Gears of War: Judgement Original Game Soundtrack

At the height of Transformers fever Steve Jablonsky was pursued to take over the Gears Of War franchise, and the result was pretty good. Gears Of War 2 was an amazing video game score that was perfectly structured and delivered great themes with exciting moments. Gears Of War 3 came quickly after and even though the score felt a bit weaker it still exhumed the core strength of what Jablonsky did for Gears Of War 2. Now we have Gears Of War: Judgment, which acts as a prequel to the series. Jablonsky brought on Jacob Shea to co-compose this time. Shea has a long history at Remote Control Productions working as a programmer for Hans Zimmer on many of his scores, and as an additional composer for Jablonsky on a few of his scores. What does the fourth score in the series and third from Jablonsky with newcomer Jacob Shea bring? Sadly, not much.As a fan of the previous scores I was immensely disappointed with this one. All the bigness, grandness and epic action sound that we loved is completely absent in Judgment. You can hear the hints of Jablonsky's original theme here and there as the music tries to establish itself as an origin point, but nothing else is there to grab the listener. The score mostly drones along with a heavy rock sound, clicking electronics and very evident looping tendencies. You're very aware that this is a video game score meant to act as background since I felt no sense of progression or narrative movement. There were a few tracks that stood out from the rest, but it mostly felt all jumbled together. You could have played me the last few tracks of the album and told me it was the beginning and I wouldn't have known any better. The fact that the score is anticlimactic makes the listen feel like it drags. When the next track starts you sort of feel like the track you just listened to is starting over. I also don't hear or feel that Jablonsky sound that much. It just doesn't sound like him. Even in a score like Battleship his sound was evident and I was able to enjoy that big dumb mess immensely. Seriously, Battleship is a very enjoyable score. Here though I feel like Jacob Shea is handling most of the score and is finding his footing, which is fine. This is the best playground to test stuff out, and to work with your mentor is even greater. I guess I was just expecting something more structured, louder and propulsive.The score ends pretty much the same way it starts. The tracks move at the same pace almost all the way throughout the 56-minute running time, and that makes for a score with no progression. It's like going for a walk in the park instead of running an obstacle course. You have a nice steady pace and you know you're going to finish. While it should have been a journey with ups and downs, moments of doubt, a sprint to the finish and a cool down period. Gears Of War: Judgement just doesn't offer anything substantial. I didn't get a sense of story or character, and there wasn't even a hint of emotional resonance. I'll stick with Jablonsky's first two Gears Of War scores and wait for his re-teaming with Michael Bay for Pain & Gain, which should be a blast.

Steve Jablonsky brought us another great Gears soundtrack with a whole new flair, yet keeping the themes of 2 and 3 present and recognizable. I’ve definitely added this to my list of go-to scores.

A departure from the more traditional orchestral music of previous titles. To its credit it does not lose the "Gears" themes that fans of the trilogy have come to expect. The full orchestra is missed at times overall, but some of the new synth work stands out very well on its own.

I did not like the music

The gears of War franchise is terrific and epic, being a dark and brutal vision of a future where humanity must stand against hellish forces that threaten our existence. Although the Gears franchise is built upon dynamic characters and a storyline that becomes even more epic with every installment, the music helps build the suspense and atmosphere of this brooding world. While Kevin Riepl did the soundtrack for the first gears, Steve Jablonsky took the helm for Gears 2 & 3, creating a vast and emotional sound-scape that truly defines the Gears of War universe. Now, with Gears of War: Judgment, Steve is joined by Jacob Shea in creating a sound that covers the early story of E-Day, and an early mission that is lead by Augustus Cole and Damon Baird, who makes a decision that changes the war forever. Taking on a much more brutal and intense directing, Judgment offers the fully dark and brooding side of the Gears franchise, with a few of the same themes mixed in with the new.Overall, Judgment is a fantastic, white-knuckle soundtrack that keeps you on edge and wanting more. Hopefully, this is not the last we see of Steve and the Gears franchise

Therefore a different approach to the music seems appropriate. The thing that people seem often to forget about Gears of War: Judgment is that in it, the characters we know and love are young (in Baird's case I doubt he's more than about 22 years old) and so is the struggle against the Locust. This soundtrack lacks the sorrowful orchestral influence of the others for, in my opinion, this exact reason. It isn't about trying desperately to save the little that's left... it's about youth, independence, struggle and defiance.The previous reviewer stated that there weren't any standout tracks. I tend to disagree, on a purely personal level. I most enjoy 'Jacked', 'Undefined Charges', 'High Surge', 'A New Plan', 'Shibboleth' and 'Forbidden Streets'. They all capture the essence of the fight, which I think is best summed up by quoting Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington: "Hard pounding this, gentlemen; let's see who will pound longest."If you are buying this because you think it will be like the first three OSTs, you'll be disappointed. But if you do like the more electronic/heavy rock genre of music, you'll most likely enjoy it. If, like me, you love the game, it's a must-buy. The disc also has the added bonus of being AutoRip eligible, meaning Amazon helpfully supplies a free digital copy of the album when you buy the physical CD.

Steve Jablonsky once again returns to score the next GOW game, Judgement. Along with unknown Zimmer associate Jacob Shea, this release is unlike either of Jablonsky's previous scores for the series. Please note, this review is based only on what I heard on the CD, rather than how it sounds in the game (and from what I have read, it works very well).The orchestral style of the previous albums has largely gone. Occasional strings and brass are pretty much all you get, and are replaced with electronics and metal. The main GOW theme is back in various guises, however none are particularly epic or as well orchestrated compared to previous installments and it is certainly not the centerpiece of the album.There were no "standout" tracks that I think deserve specific mention, however this reflects the fact that I am not a fan of the style of the album, and have no real point of reference by which to compare it. The sound quality of the album is great though.For me, this review merely serves as a warning to those people who might be thinking of buying it based on the style of GOW2 and 3. This CD will divide opinion. I loved Jablonsky's orchestral scores for GOW2 and GOW3, but the change in style for electronics and metal was not something that I can say I enjoyed. However, I appreciate that many people would think this is an improvement because orchestral scores are a somewhat niche taste. If you enjoyed the music within the game, or have at least some appreciation for metal/electronics, this soundtrack will be right up your street. However, for people who like the orchestral style of his previous scores and think this might be a good standalone album, this is most certainly not the case. Think carefully before buying or listen to track samples if you are unsure, because you could end up with an album that you either love, or hate.The 2*s I gave it was based on the prior assumption that I made that it would be more of the same orchestral style by Jablonsky, and thus I was disappointed. However, for fans of metal/electronics you would no doubt rate it more highly than I, and would be interested to see what other people think.