Rejoice! A gift from the heavens, a FREE original soundtrack! If like me, you grew up on the music of Matt Uelmen's Blizzard classics Starcraft and Diablo II, then this is for you! Spellbound by his earthly incarnations of weathered stone age lands and the lurching mischief of a corrupt evil, the D2 soundtracks became frequent listening beyond the game itself. The broody, engrossing atmospheres Matt conjured stuck with me over the decades. Catching wind of his work on this soundtrack, released by the games published for free, peaked my interest. Bar its title theme track, Torchlight II is essentially another half to the classic D2 soundtrack that's so dear to me.
Its no understatement, the instrumental pallet is identical. Shades of all five chapters of the game intermingle. The cinematic orchestration unlocked with the Lord Of Destruction expansion pack a prominent feature too. Not just aesthetics and texture but the musical approach musters that timeless magic. Certain passageways bear a sparkling resemblance. Others seemingly direct incarnations or alternate takes. Once again we get to experience the mesmerizing layers of acoustic guitar Tristram blazed so brightly in Diablo's opening track. A song worthy of any curious listener.
Its a lengthy soundtrack, eighty minutes where new crevasses of his earthly musics are explored, always tumbling back into familiar feelings and arrangements, then to vanish again into something new. Its a delight. A literal dream come true. Too often have I wished for more and finally it is here, or should I say unbeknown to me for ten years! Nestled at the end, Camp Dawn is my favorite track, essentially the closest you'll get to another Tristram. Beautiful! I'm so thankful to have found this.
Rating: 9/10