Myth ~The Fallen Lords~ Soundtrack

If you've listened to the music of Riven, then you should feel comfortable with Myth - the same artists (O'Donnell and Salvatori of "Total Audio") produced compositions for the Riven soundtrack. The songs have an airy depth to them and shift between mystical and dark moods, making use of strings and simple, new age arrangements. Track 6, "The Fallen Lords" reminds me of something I'd hear during a somber scene in the X-Files - partially Mark Snow-esque, but still retaining its own mystic feel.

"The Siege of Madrigal" (labeled as "sad, sad piano" by the artists on their web site) is thoughtful and quite inspirational. It's one of my favorite tracks on the disc. Songs like this are a testament to the gravity of music in games and interactive entertainment in general.

In addition to the ambient tracks, there are some tribal-sounding songs, such as "Homecoming", "The Watcher" and "River of Blood", which make heavy use of kettle drums and various other forms of percussion.

Probably the only problem this CD suffers from is track length. With the exception of "Prologue", none of the songs exceed one minute. This is understandable, however, since most of the music used in the game is during mission briefings and preparation.

For new age fans and those of you who enjoy ambience and mysterious moods, the Myth soundtrack may be for you. While it delivers in its mysticism and romance, it doesn't have the full arrangements that a fan might expect for the "romance" genre. Tracks offer a minimum of instrument arrangement, but that can also be seen as one of the CD's greatest strengths: minimalism with a strong effect on mood. At the domestic price it's worth checking out.