I've had a need... a dire need. I have needed to listen to something from the Silent Hill series for over a month. I don't know why I kept putting it off but this day that need is satiated.
In all of the music that I have, nothing quite matches the atmosphere that the Silent Hill games do. They are some of the most emotionally potent and striking albums that I have. Capturing fear, mystery, grotesqueness, and even beauty all without sounding disjointed. Each one of the four first games soundtracks are a masterwork, yet despite their similarities they each have their own unique character as well.
Silent Hill 3 is the first in the series to introduce vocals (outside of the ending song to the first game), both sung and narrated. The narrated vocals are taken directly from the game and offer a chilling look into the story that Heather goes through in her nightmarish journey. They add an extra level of depth and darkness to the album that would not have been there if they were excluded.
The sung vocals are all female in this entry, courtesy of Melissa Williamson. While there are only a few tracks their placement is impeccable and the lyrics constantly make me wonder who they are talking about.
The rest of the music is a combination of rock, ambient, and industrial. The Silent Hill games capture the feeling of the fog and haze of the game so well through music. So much of the instrumentation is obscured or intentionally distorted from the listener that only bits and pieces shine through.
Honestly, this album has such a unique feel to it that I will often refer to something as "sounding like Silent Hill." In a world where so much music is derivative there is no higher praise than this. Akira Yamaoka is a masterful composer, and Silent Hill 3 is one of the prime examples of why he is held in such reverie.
No comments:
Post a Comment