Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Composed by Jesper Kyd
Ubisoft Music (2010)
Rating:
8/10
Soundclips below from AmazonMP3
“What BROTHERHOOD
does do is turn up the intensity and drama. It is a polished and
coherent extension, albeit one that lacks something of the flair and
personality of its predecessors.”
The Legacy Continues
Review by Marius Masalar
After wowing audiences with the transformative improvement from ASSASSIN’S
CREED to ASSASSIN’S CREED II, JESPER KYD is called upon yet again to
impress, this time for ASSASSIN’S CREED: BROTHERHOOD. Though it is
technically an entirely separate title, AC: BROTHERHOOD does not occur in
an entirely different time period and environment; instead, it is a
continuation of the story of Ezio from the second game as he gathers a
brotherhood of assassin’s to his cause and seeks his revenge against the
mighty Borgia family.
Likewise, the score fails to distinguish itself as notably as the second
did from the first, which is understandable considering it is essentially
just an extension of the material that KYD produced for ASSASSIN’S CREED
II. What BROTHERHOOD does do is turn up the intensity and drama. It is a
polished and coherent extension, albeit one that lacks something of the
flair and personality of its predecessors.
“Master Assassin” (1) opens the album with a cinematic and rousing power
anthem, familiar in instrumentation and style though somewhat anonymous in
theme. As with the previous scores, each environment gets its own musical
treatment, though in this case nearly the entire game takes place in and
around Rome. “City of Rome” (2) is an appropriately noble gameplay
ambience, with stately (if oddly medieval) fiddles scratching a deliberate
theme above a nondescript and delicate backdrop. The cue captures the
grandiose feel of Rome without drawing too much attention to itself.
“Cesare Borgia” (3) pulls us into far darker territory, with alarming male
choral shouts and creepy bell-like elements dissolving into a lonely monk
chant. The crisp percussion and synth pulse of “Flags of Rome” (4) come
together with a quiet metallic twanging and build to a propulsive and
evocative ending with the familiar solo female vocalist returning again.
“The Brotherhood Escapes” (5) is a huge escape cue that sounds almost like
trailer music in its construction — and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if
it will be licensed as such in the future. Of course, no ASSASSIN’S CREED
score would be complete without some impressive ambient works, and
“Brotherhood of the Assassin’s” (6) delivers with a frightening and dark
atmosphere that pulses and swells. Low piano stabs and large percussion
hits set the stage for “The Pantheon” (7), one of the filmiest pieces on
the album. It grows patiently from a simple rhythm to an evil-sounding
march.
The abrupt ending is hardly noticed though, since “Villa Under Attack” (8)
offers an even huger sound. Powerful brass are soon joined by the male
choral shouts from “Cesare Borgia” and strings to produce a spectacular
conflict cue overflowing with tension. Release comes swiftly with “Echoes
of the Roman Ruins” (9), a peaceful and sensitive ambient cue with
beautiful vocals chanting over a bed of strings and pure bells. This cue
is favourably placed, since the following three ambient tracks all suffer
from a certain anonymity that weakens their impression. It’s only in the
last, “Roman Underworld” (12), that we start hearing KYD’s more creative
side again with the eerie whispered vocals that emerge from the misty
backdrop.
The insistent layered ticking of “Countdown” (13) is incredibly tense, and
bringing the whispered vocals in overtop makes for a piece of music that
makes you feel like you ought to be running from something as fast as you
can. Perhaps it’s the Borgia. “Borgia – The Rulers of Rome” (14) is an
oppressive track; perfect in its execution of a hopeless, tragic
atmosphere. KYD draws subtle ecclesiastic parallels between the Borgia and
the church by making use of the heavy choral elements and even a large
organ extensively in this track. Slowly, “Ezio Confronts Lucrezia” (15)
emerges from the darkness with a quick pace and conflicting mood. The
ticking returns to emphasize the tension, this time joined by piano
clusters.
The album’s closing stretch begins with “Battle in Spain” (16), another
heavily percussive cue with male choir and drums duking it out. “Fight of
the Assassins” (17) is a far more satisfying action sequence, with a
diverse array of percussion and orchestral effects coming together for a
climatic conflict. If you’ve noticed that the synth-heavy elements for the
future plot have been strangely absent from ASSASSIN’S CREED: BROTHERHOOD
so far, then you’ll be happy to know that they are once again heavily
present at the album’s conclusion, as with the previous scores. “Desmond
Miles” (18) is a plaintive theme for the over-hero, with a weighty string
line playing over synth pads and arpeggios in an interesting blend of
organic and synthetic. The combination is killer, and “VR Room” (19)
develops it further with soft string pads and bells mingling with a
broad-sounding ambience. The mood is uncertain but somehow beautiful. And
it only gets better. In lieu of another ‘Animus’ track, we get “Apple
Chamber” (20). Light synth arpeggios provide a digitized and scintillating
curtain of sound. It is a track with more personality, arguably, than some
of the synth-heavy ones in the previous two scores, and it finally feels
like a more satisfying ending to the album. Choirs join in midway but
there is never a particular climax, just a gentle swelling that eases in
and out as the track closes as quietly as it began.
ASSASSIN’S CREED: BROTHERHOOD is not JESPER KYD’s best work, but it isn’t
because it lacks quality by any means. KYD seems to produce his most
compelling material when he’s being challenged to innovate and explore,
and the familiar settings of this sequel/expansion have left him treading
water in areas he’s already explored. While the heightened drama and
cinematic nature make this a fine album for fans to pick up, the appeal
comes at the expense of a certain staleness and anonymity that is hard to
shake.
