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By Knut Avenstroup Haugen, Composer, Age of Conan (www.knutavenstrouphaugen.com)

The recently released Age of Conan soundtrack album contains two CDs: The first CD in the box is the original soundtrack CD. It’s a selection of tracks with a total playing time of about 72 minutes. The bonus CD contains an additional 20 minutes of music from the game as well as three songs by rock group Turbonegro – one written specifically for this soundtrack album.

The game score has a total length of approximately 3 ½ hours, which means there’s still a lot of music from the game that’s not on the CD. Since there were so many varied musical pieces to pick between, a representative collection of songs could easily become too eclectic. Thus my main ambition for this soundtrack album has been to make it work as an independent musical entity outside the context of the game. The approach to this has been to organize the tracks in the analogy of a journey. An important criterium for choosing the songs has been that each one would constitute a meaningful part of this musical journey.

The journey has been divided into 4 sub-journeys, covering the 4 main countries in the game: Tortage, Cimmeria, Aquilonia and Stygia. There’s also a separate chapter including a suite composed of some of the combat music of the game as well as a prologue and an epilogue that ties it all together. As an independent work of music, I really think this CD will make a lot of sense to the listener and I believe it can be enjoyed by both gamers and non-gamers alike.

Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain Click above to play.	Beyond the Pyramid - Sunrise in Khopshef Province Click above to play.
Combat Reborn III - Aquilonia Click above to play.	Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mts. Click above to play.
The Awakening Click above to play.	The Dreaming - Ere the World Ends Click above to play.

Descriptions for the individual tracks on the CD:

Prologue:

1. “The Dreaming: Ere the World Crumbles…”.This track is used as a prologue on the CD. The original name of the song is “The Gate to Vanaheim” and it’s naturally closely connected to the Vanir of the northern countries in the game world. The lyrics for the song are in ancient Norse, the language of the vikings. They are from an ancient “Edda” poem called “The Prophecy of the Seeress” and concerns Ragnarok – the end of the world. The lyrics are as follows: “Ere the world crumbles, not ever shall men each other spare. Fighting Vanir tread the field of battle. Shields are sundered. Feed on the flesh of doomed men.” The vocals are performed by Norwegian folk singer Helene Bøksle. It seemed very fitting to use such strong Norwegian references for the Vanir, since they’re very Nordic in every way. The song works perfectly as a prologue in that it in many ways contains the essence of what Age of Conan is all about.

The First Journey: Awakening in Tortage

2.  “The Sands of Forgetfulness – Tortage Beach”. This is the first thing you’ll hear when you wake up on the beach in the very beginning of the game. The theme is used for the beach areas both on Tortage and White Sands. The beautiful melody in the English horn is performed by Henrik Eurenius, who performs all oboe and English horn parts in the score. This theme reappears in a lot of different guises during your stay in Tortage.

3. “The Damp Barachan Nights”. The night music for Tortage. The nylon stringed guitar is very prominent in this piece. It is the signature instrument for Tortage and can be heard in most of the other Tortage cues. All guitars in the game are played by Per-Einar Watle.

4. “The Awakening – Hyborian Adventures”. This is the main theme for the game and is used for the main titles. The French horn theme after the introduction reappears in a lot of different guises throughout the game. Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize, since I’ve altered it in several ways, but it’s there and helps provide a sense of thematic unity between the different cultures. The title refers to the main storyline in Tortage where the player wakes up after having been under the influence of an evil spell. Finding back to your old self and facing the evil that enslaved you, is basically the core story of the whole game. That’s of course also why I’ve chosen to use this theme so extensively throughout the game.

The Second Journey: Ascending Cimmeria

5.  “The Arrival – Cimmerian Welcome”. This is the main theme for lowland Cimmeria. It’s used first and foremost for Conarch village, but the violin motif is heard in number of other cues. This became kind of a trademark theme for Age of Conan during development. The solo is intensely performed by violinist Ola Moen who does all violin parts in the game.

6. “Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mountains”. This is the nighttime cue for the Eiglophian Mountains in Cimmeria. It’s a very evocative piece and a favourite among the developers. Helene Bøksle’s magical voice is the obvious focal point of this cue. Translated to English, the lyrics are as follows:  I run through the cold snow – run through the snow in the cold moonlight. I feel the weight of my weapon and the strength in my arm. Mighty am I, blessed by Crom! I am Cimmerian and these are my mountains.

7. “The Vista from Mount Crom”. This orchestral piece is used for the different lookout points in the Eiglophian Mountains. Mount Crom, or Ben Morgh, which is its Cimmerian name, is the highest mountain in Hyboria and the dwelling of Crom, god of the Cimmerians.

8. “The Lure of Atali”. This track is a direct reference to the original Robert E. Howard story “The Frostgiants Daughter”: After a bloody battle in the Eiglophian Mountains, Atali, Daughter of the god Ymir, appears before Conan and lures him into the snowy drift and into an ambush by her brothers, the Frost Giants. Atali is represented by Helene Bøksle, her voice floating atop the sound of the never-ending whirling of the snow.

