Destiny brings us to a golden age where mankind is beginning its colonization of the other planets of our Solar System. The civilization’s heyday does not last long, however, and is rudely interrupted by an alien invasion. Those who survived find shelter in a city built underneath a spaceship named The Traveler.
The long-awaited Destiny was supposed to give us we had been waiting for several years. We were promised a universe to which we would want to escape from our everyday lives. However, objectively speaking, the new release by Bungie Software has not surprised us with anything new. In spite of unfavorable reviews, the game has found its supporters. The soundtrack was made by Marty O’Donnell and Mike Salvatori, who also authored the score for Halo, and Sir Paul McCartney, formerly a member of The Beatles.
Work on the compositions lasted nearly two years, some of them having been created even before the project began and the game existed only as a plot outline.
You are probably wondering how this influenced the soundtrack for Destiny, which became a hot topic when Marty O’Donnell put off the role of main composer on the project. Work on the compositions lasted nearly two years, some of them having been created even before the project began and the game existed only as a plot outline. It was thanks to this that Marty O’Donnell’s departure from the project has not prolonged the production process, since the game music was virtually done.
When listening to the Destiny soundtrack, one might get the impression of having heard it somewhere. The tracks are reminiscent of other sci-fi productions, such as Star Trek, Star Wars, The Dig, Mass Effect and Star Ocean. The music was recorded entirely by a symphonic orchestra, with elements of electronica. As Sir Paul McCartney emphasized during the recording session in Abbey Road – his principal goal was to offer creative support to the project, so that the music would be received as something more than trivial background music, possibly unimportant for players. The former bassist of The Beatles has even recorded the song Hope for the Future especially for Destiny, which however was not received too enthusiastically and an amateur arrangement made.
Unfortunately, the music in Destiny lacks melodiousness, something to keep us occupied for a longer while.
In spite of the composer’s enthusiasm, I wonder if the Destiny soundtrack is as good as Marty O’Donnell’s previous work? Unfortunately, the music in Destiny lacks melodiousness, something to keep us occupied for a longer while. For instance the main theme (The Traveler) that can be heard several times over the course of the game is not as stunning as Marty O’Donnell’s other work.
As with any respectable shooter, in Destiny there is no shortage of energetic battle themes. Various battle theme variations, performed by a symphonic orchestra, accompany us virtually through the whole experience (Eye of the Gate Lord, The Last Array), some of them also with some electronica mixed in (Temple of Crota, The Fallen), which indeed give a boost during the campaign, but are tiring for the ears in the long run. One small redeeming point about the soundtrack are the tracks depicting the environment of faraway planets and deep space. Listening to Excerpt from the Ruin or Exclusion Zone brings visions of diverse landscapes and otherwordly fauna. Most frequently they are velvety melodies with the voices of a women’s choir. Also worth a mention is The Great Unknown (the track related to the spaceship drifting in space), which stands out among the rest thanks to the soft choir and giving the feeling of deep space. Generally speaking, this track presents a vision of how the whole album could have been.
Even so, it lacks something new and fresh.
The soundtrack for Destiny, though nothing spectacular, cannot be said to blend into the background. It is thanks to it that we want to travel through the galaxy seeking adventure or stop for a while and take in the sounds of the cosmos. In the end it may not be just derivative work by Marty O’Donnell, Mike Salvatori and the rest of the team, who, one could think, have burned out when creating music for the Halo franchise. Even so, it lacks something new and fresh. A more daring use of instruments would be appreciated – something which would really catch my attention and be truly memorable. That said, the Destiny soundtrack is by all means still worth a recommendation to people loving sci-fi and symphonic orchestras.
