Soundtrack Review: Command & Conquer: Red Alert (1996)
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This is a review of the video game score for Command & Conquer: Red Alert by Frank Klepacki.
“Frank Klepacki delivers with the score from Command & Conquer Red Alert a soundtrack consisting of loud and heavy music and also featuring one of the most known game cues of all time: Hell March”
The score for Command & Conquer: Red Alert is composed by Frank Klepacki. The score consists of 15 tracks with a total length of 72 minutes.
It’s now the 25th of October and it won’t be long until Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is being released. A game long awaited and which will feature a score again composed by Frank Klepacki. This is a good reason for me to go back to the year of 1996. The year when Command & Conquer: Red Alert first saw the light. 12 years has past. How does the music from back then sound in the year 2008?
Tracklist
1. Hell March – 6:26
2. Radio – 4:07
3. Crush – 3:51
4. Roll Out – 3:56
5. Mud – 4:50
6. Twin Cannon – 3:57
7. Face the Enemy – 5:38
8. Run – 5:15
9. Terminate – 5:22
10. Big Foot – 5:17
11. Workmen – 4:46
12. Militant Force – 1:52
13. Dense – 5:04
14. Vector – 4:20
15. Smash – 8:07
MARCH INTO BATTLE
The marching of the soldiers are the kick off for the iconic Hell March tune which opens this soundtrack. A tune originally intended for the first Command & Conquer game from 1995. A tune that still holds up to this very day. Energy up to the max, raw beats featuring heavy riffs and a lot of Electric guitar. This immediately sets the tone for the rest of the soundtrack. Hell March was one of the first game music cues I was really impressed by. It makes you want to step onto the battlefield and take control. A track that gives me chills every time I listen to it.
The pacing of the tracks are high and it does not stop after the ending of Hell March. Fast tracks filled with raw energy follow. Radio, Crash and Roll Out may not be as memorable as Hell March but they are fast paced and have high energy.
STEALTH MODE
However, not every track is as fast paced as the first four tracks. We go into stealth mode when we reach track 5 called Mud. It may be slowly paced but it’s got the energy that the other tracks have. Raw sounds but in a more subtle way. This is music more appropriate when you have to infiltrate the enemy base to plant a bomb. The tracks slowly get faster towards the end of the soundtrack and result in a great climax. The track Smash ends this Soundtrack with a bang, a fast paced track with a length of over 8 minutes. Towards the end it will have a fun twist in style.
MODERN….IN A WAY
I can’t help but thinking that this soundtrack sounds very modern in a way. Don’t forget that we’re talking about 1996 here. There wasn’t a lot of money being pumped in the game music as these days. There wasn’t an orchestra consisting of 30 people available. 1996 was the year of games like Duke Nukem 3D. 3D first person shooters were just introduced and obviously the computers back then were not as powerful as they are now. It’s no surprise to me that this soundtrack was voted “best video game soundtrack of 1996″ by PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines.
CONCLUSION
Frank Klepacki delivers with the score from Command & Conquer Red Alert a soundtrack consisting of loud and heavy music and also featuring one of the most known game cues of all time: Hell March. This soundtrack will never get boring. However, you have to like the raw and hard sound of the music. It’s not for everyone and for that reason I think people will either love it or hate it. I am the person on the side of people who love it because I love listening to this raw music because I am an action fan. Don’t expect any softer music on this soundtrack but let’s face it. It’s music for a war game. Pure action! I love it and I’m looking forward to Frank Klepacki’s score for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
Update: Frank Klepacki only composed 3 of the cues on Red Alert 3. Those cues are Hell March 3, Grinder 2 and Nuclear Death.
Listen to Command & Conquer: Red Alert by Frank Klepacki below:
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(6 votes, average: 8.33 out of 10)
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