Assassin's Creed Composed by Jesper Kyd
Ubisoft Music (2008)
Rating:
7/10
Soundclips below from AmazonMP3
“ASSASSIN’S CREED is an experiment. Just like the gameplay
of the first title, the musical score was a framework that future
incarnations would strive to polish and perfect.”
A New Breed of Hitman
Review by Marius Masalar
There is a rather small list of composers whose work I’m always looking forward
to hearing more of. JESPER KYD is one of them, and the reason is not that I am
confident that I’ll always enjoy his work; I look forward to it because I can
trust him to reliably try new and interesting things and create some truly
remarkably stylistic fusions. In November of 2008, audiences were first
introduced to the ASSASSIN’S CREED franchise with its first title. The
historical fantasy action game soon won over critics with its engrossing
gameplay acrobatics and stylish, complicated mood. One of the key elements in
establishing that mood was the edgy score from Hitman veteran composer, JESPER
KYD.
The score begins very strongly, with “City of Jerusalem” (1). There is a
consistent setup to the music on album, and it carries over into the later
ASSASSIN’S CREED game scores as well, and that is that for each city there tends
to be at least one ‘peaceful’ theme and then one ‘combat’, or ‘active’ cue for
when the tension is higher. This first cue is the peaceful one for the city of
Jerusalem and offers an excellent introduction to KYD’s eclectic musical
palette. Ethnic plucked string instruments and woodwinds combine with harp,
percussion, and heavily processed choral vocals to produce a rich soundscape.
One of the strongest elements is the quiet chanting of monks, synthetically
processed for a bit more edge.
The excellent combination continues in “Flight Through Jerusalem” (2), one of
the most rousing and attractive tracks on the album. There is an airy feel to
this music, appropriate for its title, and the propulsive rhythms make it
especially thrilling to hear in the context of the game. Unfortunately, this
highlight is followed by something of a misstep. “Spirit of Damascus” (3), with
its ferocious hits and embarrassingly synthy-sounding brass statements feels
significantly less polished than the previous material and causes an unpleasant
break in the atmosphere as a result. “Trouble in Jerusalem” (4) fares a little
better, with wispy flute rips giving way to a dark rhythm and crying vocals.
These are soon joined by percussion, strings, and more strange-sounding brass to
produce a cacophony of energy toward the end. The effect tends a bit toward the
disorganized and unpleasant, but it’s definitely a fitting cue for the game’s
most intense moments.
Calming down, “Acre Underworld” (5) is an ambient gameplay cue that brings the
synth elements to the forefront for a moody and uncertain feeling. Male whispers
add an extra dose of creepy, and you can just imagine an assassin patiently
stalking his prey…
Folks who’ve played the game will be aware that the description is somewhat
deceptive (spoilers incoming!) in that not the whole game takes place in the
past…you’re actually playing in the near future and accessing the past through a
device that allows you to re-live ancestral memories. “Access the Animus” (6) is
the first track that represents this more modern front of the game, and it’s
also the longest and most popular track on the album. While the music is
certainly compelling and makes use of a great blend of synthetic and organic
elements, it lacks the appeal of some of the other cues — especially considering
its inflated length. Still, it makes for great ambient listening.
“Dunes of Death” (7), on the other hand, is just plain boring. There are a
number of interesting melodic elements, but the overall soundscape remains quite
thin. Even when it sounds like it’s going to build to something more
interesting, it just falters. “Masyaf in Danger” (8) continues the ambient trend
but is a much more interesting cue. Percussion and a quiet gamelan-like metallic
sound underpin a shifting texture of woodwinds, processed choir, and strings.
One of the album’s strongest tracks is “Meditation Begins” (9). Right from the
fade-in opening, you are immediately transported elsewhere by the evocative
sounds. KYD employs more of his organic instrumentation performing idiomatic
solos overtop a brooding synth bed and the result is downright hypnotic. The
equivalent synth-oriented track would be “Meditation of the Assassin” (10),
which is similarly hypnotic, but far more creepy. Distorted bell sounds and
quiet whispers intertwine over deep gong hits and evolving pads. Especially
toward the end of the track, the sense of menace and impending danger is
powerfully evident in the music.
The closing track (it’s a fairly short album) is an odd one. It is clearly
biased toward the modern synth aspect of the game, and because of that the
parting impression we have only represents a fraction of the actual game. The
majority, spent in the past, seems forgotten. It’s a pity because the cue is
excellent and blends some of the organic elements in sparsely, so having just
one more track after it that tied everything together more satisfyingly would
have made for a more successful listening experience on album.
ASSASSIN’S CREED is an experiment. Just like the gameplay of the first title,
the musical score was a framework that future incarnations would strive to
polish and perfect. As a result, this album introduces a number of fascinating
and creative ideas, but it fails to develop them in a satisfying manner, leaving
us wishing for more.
