Miracle of Sound: Sovngarde Song (Skyrim)

[MiracleOfSound]

But I have one problem with it. I am not a musical type person, so take this worth a grain of salt, but, honestly, I found the metal part of the song to be lacking and not really fitting of the game in question.
Edit: To clarify, I love the melody and rhythm of the metal section, I just find that the moment the electric instruments come into play and the lyrics go loud that I feel that disconnect.

As music is completely subjective I can happily say that's perfectly fine with me.

However, in defence of the metal(-ish) part, I believe personally no other music style better captures and reflects the Viking, Nordic spirit and soul.

There's even an entire genre devoted to it: (edited cos I screwed up the link)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_metal

When you think about it, metal and electric guitars are no more historically inappropriate to ancient Nordic warriors than a Western Orchestra playing classical music. If anything they are MORE in tune with that spirit, being loud, brutal, chaotic and full of channelled aggression.

 

[Shynobee]

Incredible work as per the usual. Keep making awesome music man!

 

[Neonbob]

My god...Miracle, you sexymanbeast, all I have to say is FUCK YES.
I think this kicked Minin' All Day Long right off its perch as my favorite of your songs.
I remember you saying you wanted to wait to do justice to the game, and...fuck, you did.
Well done. VERY well done.

 

[Slycne]

It's Justin who's the Stormcloak supporter haha

Hey now, I just went with the imagery I thought fit best. My Skyrim character thinks both sides are dicks for constantly wanting to put me in prison for liberating their valuables. If they hadn't wanted them stolen then they should have installed better locks.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

It's Justin who's the Stormcloak supporter haha

Hey now, I just went with the imagery I thought fit best. My Skyrim character thinks both sides are dicks for constantly wanting to put me in prison for liberating their valuables. If they hadn't wanted them stolen then they should have installed better locks.

Haha, my guy thinks they're dicks too. Well, the Thalmor are dicks. But Ulfric is a petulant manchild. Kinda hard choice.

And the imagery fits perfectly don't worry

 

[Baldry]

God I wish the bards in Skyrim sung like this in Skyrim...And this song! It would add an extra edge of awesome to an already awesome game.

 

[Maiestas777]

This song is simply amazing as usual. Definitely among my favorites of your work.

One little detail that I loved was your choice of shout to use during the one small segment of growling. While other, lesser artists would have pandered to the memes and used Fus Ro Dah, you chose to go with Yol Toor Shul.

Keep up the good work Gav!

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

It's sad that I know pretty much every location in the video...

 

[MiracleOfSound]

On an entirely unrelated note, are you sure doomful is a word?

Uh, yeah. I'm sure.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

My god...Miracle, you sexymanbeast, all I have to say is FUCK YES.
I think this kicked Minin' All Day Long right off its perch as my favorite of your songs.
I remember you saying you wanted to wait to do justice to the game, and...fuck, you did.
Well done. VERY well done.

Thanks Bob! It's been quite a relief seeing the response to this one

 

[Virgilthepagan]

Truly excellent, the transitions from folk song to rock and back work really well for Skyrim's world. I'll admit this just makes me more angry that I'm still in Europe, and therefore the higher price tag is turning me away from this game right now...but...want it...so much...

 

[ChocoFace]

It is now officially friday for me and i've been listening pretty much exclusively to this song for all this time.
This is gonna be just like The New Black Gold for me, i guess - one straight week on nothing but it.

Here's to hoping you'll become world-famous some day. Cheers, Gav.

 

[Random berk]

Nailed it, Gavin. Fucking nailed it. This was truly epic. I have to wonder though, some where in time, will you be able to top this? There's a challenge for you.

 

[Laser Priest]

You've just convinced me to flip the bird to the empire and join the stormcloaks.
What they permit the godamn Thalmor to do is unforgivable.

I got really freaked out and upset by their torture camp up in the hills above Solitude...

Gav, that was amazing- so much heart went into that
I think I'll have another listen and then play Skyrim!

Sometimes, I dream of the mists of Sovnegarde....

Note: What they permit the Thalmor to do is so that the Thalmor won't destroy them and do much, much worse.

Still, both sides can go chat with Malacath for all I care.

Excellent song, Miracle. Truly fantastic, and seems to fit Skyrim and how morbid it can feel quite well.

Perhaps you are the rightful High Kind.

 

[Mikodite]

I get that the game was Skyrim, and therefore there was quite a bit of pressure for our friend Gavin to really deliver something big and epic to fit with the game and appease the audience.

That said, while I felt that the song was fitting to the game, I also felt that the song itself was a bit of a mess. The strings and the rock riffs came out of nowhere, instrumental segments that repeat themselves a little too much and the lyrics were more word-salady than they usually are.

It wasn't trash per say (I would have pointed this out more bluntly if I believed otherwise) but it isn't exactly trumping my favourites from MoS either. Again, we all know the shit-storm that would have come if Gavin grossly missed the mark on this, so I get the feeling that he went over the top as he did for that reason alongside the fact that Skyrim is an epic game that needs an epic-sounding song to go with it. It didn't miss the mark in that it wasn't fitting to the game (I know I'm repeating myself) it just felt like it went overboard, and it had the problems that going to over the top brings.

It could be a matter of taste as everyone else seems to really be digging the song. I just remember my top three from Gavin (Normandy, Sweet LA and New Black Gold) and just how pretty the lyrics were, how fitting the tune was, and how everything just conveyed the mood and narrative of the games and Gavin's take on the experience of playing them. The usual heart and soul just felt... missing I guess, or just buried under the 'epicness' of the Sovngarde Song.

I've been a fan since Age of the Dragon and likely will be a fan for a while. This just felt like this could have been better.

Though it was nice it didn't focus on Dragons.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Nailed it, Gavin. Fucking nailed it. This was truly epic. I have to wonder though, some where in time, will you be able to top this? There's a challenge for you.

Meh... people said the same about Commander Shepard, New Black Gold, Redemption Blues, Age Of The Dragon, Sweet L.A. etc etc...

I'm not too worried

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Are you a genius? Cause i think you are.

Nah! I just work hard

Here's to hoping you'll become world-famous some day. Cheers, Gav.

Fingers crossed.

That said, while I felt that the song was fitting to the game, I also felt that the song itself was a bit of a mess. The strings and the rock riffs came out of nowhere, instrumental segments that repeat themselves a little too much and the lyrics were more word-salady than they usually are.

I think it may come down to genre. The song is meant to reflect symphonic/folk metal (Nightwish, Maiden, Trollhammer, Turisas etc) which, to be honest, usually has far more repetition than this song has. It's just the style.

Anyway, the only part that gets repeated is the folky guitar riff during the fast bit, and even that is only repeated once. Everything else is either different or a variation on another part as opposed to the same. In my personal opinion too little repetition is just as bad as to much.

 

[Knight Templar]

Daar drun lot faad wah sil pogaan werid nonvul sonaan.