Superb new Music

Deter1UK

Congratulations to the composer again.

Complex, textured, moody.

A most enjoyable listen.

Grizzbeorn

Yup.
I switched from the Morrowind theme to the new one.

It's well done.

licenturion

Yeah, very well done as usual.

I hope there is some new battle music as well in the next expansion.

Only thing that is still weird to me is that new expansions have dedicated music for each of their zone but in the base game it is all over the place. Strange they don't have a selection for each province or race.

Kind of strange to see that videogame music these days has better quality than most movies or series when it used to be the other way around. We all have the MMO genre to thank for this who started pioneering real orchestral music back in the Guild Wars, Word Of Warcraft days.

Tornaad

My wife thinks it is scary. I think it's good.

VaranisArano

I thought it was interesting. Not pleasant to listen to, but interesting in that it's a very twisted and odd version of the familiar.

It reminded me of something Howard Shore said about his theme for Isengard in the Lord of the Rings: "Isengard is industrial age, and it’s written in 5/4 time, which is a rhythm that I use only in Isengard and only to evoke this kind of things being a little off kilter. I mean, the 5/4 rhythm is a little unusual enough that it always felt a bit unresolved whenever you were in Isengard."

The new theme felt off-kilter. Which is a lovely thing for a theme that's heading into Lovecraftian territory.

emilyhyoyeon

I'm a little bit over the use of a choir/chanting or whatever it is, but I thought it was pretty cool otherwise

Blood_again

Tornaad wrote: »

My wife thinks it is scary. I think it's good.

Honestly, I found it the most agressive and anxious among all the chapters' main themes.
It sounds heavy and dangerous. I love it!

Necrotech_Master

at least one person in one of my guilds hated the music so much they turned their sound off before remembering they could choose what the login music is lol

i personally think its alright, enjoyable lol

TaSheen

Not my cuppa. I'll stick with Elsweyr and Blackwood.

runa_gate

@soundmaster is a damned genius
modal substitutions? at work and only got to hear part of the revamped theme on a stream

EmEm_Oh

Would be nice to collaborate with the artists to sell CD-quality albums in the Crown store...because I would buy them.

fleetingyouth_ESO

I forgot there was even music in this game. Maybe i'll turn it back on and check it out.

ArchangelIsraphel

Really enjoying the new theme, by far one of my top favorites so far. Love the moody, dark, discordant vibe it has.

Kirawolfe

I think it certainly sets the mood, but I like High Isle/Blackwood the most for chill vibes while I'm deciding who to 'wear'.

... that sounded a little creepy

TaSheen

Kirawolfe wrote: »

I think it certainly sets the mood, but I like High Isle/Blackwood the most for chill vibes while I'm deciding who to 'wear'.

... that sounded a little creepy

Yeah, I'm not into the whole "edgelord" thing personally.

And no - "who to wear" didn't cme across "creepy" to me!

MasterSpatula

Must agree, Strikingly good!

colossalvoids

After HI theme I thought that I'd set mine for any else and just left it, but after logging on PTS for the first time this year it was clear I can happily go to default again. A really good piece.

DarcyMardin

I didn’t care for it. I switched back to the Morrowind chapter music.

Sarannah

Don't know much about the new music, as it starts with an attentionseeking bell.... like it's a commercial that feels like it has to draw your attention somehow. Which to me destroys everything that comes after, and makes me want to log in as fast as possible to not hear anything more. Especially as I hear that damn bell every time I switch characters.

Have never switched the login music, but I am going to this time!

Zodiarkslayer

Bah! This new Theme is way too dark for my liking.
I think I'll go back to the Summerset theme for the next chapter.

LanteanPegasus

I have to say, I found it neither scary nor dark, just... jerky. Odd stops every few tacts, and lots of superfluous chanting.
It doesn't sound very rounded out to me in general, and - that's the bigger "problem" - just doesn't make sense as an interpretation of the Elder Scrolls theme. For me, the somewhat flowing quality is a defining quality of the theme, and so far every variation did match that in some degree. This one somehow gives the impression of an orchestra stopping every 10 seconds or so, to collectively turn their sheet music, then playing the next page.

But thankfully we have the option to choose other themes, so congrats to the people who like it for having found a new favourite!

theacefes

I appreciate that we have the option to choose themes and I'm glad they keep adding more. Personally, to me it sounded less creepy and more like someone was trying to play the ESO theme but was playing off key, and not in a good way. Like mistakes were being made in the performance. I do wish that the choirs would take a break in general across the soundtrack but sometimes they hit well. My favorite themes are probably the Morrowind chapter, the Dolmen track, and some of the Cyrodiil tracks.

Northwold

I applaud the inventiveness but, honestly, to me it highlights the downside of the Elder Scrolls motif, which is that it's a little too simple and rhythmically repetitive to develop in a natural way beyond its home horns-and-heroes vibe. That is its selling point when used for horns and heroes fare, of course. Without a secondary theme to fall back on or proceed into, trying to push it into this sort of mood sounds to me more like flailing than coherent music.

If the in-game music for the chapter as a whole is like this, there's a danger it's going to run into the Deadlands problem that the music itself contributed to the experience being rather oppressive and uninviting.

Deter1UK

Northwold wrote: »

If the in-game music for the chapter as a whole is like this, there's a danger it's going to run into the Deadlands problem that the music itself contributed to the experience being rather oppressive and uninviting.

That's an interesting point.

I would say The Deadlands is supposed to be oppressive and uninviting and the music enhanced that as you say.

Now you might argue that players should feel invited into zones = fair enough.

My counterpoint to that is that in heroic fantasy literature the Hero invariably ends up going somewhere, out of nessessity, that he or she would rather not go to.

I think it is rather grand that ESO is huge enough and mature enough to be able to incorporate one or two zones that the player might actually feel uncomfortable visiting.

I await Necrom with interest.

JARTHEGREY

Yeah totally agree with the OP. I also love just hanging around towns and listening to the singers.

Northwold

Deter1UK wrote: »

Northwold wrote: »

If the in-game music for the chapter as a whole is like this, there's a danger it's going to run into the Deadlands problem that the music itself contributed to the experience being rather oppressive and uninviting.

That's an interesting point.

I would say The Deadlands is supposed to be oppressive and uninviting and the music enhanced that as you say.

Now you might argue that players should feel invited into zones = fair enough.

My counterpoint to that is that in heroic fantasy literature the Hero invariably ends up going somewhere, out of nessessity, that he or she would rather not go to.

I think it is rather grand that ESO is huge enough and mature enough to be able to incorporate one or two zones that the player might actually feel uncomfortable visiting.

I await Necrom with interest.

Yeah dramatically I get it. But in action, to me, it made exploring the zone just really grim. And it was a grim zone already. I found it really quite grating; just the same not-at-all-interesting, dispiriting, airless music over and over. Fargrave's music I found similarly alienating. I think some concession does have to be made to the idea that players have to live with this and you want them to be living with it for quite some time -- it's not a movie and the music not only attaches to the perception of the zone in a storytelling sense but will affect their experience in it.