Soundtrack Review: Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (2008)

Posted by Jorn Tillnes

August 11, 2008

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071008-1534-soundtrackr1 Soundtrack Review: Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (2008) This is a review of the video game soundtrack for Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures by Knut Avenstroup Haugen.

“Once I started listening to it, I could hear the Norwegian influences in there and it’s perfect for the world of Conan”

Ok, so I found out that reviewing game scores was a lot of fun. This is officially the second game music soundtrack I review here on soundtrackgeek.com. This is also an interesting one for me in particular, because I am Norwegian and this game is made by Norwegian game company Funcom. I know someone who used to work there as well a long time ago. Fun times, anyway, this of course the massive multiplayer online roleplaying game Age Of Conan which hopefully should be a great success. It is composed by fellow Norwegian Knut Avenstroup Haugen, a name to watch out for! I found an interview with him done by Ten Ton Hammer here. This is the track list for Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures:

Track List

Ere The World Crumbles
Tortage Beach
The Damp Barachan Nights
Hyborian Adventures
Cimmerian Welcome
The Eiglophian Monuntains
The Vista From Mount Crom
The Lure Of Atali
Phalanx Of Conquest
Field Of The Dead
Echoes Of Atlantis
Hamlets Of Aquilonia
Royal City
Hymn For King Conan
Awash In The Golden Fields Of Poitain
Mitra
Portal To Stygia
Sunrise In Khopshef Province
The Purple Lotus Swamp
City Of Mages
Final Memory
Stygia
Cimmeria
Aquilonia
Memories Of Cimmeria

Isolation And Solitude

It is filled to the brim with 25 tracks and a total play time of 1 hour 12 minutes. Of course this game is massive, so they have to have a lot of music in it. Once I started listening to it, I could hear the Norwegian influences in there and it’s perfect for the world of Conan. Sometimes I forget that Conan isn’t Norwegian, but he might as well be. Basil Poledouris made the score for the original Conan movies over 20 years ago, but that sound wouldn’t be appropriate in 2008 for a game like this. The instruments used in this score have a very old melodic sound to them and there’s a girl singing on quite a few of these tracks, but it isn’t disruptive at all, in fact very fitting to the overall sound of this soundtrack. I wonder if Hyboria is a lonely world because when I listen to this soundtrack I get a feeling of loneliness. That’s the word I would associate with this score, either that or perhaps isolation or solitude, but it isn’t a bad thing. There are a few battle tracks as well, but mostly the music sounds tranquil and nice. Maybe a few more battle songs would be nice, but overall it is a very good effort by Knut Avenstroup Haugen, who I’m sure we will hear more from in the next few years. He makes me proud to be Norwegian. Listen to Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures by Knut Avenstroup Haugen below: