In the run-up to recording issue 115 of the Cane and Rinse podcast I’ve been playing a lot of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. There is much for us to discuss as regards to the game’s merits and failings, but even with two days to go before we make that show I suspect that we will be fairly unanimous in praise of Spanish composer Óscar Araujo‘s soundtrack, as performed by the 120 piece Bratislava Symphony Orchestra.
This is despite the fact that – like many elements of Lords of Shadow – the music marks a distinct departure from the traditions of Konami’s long-running Castlevania series, with chip-generated gothic beats and moody rock guitars replaced by choral symphonies that wouldn’t sound entirely out of place in an Elder Scrolls game or Middle-earth set movie.
Sit back and bask in the sadness of Laura’s Mercy to discover why Araujo’s work won Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media from the International Film Music Critics Association.
Much of the rest of the OST can be found here (complete with time-stamps in the annotations).
