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.
Medal of Honor makes one throw out everything they thought they knew about video game music. It is more orchestral and thematic than most scores for FILMS about WWII, and probably is responsible for about 1/3 of future video game action scores sounding like John Williams, though the stylistic imitations have always been made to sound the most original in this series. Leading it off is the undeniably classic theme for the Allies. The militaristic anthem bounces around many sections of the ensemble but is dominated by brass, namely solo trumped. Giacchino uses it as a reference quite liberally, whether in quick snippets in “Nordhausen” or full statements in the rousing “The Jet Aircraft Facility”. Going to battle with this theme is the rising brass fanfare for the Nazis, a perfect grand counterpoint. A winding, secondary theme for lower regions of the orchestra also gives off a convincing sense of menace. Rounding out the primary themes is yet another rising theme, this another heroic theme used mostly on brass to highlight the action scenes (first heard in “Taking Out the Railgun” on horn), though its feel-good jazz performance in “The Road to Berlin” should remain an amusing highlight for some.
But what’s the major selling point for this score is how each track is layered with complex orchestrations and sub-motifs, yet the entire album remains cohesive. Individual concepts like the driving string line in “Taking Out the Railgun”, the frenetic woodwind beat in “Rjuken Sabotage”, and the piano rumbling of “Panzer Attack” are all expertly woven into the established thematic tapestry. How rare to find an action score these days that avoids repetition and makes you remember every single track (and with energy like this, you’ll be hard pressed not to remember it). The last three tracks are a bit of a bummer, with sound effects, radio noise, and the national anthem conducted by Giacchino’s mother (funny the first time, annoying each time after) almost preventing my highest praise. But the rest is too addictive to pass up. Like John Williams? Like action scores? Like film music? Get this (and its sequel scores) now.
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)
Listen to Medal of Honor by Michael Giacchino here:
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(6 votes, average: 9.83 out of 10)
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Soundtrack Seek
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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