Frostpunk by Piotr Musiał
Frostpunk by Piotr Musiał pressed on white vinyl by gamemusic records
“The time has come - to build the last city on Earth!”
Are We Alone?
Enter the frozen landscapes of a world in collapse this week with Frostpunk by Piotr Musiał. Pressed on white vinyl by gamemusic records, the soundtrack to this dystopian 1880’s industrial survival sim is here to chill you to the bone. From dark and brooding cavernous depths to a flight amongst the ice-encrusted landscape, what Piotr has accomplished here is brave, bold, and epic. I hope you’ve got enough coal to stoke the flames, this winter is bound to last a while...
Streets of New London
Based out of Poland, Piotr Musiał is a renowned video game composer known for his work on the award winning This War of Mine, The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine, Bulletstorm, and the Anomaly series. Piotr’s unique interest in orchestral scores and funky pop allows for him to be a versatile tool behind some of gaming’s most visceral and brooding scores. Working closely with the Atom String Quartet and the Sofia Session Orchestra, Piotr has brought a much needed color to the otherwise drab universe 11 bit studios has constructed. Personifying the world of Frostpunk through music is one of the greatest achievements I have witnessed in gaming. Piotr's compositions tell a grim tale of a world left in ruin.
Filled to the brim with imagery, Piotr’s tenacious score pulls you in so subtly that you can’t help but get stuck in it’s frozen grasp.
The Last Flame
A gust of strings flows across a barren tundra, dancing with ice crystals as they pass. Like a blanket of ash trickling from the sky, the percussive elements are light, blanketing the landscape of notes. A sweeping group of cellos dominate this album, constantly carrying the score into this nimbus-like cluster of sounds hanging just above the torrid mural of water turned solid, allowing the listener to suspend above the dread laid out before them. The notes, gathering like soot, will plummet you deep into the drifts of grooves below. Among the mines, the symphonic tones reverberate off the rocks in a muted timbre that lulls the listener further under the surface. Much like the precious coal in Frostpunk acting as a vital life force, these tones are allowed precious moments to shine like a diamond amongst the rough.
Into the Storm
gamemusic records have done a phenomenal job bringing Piotr’s score to life with this release. The artwork presented here by Jakub Kowalczyk helps illustrate the nature of Frostpunk’s universe and Pitor’s score and completely encapsulates it in pure gothic, steampunk vibes. The matte material of the gatefold allows the color here to really pop and give accents to Jakub’s artwork in a very pleasing way. While the back cover is minimalist in design, the gorgeous front cover and sprawling gatefold depicts the world of Frostpunk in all of its bleak, albeit genius, setting. Mastering here was carried out by Matthias Adloff; the clarity of his work allows for Piotr’s score to really come through with a nice dynamic range, complimenting the work from Piotr and his team of musicians. The white vinyl that holds all of these wonderful sounds is gorgeous and wonderfully accents Jakub’s art on the cover.
Damned Souls
The atmospheric nature of this soundtrack is truly paramount. The way in which Piotr has captured the complete sombre and altruistic setting of Frostpunk is as breathtaking as it is suffocating. I highly recommend you check this album out if you can and bring a piece of this dark world that 11 bit studios and Piotr have manifested into your home. As one of the darkest pieces of video game music I think I have listened to, it has earned its place amongst some of the greatest soundtracks I have experienced from 2018, and one that I highly recommend you seek out for your collection.
Album Details
Music by:
Piotr Musiał
Remastered for vinyl by:
Matthias Adloff
Artwork by:
Jakub Kowalczyk
Vinyl produced & distributed by:
gamemusic records
Where to Buy?
Unfortunately, the 1st pressing of this album was limited to 500 copies and has since sold out shortly after release. There is a chance that we will get a repressing based on the initial run being labeled as a 1st press. If you'd like to see this album pressed again, reach out to gamemusic records and Piotr to show your support for them bringing this soundtrack back to vinyl. Maybe we will see a different color this time around - an icey clear blue would look pretty sweet!