Call of Duty 2

Track Listing

01 - 88 RidgeApproach Comp Mix-01 (3:05)
02 - 88Ridge Crus Vic ST bnc (1:55)
03 - 03 Attract COD2 Cmp w ch Mx 2-01 (0:40)
04 - Beltot ToughRoad Comp Mix-01 (0:37)
05 - Brit Action Art Comp Mix-01 (0:54)
06 - BritDcoytwnIntro Comp Mix-01 (1:08)
07 - Decoytown Victory Comp Mix-01 (3:20)
08 - Decoytrnch Intro Comp Mix-01 (1:00)
09 - Decoytrnch Outro Comp Mix-01 (1:08)
10 - DecoytrnchSupply Comp Mix-01 (1:48)
11 - Demo Sov Charge Comp Mix-01 (1:00)
12 - Demo Sov Hold Comp Mix-01 (1:36)
13 - Demo Tens 2 Comp Mix-01 (1:31)
14 - Demo Tens1 Comp Choir Mix-01 (1:36)
15 - Demo Tension 3 Comp Mix-01 (0:42)
16 - Demo Victory ST bnc (0:52)
17 - Downtown Asslt Comp Mix-01 (0:42)
18 - Downtown Sniper Comp Mix-01 (0:26)
19 - Downtown SnprVic Comp Mix-01 (0:39)
20 - Duhoc Asslt Comp Mix-01 (2:07)

21 - Duhoc Discovery ST bnc (2:06)

22 - DuhocAss El Daba ST bnc (0:37)

23 - DuhocAsslt HR VA ST bnc (0:38)
24 - DuhocAsslt HR VB ST bnc (0:39)

25 - DuhocAsslt Victo Comp Mix-01 (0:37)
26 - El Daba Battle ST bnc (0:26)
27 - Hill 400 Defend Comp Mix-01 (3:03)
28 - Hill 400 Mustangs Comp Mix-01 (0:40)
29 - Lybia Charge OTC Comp Mix-01 (0:56)
30 - Lybia Desert Sea ST bnc (2:11)
31 - Lybia Moving In Comp Mix-01 (0:42)
32 - Menu COD 2 ST bnc (1:00)
33 - Rhine Vctry LW Comp Mix-01 (3:20)
34 - Rhine VctryExhst ST bnc (1:47)
35 - Set Demo Charges Comp Mix-01 (2:05)
36 - Sylo Asslt Sombr Comp Mix-01 (0:34)
37 - Sylotown Asslt Comp Mix-01 (1:08)
38 - Toujane Carcrash Comp Mix-01 (2:03)
39 - Toujane DngrLoop Comp Mix-01 (0:50)
40 - Toujane Veh Ride Comp Mix-01 (1:03)
41 - Trainyrd SovietTL Comp Mix-01 (1:08)
42 - Trainyrd SovVic ST bnc (2:33)

Interview with Graeme Revell on Call of Duty 2

Total Running Time: 57:13

The genre of World War II has undergone a renaissance ever since the release of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan way back in 1998. Since then, both the silver screen and the small screen have seen more than their fair share of movies that more-or-less follow the typical formula that Spielberg created with his film (shaky camera movement, de-saturated colors, ect.).

But cinema was not the only medium in which World War II started to have more portrayals. The gaming industry followed forth as well, starting with the Medal of Honor title on the original PlayStation, and then experiencing its own renaissance with titles such as Medal of Honor: Frontline, Call of Duty, and Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. As the first Medal of Honor game had the distinction of a rousing orchestral score by Michael Giacchino, the rest of the WW2-themed games also followed suit. That original decision on an old PlayStation title ended up influencing a whole genre of games across multiple platforms. And the soundtrack community was for the better because of it.

While Michael Giacchino’s scores for the Medal of Honor series breathed thematic and lush orchestral life into the genre, his score for the first Call of Duty game turned in a more experimental direction. A harsh treatise on the horrors of war (sacrificing the noble, heroic motifs and themes from Medal of Honor), Call of Duty was an effective, if not approachable, score. For the sequel, veteran composer Graeme Revell (Dark City, Titan A.E., Sin City) replaces Giacchino. Revell’s score effectively tracks in the same feeling of the despair of war, while still bringing an element of haunting beauty to the proceedings.

For never having visited this particular genre in any form (and especially more startling given that Revell is not even that familiar with other more recent examples of this genre), he truly knows what the proper ingredients are. The music follows the same form and function as all the rest of its ilk, and does so with the proper finesse and integrity. The opening cue immediately brings us into the world, with the darkness of war contrasting with mournful horn refrains that speak of the innocence caught in the midst of conflict. This style continues pretty much unabated, with an interesting pastoral diversion in track seven (which immediately struck me as sounding like a cue from Jeremy Soule’s Knights of the Old Republic). This eventually gives way to Revell’s first use of a choir, which has added a really nice touch to this genre in previous efforts and continues to do the same here. This isn’t Revell just blowing smoke with a lot of nice sounding horns and heroic bits. Instead, this is a surprisingly mature score which defies its origins as a videogame property.

For the most part at least.

A lot of the cues on this album are incredibly short and go over the same material multiple times, with a few key differences (due in part to the process of having similar cues that speak of different outcomes in the game). Revell also refrains from doing too much with the action cues, as the game itself strives for a more realistic bent than the Indiana Jones-esque battle cues from the Medal of Honor games. While his action material is exciting, it never gets too out of hand, and can either be a godsend or a slight annoyance depending on how much excitement you’re looking to gain from this score.

Of sadder note, this album is still up in the air as far as a release format is concerned. The first Call of Duty score can be found in the Deluxe treatment of the first title (the one that comes with Call of Duty and its expansion pack), which can be picked up for around $30 just about anywhere. Unfortunately, even though there is a Deluxe version of Call of Duty 2, it is not bundled with a soundtrack. Look for this review to be updated as soon as release information is made available.

For those who know Revell best through his electronic/orchestral scores (The Saint, Chronicles of Riddick) Call of Duty 2 represents a finely tuned conventional orchestral score that may surprise those used to those aforementioned titles. And for those looking for more of the same mournful refrains on one of the greatest wars ever witnessed by mankind, this is one not to be missed.