So maybe you’re aware by now that Halo 4‘s soundtrack is being composed by Neil Davidge of Massive Attack. I was admittedly surprised by this — the Halo series had always fallen more on the orchestral side than the electronic one in my mind — but that’s not to say that electronic elements haven’t been a big part of the series as well.
During our time with Halo 4 here at E3, however, we had the chance to hear some of the music in action, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Davidge’s contributions reminding me of something out of Metroid. There were bassy synth sweeps, pulsating electronics, and electronic percussion to accompany a few of the battles with the Prometheans.
When asked if this was the new direction for the Halo franchise, we were told that there will also be the epic orchestral and choral pieces that we’ve come to expect from the series, but that 343 is playing to Davidge’s strengths by getting some more electronic-oriented music into the game and that this style also suited the mysterious technology and the Promethean race that are integral parts of Halo 4′s story.
We’ll keep our ears perked for more, but in the meantime, let us know what you think of Davidge’s involvement and the direction for Halo 4′s score.