9. “Phalanx of Conquest”. This piece is used for mounted combat in the game. Whenever you fight from a mount, this is the music you’ll hear. It has a very “equestrian” feel to it.

10. “Field of the Dead”. This playfield is filled with ancient history. There’s an air of magic and sorrow to the place. Amongst the burial mounds of Cimmerian chieftains, there are remnants of ancient Atlantis. This haunting piece of music is a lament to the old Kings who lie buried here. The vocals in Atlantean are again performed by Helene Bøksle.

11. “Echoes of Atlantis” is the theme used, whole or in part, for all areas or events connected to Atlantis or benevolent magic. It utilizes a male choir and is very pure in character.

The Third Journey: Aquilonia – Jewel of Hyboria

12. “Hamlets of Aquilonia” is the village music for Aquilonia. It’s a simple but beautiful and melancholic melody with hints of medieval folk music.

13. “Behold! Tarantia – Royal City”. The music for Tarantia, the capital of Aquilonia, is dominated by brass instruments. These instruments have their origins in hunting and military use and convey a sense of majesty and grandeur, which I find very fitting for the proud architecture and heritage of Tarantia.

14. “Hymn for King Conan” has become a favorite for many forum participants during development. It can actually only be heard once throughout the whole game. It is the music used when the player character finally is granted an audience with King Conan. The piece a praise to the great King.

15. “Awash in the Golden Fields of Poitain”. For the music for Poitain, which is an area similar to what you’ll encounter in southern France or northern Italy, I was asked to compose “the most beautiful music in the game”. This area was meant to both look and sound different from the music for the rest of the game, which generally has a much darker tone to it.

16.  “Foundations of the Temple – Mitra”. This track is used for all temples of Mitra in the game. The small ones uses a shorter version of the track, the big ones the entire track. Recorded with an authentic cathedral reverb, this piece sounds particularly beautiful in surround and really gives the player the impression of listening to it inside a great temple.

The Final Journey: Descent – the Darkness of Stygia

17.  “Akhet – Portal to Stygia”. The vocals on the track are performed by Moroccan singer/musician Aissa Tobi. He also plays other instruments like percussion and flutes on several of the Stygian tracks. This track has a suitably dark and putrid quality to it, which makes it very right for the City of Khemi, where large serpents slither down every street and alley and the decadent clergy of Set has the undisputed power.

18. “Beyond the Pyramid – Sunset in Khopshef Province”. This is the village theme for Stygia. It is, like Poitain, a very uplifting piece of music and contrasts starkly to the other tracks for Stygia. It is also more orchestral than most of the music for this region.

19.  “The Purple Lotus Swamp”. The track is written around a “duduk” solo-performance. Its close connection to the Khopshef theme can be heard in the intro and ending. It is a very atmospheric and relaxed piece.

20. “Kheshatta – City of Mages”. Kheshatta, the sinister City of Mages, is hidden deep within the mountains of the Stygian desert. It is a majestic but sickly place. I regard it as a twisted mirror image of Tarantia.

21. “The Black Ring Citadel – Final Memory”. The den of the evil Black Ring Mages. This is a place filled with dark ceremonies and rituals. The music starts with the Stygian motif played in the strings and continues with ceremonial chanting performed by male voices. The heavy and steady rhythm is almost trance inducing and continues while the chanting gradually builds. The piece climaxes in an almost ecstatic solo on the zourna.

At Last the Meaning Revealed:  Combat Reborn

22.  “I: Stygia”. There are 4 different sets of combat music in the game: Cimmeria, Aquilonia, Stygia and Acheron. Each of these has up to 5 intensity layers: tension, low+, medium+, high+ and extreme intensity. This track is the low intensity combat cue for Stygia. The choir takes on an almost nasal quality, which, along with the dissonant harmonies, gives it more of a folk-music quality, completely different from what it sounds like in the rest of the combat music.

23.  “II: Cimmeria”. This track is a combination of the medium- and high intensity cues for Cimmeria. Rough, violent and barbaric, with harmonies of fourths and fifths, this is perhaps the most “conanesque” combat track of them all.

24. “III: Aquilonia”. This is the extremely intense version of the Aquilonian combat music. It has a very powerful opening and a very definite ending, which really concludes the CD in a very nice way – almost like the grand finale of a large symphony or opera.

Epilogue:

25. “The Dreaming Anew: Memories of Cimmeria”. This track is the night music for lowland Cimmeria. It has a haunting, ethereal quality to it and is beautifully performed by Helene Bøksle. I think the title “Memories of Cimmeria” is very fitting for the piece and it works perfectly as an epilogue for the whole soundtrack CD. In me it evokes the melancholy feeling of something that has been, but is no longer – like the memories of a great adventure.

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