply must hear these four pieces. Nile Rodgers and Nataraj put their electronica skills to good use by taking the "Halo Theme" and remixing it into a house/trance/monk chant sound clash complete with Cortana samples and more riffing from Steve Vai. It is a bit shorter than most dance tracks tend to be, but I dare any DJ to mix this into their next set and watch the dance floor come alive with Halo 2 gamers cheering at the sounds coming out of your system.

Lock and Load, your CD player
Nile Rodgers’ masterful production skills mix the original soundtrack with the “inspired by” songs into a very listenable, cohesive experience. Yes, they could have made it a double disc, and included the complete score, but instead Rodgers has made something special out of Volume 1. What will be on disc 2? Ideally much more of the Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori score, but I vote for even more remixes. The hardcores will have already pre-ordered this disc like they did with their copy of the game. If you haven’t already, put down the Xbox controller for thirty seconds, log on to the Sumthing Else site and buy it. It’s that solid. If you have never bought a game soundtrack disc, make this your first.

Track by Track
If you need more convincing why this disc needs to be in your CD changer, here is a breakdown of the album’s 21 tracks.

Track 1: "Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix"
For those unversed in the lore of Norse mythology, Mjolnir was the hammer of Thor, the god of thunder. Vai’s guitar adds thunder and lightning to an already thunderous track.

Track 2: "Blow me Away" by Breaking Benjamin
Of all the “inspired by” tracks on the album, this one sounds the most influenced by the game. The opening ambient sounds draw you in as if it is one of the original score pieces from the game, before slamming into a screamo track worthy of heavy rotation on your favorite alt-rock radio outlet.

Track 3: "Peril"
The first of the original soundtrack pieces on the disc. Strings and percussion are the order of the day here. An excellent continuation on the themes explored on the first game.

Track 4: "Ghosts of Reach"
A haunting number that will likely be behind a flashback FMV sequence in the game.

Track 5: "Follow (1st Movement of the Odyssey)" by Incubus
The track starts off with Incubus riffing on the "Halo Theme", complete with vocal chants, it seques quickly into a frenetic prog-rock work out that continues through the rest of the piece.

Track 6: "Heretic, Hero"
At 1:26 in to this piece, the music reprises “A Walk in the Woods” from the first Halo soundtrack, ironically, it was also track 6. The drums are a bit heavier this time out.

Track 7: "Flawed Legacy"
Again, this track seems to incorporate themes explored on the first soundtrack. Listen to the voice sounds on it and then listen back to track 20, “Perchance to Dream” from the first album to hear similarities between its guitars and the vocal sounds on this track.

Track 8: "Impend"
More vocal chants with an electronica skip beat over the top.

Track 9: "Never Surrender"
A house/trance remix of the "Halo Theme" complete with Cortana samples and more riffing from Steve Vai.

Track 10: "Ancient Machine"
The first ambient style piece on the album. More sound than song in structure.

Track 11: "2nd Movement of the Odyssey" by Incubus
The flanged guitar section sounds like a previously unreleased track from "Dark Side of the Moon" era Pink Floyd, which segues into frenetic fusion riffing.

Track 12: "In Amber Clad"
The Halo sound again, this time with guitars to punch up the drama.

Track 13: "The Last Spartan"
The most militaristic sounding piece on the album. The Halo monks, along with female voices, close out the track

Track 14: "Orbit of Glass"
This one’s title may be a spoiler to those who read the Halo paperback novels before playing the game. Ambient synths evoke the feeling of floating in space

Track 15: "3rd Movement of the Odyssey" by Incubus
The fusion riffing continues in the third section of the Incubus opus.

Track 16: "Heavy Price Paid"
One of the more downbeat of the score pieces. Will obviously be behind a downer moment during the game. One box of hankies for this one.

Track 17: "Earth City"
Instantly evokes the feeling of a point of view camera fly over of a booming megalopolis.

Track 18: "High Charity"
Another ambient piece with angelic-like female vocals.

Track 19: "4th Movement of the Odyssey" by Incubus
The over 24-minute Incubus opus comes to a close, still sounding unlike anything I’ve ever heard by the band.

Track 20: "Remembrance"
A short, atmospheric piece with the female vocal sounds haunting the end of the original score pieces.

Track 21: "Connected" by Hoobastank (Bonus cut)
The boys in Hoobastank crank out a short, punk-pop hook laden track that should be in heavy rotation along with Breaking Benjamin.