Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine by Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine by Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan pressed on blue and white vinyl by Laced Records
“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”
Prelude To War
Grab your Chainsword and jump straight into the hordes this week as we take a look at the soundtrack to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine by Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan. Pressed on blue and white vinyl by Laced Records, this is the definitive soundtrack to your Ork slaying dreams! Will you have what it takes to help Titus stem the tide?
The Blood Ravens
Based out of Los Angeles, Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan are a dynamic duo of the video game music world. Their accomplishments as a team and as solo composers have earned them the right to be regarded as some of the best composers in the industry. From projects like Mass Effect, Darksiders, Deus Ex, and God of War, their compositional works have spanned projects from every genre of the gaming world and continue to push envelopes in whatever setting they sink their teeth into. However, when this team gets together you know it's going to be special, and nothing less could be said of their work on this album. As one of the most visceral experiences in the Warhammer universe, what Cris & Sascha have created here is nothing short of that -- welcome to Space Marine!
The Meat Grinder
Frantic and industrial percussive elements draw you into the front lines of this epic war story. A garrison of horns drowns out the chorus of strings like an Autocannon before retreating into the refuge of a bunker. Sweeping orchestral charts lead to bombastic battles between sections that often turn into an all-out onslaught of sounds pushing the album forward. Subtle piano keys flutter from behind a wall of sound, bringing so much color to this often somber score. This gives dichotomy to the chaos and breeds triumphant tones within the horn section as they slowly crescendo back into disarray. Space Marine is filled with these peaks and valleys of sound that are constantly switching polarity that never plateaus, and leaves the listener on a non-stop orchestral roller coaster ride of destruction. Tasteful remnants of their recent work with Mass Effect 2 can be heard strewn amongst the battlefield of notes, and adds a much welcome yet subtle tint to a couple of tracks present here. If you are a fan of loud and boisterous orchestral suites with a twinge of chaos and very little reprieve that will surprise you at every turn, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album. Every single song on this record carries so much weight and power behind its analog grooves that you can’t help but remain enamoured as your needle slashes through furious horde after furious horde. Trust me, the Xenos invasion stands no chance!
A Hero's Legacy
Laced Records really surprised me with their Warhammer releases. Space Marine and Dawn of War 2 were the last soundtracks I would of thought to make it over to the vinyl format. Now that they’re here, I couldn’t be happier. Both of these games are classics in my book, and ones that I have held dearly as my favorite games from the Warhammer universe. The design for this release is absolutely stunning, and the cover exposes more of the key art from the game’s cover, which totally encapsulates this albums frantic chaotic nature of slaughtering Orks! The choice to use blue and white vinyl here I think makes for a great accent to the design work of the front and back covers. The songs on here are quite impeccable and rival the CD release that was in the Collector’s Edition for this game. The included bonus tracks here are an absolute treat and make this a must-own for fans of this game! Some of the tracks can be a little high on the treble side, but I think that comes with the nature of the wall of horns completely bombasting you the whole time. The dynamic range here is quite great, and makes the softer passages quite crisp and clean with no surface noise at all that I could surmise. This is definitely an all around amazing release!
Album Details
Music by:
Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan
Remastered for vinyl by :
Joe Caithness
Artwork by:
Ian Cumming & Team
Vinyl produced & distributed by:
Laced Records
Where to Buy?
This album is fresh off the press and still readily available directly from Laced Records. Coming in at $35.00 plus shipping, you honestly cannot go wrong with picking this album up, especially if you are a huge fan of this game or its universe. The added bonus tracks on this release help sweeten the deal for people who may be on the fence with their CD or digital copies. Don’t sleep on this one, jump into the fray now!