On a spring afternoon in 2016, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles for the duration of the E3 videogame occasion, I crossed the stage among a packed house and a symphonic orchestra, to carry out an first topic I experienced created that had hardly ever been listened to publicly. Even in advance of the game’s title was disclosed, the viewers experienced a sweeping, symphonic score showcasing Nordic folk devices, choir, and robust, melodic themes. Soon after my overture, the curtains parted and a vision of an older Kratos stepped out of the shadows, announcing that a new entry in PlayStation’s blockbuster God of War sequence was on the horizon, just one which aged the character and promised a additional mature narrative. The sport released in 2018 to common significant acclaim and fan enthusiasm, cementing the vengeful god Kratos and his son Atreus a place amongst the most beloved videogame figures of all time.
In the spring of 2019, I identified myself yet again in the offices of Santa Monica Studio, for resourceful discussions pertaining to the game’s sequel, God of War Ragnarök. In this article the game’s preceding director, Cory Barlog, released me to this new game’s director, Eric Williams. Cory and Eric have worked with each other for many years on this franchise, and I quickly sensed Eric’s shared enthusiasm for the material and depth of encounter. Having read through the script, the scale of God of War Ragnarök became crystal clear. This ambitious sequel’s story expanded upon the intimate character drama concerning Kratos and his son Atreus by introducing at the very least a dozen new characters, throughout all nine realms of Nordic mythology. The set parts and action scenes were even extra bombastic, and still, the dramatic arcs were each and every little bit poignant as those from the very first tale. In order to musically help this formidable new narrative, I would need to have to fill God of War Ragnarök with new musical themes. At the same time, they would need to be interwoven with my substance from God of War (2018).
For that unique match, I had jumped into the score with enthusiastic abandon, completely ready to fully reinvent the audio of the franchise to in good shape this entry’s additional innovative tone. Nevertheless, this time, I felt the tension of writing tunes in the shadow of my individual former work. Gamers the entire world more than had cast emotional connections to my musical themes, and my operate experienced won several major videogame field awards. The considered of expanding on these thoughts – and daring to believe I could increase upon them – exhilarated and terrified me.
I commenced composing God of War Ragnarök in the summer time of 2019, totally conscious that I was at the onset of a journey that would be between the most creatively hard of my career.
Warning: the subsequent consists of moderate spoilers for God of War Ragnarök
New themes for new families
God of War Ragnarök is a story of fractured family members having difficulties to reform. To support that tale, I desired two further themes to symbolize people that Kratos and Atreus would come across on their journey.
Topic: Huldra Brothers
The Huldra brothers, Dwarves Brok and Sindri, have been supporting people in the final game. They offered aid for Kratos’ weapons as very well as delightful comedic relief, and a heartwarming tale of estranged brothers who reunite. Their purpose in God of War Ragnarök was drastically expanded, and now gamers journey to their realm of origin, Svartalfheim. I desired to craft them their possess concept, a person which could also tell us some thing of Dwarven lifestyle.
The Brok and Sindri Theme begins with a jaunty oom-pah ostinato done on viola da gamba and nyckelharpa.
The jovial character of the topic is coloured by a signature rhythmic meter, 7/4, that gives an asymmetrical imbalance. The groove is bouncy, but also results in being more and more hefty as their theme evolves.
The accurate appeal for “Huldra Brothers” comes from the melody, showcased prominently by a hurdy gurdy solo. (I am the credited performer of this solo, even though I individually like to consider we are listening to a character named Ræb enjoying their theme. Far more on him, later on.) Their melody weaves all over the asymmetrical meter with fulfilling repeating designs, that includes a “Scotch snap,” a recurrent rhythm found in Scottish folks music.
The Huldra Brothers’ psychological B-Concept middle section indicates there is more emotion to their tale over and above mere comedic aid. And certainly, this theme evolves in excess of the course of the tale probably a lot more than any other. At the conclude of their keep track of, we hear their concept a person past time, in a darkish, melancholy cello solo – a shocking departure from the jovial tone at the beginning. Near the stop of the soundtrack album, “Ræb’s Lament” is built all-around hurdy gurdy and orchestral versions of this melody. I will not spoil the narrative below, but suffice to say that if I did my position suitable, this comedic jaunty little tune will crack your heart prior to closing credits roll on God of War Ragnarök.
Concept: Ragnarök
The previous principal new topic I composed for this recreation was for a further relatives, representing the antagonists from Asgard, Thor, his father Odin, and the impending prophesied event of Ragnarök by itself. To create a musical power that could threaten Kratos was a mighty task (his theme commences with highly effective reduced male vocals that radiate menace and power). To check out to write a villainous concept that dwarfed Kratos’ in terms of power and raw ability was a fool’s errand. So, I appeared to the script for inspiration.
Odin, as portrayed by Richard Schiff in God of War Ragnarök defies audience expectations. Eric Williams described him as a snake in the grass. He has a slight frame, and his wide electric power is most typically implied. He is unafraid to use pressure, but would relatively use psychological signifies to achieve his finishes. Additionally, I imagined about the ominous impending doom of Ragnarök alone, which looms more than the story’s horizon like a storm cloud. These concepts influenced me to energize the Ragnarök Concept with a slithering, unsafe, yet subdued ostinato. I required this string pattern to imply ability and menace with a relentless triplet rhythm, a person that rolls across the soundtrack like distant thunder.
