Following up on my entry earlier this week, without walking you through the whole score, I wanted to call out a few tracks that stand out as prime examples of the principal themes contained in the score for LAIR. When you hear the elegant strains of the “Civilization” theme (Asylia theme), you’ll notice hints at the scope and power of the Asylian culture. It is high culture indeed, yet there is a dark side here.

“Crossing at Dawn-Bridge Battle” is an example of some of the more brutal and textural musical colors. Using primitive skin drums and ethnic woodwinds such as the “Makruna” and “Phillistine horn,” the ethnic side of Lair is revealed. This is a world we have only dreamed of, and for me, listening to the score, it comes to life. Musically, we must experience the majesty and scope of this world, and highlight its many sounds.

I could go on for quite a while describing the beauty of, for instance, Karen Han’s incredibly moving Erhu solo on “Mokai theme,” but that’s enough from me for today, so I’ll step back and let you the listener enjoy for yourself the amazing world of LAIR.

Composing the music for LAIR has been an incredible creative experience. The teams at Factor 5 and SCEA, gave me great freedom and latitude to develop something unique and perhaps unprecedented. Creating new, original themes for this primal world has been one of the most stimulating experiences of my career, something I will look back on and cherish. The overall tone of the work can best be described as operatic, ethnically rich, lyrical, elegant and, at the same time, tragic. From the heroic strains of Rohn’s theme, to the darkly powerful sister themes, Prophet/Diviner theme, we have a musical landscape both unique and glorious. Some of the finest vocalists and instrumentalists in the world are prominently featured in the score. It was a treat to be able to work with these great talents, and I’m sure you’ll appreciate the scope and the power of what we were trying to accomplish. It is ambitious to say the least, and we are so fortunate to have had the London and Royal symphony orchestras with their virtuosic and impassioned performance.

The score for this game is unique also in that it truly presents a large scale symphony in three acts. Quite simply, to give you a sense of the scale of what we did, the music alone in this game would fill three complete movies! Thus was the task; to create a work richly melodic, deeply passionate and savagely primal, all to fit right in with the theme, tone and dramatic elements of LAIR. With that said, I hope this audio clip gives you a taste of what’s to come in LAIR. I’ll be back later this week with another sample, but click below to hear “Diviner’s Theme,” which describes the treacherous, evil villain in the game. If Darth Vader had an evil cousin, this would truly be him. Enjoy!