Soundtrack Review: Medal of Honor (1999)
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This is a review of the Video Game score Medal of Honor by Michael Giacchino.
“A decade after its release the score is still better than most other war and action works around, including those from films.”
“Super Mario Brothers” would be your response if ten years ago someone asked you about video game music, but now the industry’s standards demand an immersive orchestral experience (1UP music for defeating the Nazis? THAT’S UNPATRIOTIC!). Into this demand for a respectful, patriotic, and exciting WWII score stepped relatively untested composer Michael Giacchino, who hadn’t shown any indication of being able to handle a video game with dramatic intentions (that sounds silly in print but you get the idea). Yet Medal of Honor is a surprising treat as Giacchino proved capable of delivering a rich, exciting hour of fantastic thematic usage and engaging, varied action. It’s acclaim would prompt future games to adopt similar methods of scoring, something now seen as commonplace, and a decade after its release the score is still better than most other war and action works around, including those from films.
Track List
Album (73:00)
01. Medal of Honor (04:12)
02. Locating enemy Positions (04:10)
03. Taking out the Railgun (03:51)
04. Attack on Fort Schmerzen (03:59)
05. The Radar Train (03:34)
06. Rescuing the G3 Officer (04:09)
07. Panzer Attack (04:17)
08. Rjuken Sabotage (04:07)
09. The U-Boat (04:42)
10. Merker’s Salt Mine (04:09)
11. Colditz Castle V2 (03:22)
12. Securing the Codebook (03:36)
13. Nordhausen (03:17)
14. Stopping the V2 Launch (04:13)
15. The Jet Aircraft Facility (03:29)
16. The Road to Berlin (03:06)
17. Medal of Honor (Alternate Recording) (03:03)
18. The Road to Berlin (Radio Berlin) (04:11)
19. German Sound Effects (01:23)
20. Amateur National Anthem (02:07)
Allied Brilliance
One could write a whole review on the brilliance of the main theme for the Allies. A solo trumpet heralds in a theme that captures the hope and triumph of the US mission, then the strings take over for a moving section, then the whole orchestra takes over, with the brass calling over militaristic snares. All this in the first cue! Continued usage features expert layering, mostly in quick brass calls and action propulsion as with “Attack on Fort Schmerzen” and “Nordhausen”. Full statements in the rousing middle of “The Radar Train” and the near-entirety of “The Jet Aircraft Facility” are obvious, thrilling highlights.
The score’s main theme (Allied theme would function as a title theme for later ventures) is started with a rising French horn amidst the powerful strings of “Taking Out the Railgun”. When the theme is unleashed in the action, it’s just as heroic as the Allied theme, with a burst at the end of “Attack on Fort Scherzen” and great string work to cap “The Jet Aircraft Facility”. Its layering in the string and brass over the pounding piano of “Panzer Attack” creates an epic sonic atmosphere that is the score’s best cue. Softer moments show off the versatility, the treat being the slow, feel-good, era-evoking jazz in “The Road to Berlin”.
Instantly Recognizable
Of course, we can’t have our WWII European video game without Nazis, now can we? Giacchino unleashes two themes here, the first theme being a sinister, rolling theme, mostly subdued and menacing (the sparse haunting entrance of “Locating Enemy Positions”, woodwind meance of “Rescuing the G3 officer), though “Attack of Fort Schmerzen” shows the brass can take it to action-propelling heights. The second is the Nazi fanfare announced in “Locating Enemy Positions”, which is used in grand fashion throughout. While both exceptional, one is left wondering what wonders could be done if both were used together.
Most impressive is how almost every track has its own approach, yet the whole score is cohesive and unified. Take the first action cue “Taking Out the Railgun”. The driving string theme introduced at the beginning shows up nowhere else on album, but it is still molded to seamlessly fit the main theme and the rolling Nazi theme. The same applause can be given to the repetitive four-note pattern of “Attack on Fort Schmerzen”, the frenetic woodwind power of “Rjuken Sabotage”, or the piano rumbling of “Panzer Attack”, just to name a few. Each cue becomes instantly recognizable, lending power especially to the consistently driving action. It’s always fresh and never repetitive.
Conclusion
A lesser score would’ve been ruined by the last three tracks on the album here, a woeful production decision that includes sounds effects, radio noise, and the national anthem conducted by Giacchino’s mother (funny only the first time, annoying the rest). Album being only available through mp3 outlets mean these are easy to avoid buying, and they are ultimately irrelevant in the face of such an overwhelmingly strong and addictive score.
Listen to Medal of Honor by Michael Giacchino here:
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Comments
Totally agree there, but one can’t start off a series with the third score, even if it’s a masterpiece
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Medal of Honor is still one of the very best video game scores ever written. But Frontline is my personal favorite.
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