This ostinato receives louder and louder as the story progresses. Above it, the key melody of the Ragnarök Topic delivers a darkish nobility and ominous foreboding, often sung by male choirs with an Old Norse text.
I used about fifty percent a calendar year sketching themes for this recreation, typically tweaking back and forth with my resourceful companions at Santa Monica Studio. A number of of them came conveniently, but several went by way of five or six drafts prior to I landed on some thing promising. I struggled specifically with the Atreus Concept, as I found I was to begin with crippled by the powerful stress to publish a theme that could evaluate up to my two most iconic melodies from God of War (2018). By the end, even so, I was self-assured that my new themes for Atreus, Angrboda, the Huldra Brothers, and Ragnarök, would evaluate up to the melodies I experienced written for the very last video game.
Turning into Ræb
Scoring God of War Ragnarök was an expansion of almost everything that I had done in God of War (2018), culminating in just one of the largest orchestral scores of my occupation to day. Nonetheless, my contributions to the activity would go over and above the music.
Back in the spring of 2019, Eric Williams and Cory Barlog finished our to start with artistic conference about the task by displaying me idea art. I was dumbstruck when I noticed, at the bottom of the stack, a stout Dwarven fellow holding a wonderful hurdy gurdy, with a common, and maybe even dashingly handsome face! At very first, I imagined the game’s outstanding art director Raf Grassetti had drafted a sketch of me as a Dwarf as a gift. I was further dumbstruck when Eric and Cory instructed me this picture was no joke – this was a character named Ræb, who they intended to set into the video game as a character that Kratos and Atreus would face in their journey, and that they meant me to execute the movement seize and supply voice performing for him!
Above two a long time later on, in the summer season of 2021, I stepped into PlayStation’s Santa Monica Studio not as a composer, but as an actor. I arrived at the movement seize phase, and the crew place tiny sensors all over my system and on my hurdy gurdy. I realized that my system movements had been being captured by these sensors and right away transformed into animation facts for my electronic avatar.
Strolling on to the stage, I was struck by how barren it looked – like an industrial warehouse with large tech gear gathered around the edges of an empty space. Screens adorned the periphery, and when I looked at them I saw the true magic, a digital fantasy setting symbolizing the tavern in Svartalfheim. Going for walks into the digital tavern, I found Ræb, and quickly understood he was going for walks due to the fact I was strolling! I stopped, delighted like a kid enjoying with new toys, and started out leaping all-around and flinging my arms, watching my digital avatar recreate my each individual motion in true time. It was like searching at a freaky fun household mirror where by I observed a electronic dwarf reflection of myself! I giggled uncontrollably as I moved my system and Ræb mimicked me.
To be an actor in a videogame, one particular should seize their movement, or do a mo-cap session. The crew told me that, typically, just one or two sensors are positioned on the hands to seize the motion of the arms, but that all in-depth finger motion is generally animated afterwards. However, due to the fact so much of my motion-capture work included enjoying a musical instrument, they determined to try putting sensors on all of my fingers. They experienced never completed this prior to! Confident more than enough, as soon as they were done, I sat played hurdy gurdy and watched onscreen as the digital Ræb’s fingers rippled throughout his very own hurdy gurdy keys, adhering to my precise actions.
Recording the hurdy gurdy efficiency turned out to be the uncomplicated portion. I also had to faux to be in a crowded tavern surroundings, and to mimic the bodily mannerisms that end result from many interactions with Kratos and Atreus. I threw myself into the minute, and experienced as significantly fun as I probably could, seeking not to feel about the possibly uncomfortable reality that I was carrying skin-restricted pajamas, lined in dots, pretending to be a dwarf keeping a hurdy gurdy, in the center of a room with people today staring at me.
I liked the physicality of doing the movement capture. On the other hand, as fun as that was, it did not put together me for the thrill of recording Ræb’s dialog a couple months later on. I labored with author Matt Sophos, at a small recording studio in Los Angeles, who directed me as a result of the vocal performances. While I experienced hardly ever effectively acted prior to, I discovered that my innovative approach as an actor working with Matt was the similar as operating as a composer with a director or producer when I am scoring narrative. In equally situations, our shared purpose is to make an audience experience some thing unique about what they’re encountering. When I am a composer, I use notes, chords, and rhythms to reach that intention. I rapidly found that the only variance when I am an actor is that I use vocal rhythm, inflection, and tone to obtain the similar target.
I felt an electrical thrill building Ræb for God of War Ragnarök. The much more I labored by the strains with Matt, the more I recognized Ræb’s circumstance and in specific his thoughts about Kratos’ companion Mimir. As I drove home from the recording studio, I was giddy, and my coronary heart was pounding in my upper body. I can safely and securely say the number of hours I expended recording Ræb’s dialog rank among the the most exhilarating resourceful experiences of my existence. Although I never imagine I’ll give up my working day job at any time shortly, I would adore the prospect to discover this artwork variety even more!
To browse a lot more about my get the job done on God of War Ragnarök, make sure you test out the full blog site write-up on my formal web-site.
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