The fully orchestrated music on the two CDs pay tribute to titles such as Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft, as well as music based on the new Starcraft II, WOW: Wrath of the Lich King and Diablo III. One of the new Diablo III tracks features a special composition by the critically acclaimed Kō Ōtani, who is most well known for his soundtrack to Shadow of the Colossus, as well as many anime series.
There will be two editions of the package. The standard edition, which will come with just the music CDs and will cost US $29.95 and a Legendary Edition for US $49.95. The Legendary edition will be a limited offer and will feature a making of DVD as well as 9 art cards based on the games as can be seen below.
The tracklist is as follows:
DISC ONE
From Warcraft III
The Third War Symphony
1. Journey to Kalimdor
2. Eternity’s End
From World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
The Shadow of the Legion Symphony
3. A Tenuous Pact
4. Anar’alah Belore
5. The Betrayer and The Sun King From World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King 6. The Visions of the Lich King Overture
DISK TWO
From StarCraft and StarCraft: Ghost
The Koprulu Symphony
7. No Matter the Cost
8. En Taro Adun
9. Eradicate and Evolve
10. Victorious but not unscarred From Starcraft II
11. The Hyperion Overture
From Diablo, Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and Diablo III
The Symphony of Sanctuary
12. The Eternal Conflict
13. Legacy of Terror
14. Children of the Worldstone
15: BONUS: Last Angel
The Legendary Edition will be released on the 1st of November, the Standard Edition on the 22nd of November, and both editions can be pre-ordered currently on the Eminence website.
Rock on, Diablo Fans! I just placed an order for the Legendary Edition, which will only have a single limited production run. FYI, I'm pretty hyped about this.
seraph i understand that you worked within the constructs of what blizzard defined the song should be, and that it is not meant to be a replica but a new interpretation.
however, also understand where xabanak is coming from.
so many of the diablo echoes of war songs are just so over the top melodramatic, and that isn't what we're used to.
uelmen conveyed the drama and urgency through his melodies, layering, ambient noises, subtle tempo or volume changes... not through the full force of the orchestra on every track.
i'm just saying it's a departure from what we are used to and have grown to love and expect for diablo music.
additionally, it's hard to be open minded or appreciative of something if the subject matter pertains to a touchy issue; it's hard to admire how cute the neighbor kid is if your own child is missing.
many of us are deeply worried about the music for d3 because of uelmen's absence from the picture. as a result, any music relevant to d3 is, perhaps unfairly, scrutinized for clues as to what new directions the music development will take.
(in fact, i really like the style for the the non-diablo sample tracks. the difference i'm sure is due being able to consider them with an open mind and without preconcieved notions about what they should sound like.)
edit: btw seraph thanks for your participation here and congratulations on your successes.
this to anyone: which if any of these tracks is confirmed for diablo 3? (last angel?)
in discussing the echoes of war tracks in another thread i was told that they had nothing to do with blizzard and wouldn't be featured in the game. i take it that is no longer the case?
This is just a personal opinion, so not "official".
After Matt's departure from the Diablo team, Russell Brower took over the project. His style is simply very different from Matt's. And that just reflects on the music we made.
I personally am a BIG fan of the original Diablo, but from years of experience recording and producing soundtracks and music performances, I want to give Russell a chance.
Remember, us artists can only be ourselves. It may sound strange and unfamiliar, but this is Russell's playground now. It's also his intent to make it work in the best possible manner, which is "his" way, not Matt's.
"Last Angel" is not an "official" track from Diablo III, only the Overture is. It is the multi award winning composer Kow Otani's interpretation of Diablo III. Did you guys like it?
I'm not at liberty to answer most of your questions but here are my guesses.
The open fifth chord on the 12 strings will most probably return (Tristram Theme). My guess is musically speaking, it is the most important chord in Diablo and it is so much embedded in the game, I would definitely wager that it will be back. Pity Laurence Juber screwed up the chord in Blizzcon 2008. To me, that was the biggest sin a musician can ever make against this game.
New pieces and full soundtrack to hit the shelves? I have no idea. We were hired to create the huge announcement Overture which has been used in every single character announcement so far. Again, my guess is we're probably going to have wait a good while, music recording is usually one of the last thing you work on in a game.
I hope these answers help you.
I picked up the Legendary Edition upon release and I luffs it.