25 Greatest Musical Tracks From The Halo Series

7. This Is The Hour - Halo 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-y5XAguL9pY One point of this article was to point out how Halo evolved over the stages. Halo: Combat Evolved was about a simple, traditional science fiction conflict. Halo 2 was a more complex way of looking at the conflict through different perspectives. And Halo 3 was about concluding this conflict and adding a real human weight to the story. Also, Halo 3 was made to do this in the most epic way possible, and as each game progressed through their storytelling stages they, too, enhanced their sound in music as well by making it more booming and increasing the number of orchestras playing. In some instances with Halo 3's soundtrack this presents itself, with no other track being more clear than "This Is The Hour". This track was first introduced in the E3 2006 trailer for Halo 3 in demo version that still managed to wow everyone. It was quite clear from then on that Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori wanted significant changes for what was said to be the end of the trilogy. The purpose was to make it Bungie's version of Return of the King, where everything comes to an end in one big epic fashion. So to embellish that, O'Donnell and Salvatori upped their ability to deliver a genuine, trilogy-ending soundtrack, and give it identity with one particular track that would explain clearly why Halo 3 was the biggest game of them all. "This Is The Hour" made its way into the finished product in the level The Storm in the very last cutscene. While it would have been cool to listen to in actual gameplay, including it in a cutscene made sense for pacing reasons. Of course the version used in-game is the exact demo version used in the E3 2006 trailer, but it still leaves an indelible mark. It has this richness with its booming drums and stunning choruses that tell of a massive event taking place that could set the table for an epic final battle. At the end of the chorus there is this level of uncertainty where we're not sure what can happen next. Did the humans lose? Were the Halos activated? Did the Earth explode? All these questions loomed in the horizon for most players, until they were answered with a portal in the sky that led to the actual doom of humanity and all life in the galaxy. The second half of "This Is The Hour" gives credence that something bad has happened, and that something worse is about to happen. For it was in this moment that the Flood appeared from the sky, crash landing on Earth and sending that chill down the fans' spines that the end was very well near for humanity. That sudden, low boom at the end of the track is the clincher, the cliffhanger ending that tells of a dark time ahead, and that Halo 3 was indeed the epic game Bungie promised. The score for Halo 3 was incredible, as it payed homage to the whole series and grounded itself to humanity's struggle and the mystery surrounding the Forerunners. With this element it showed its evolution at how far the series has come to maturing and rolling with the times. It was an excellent package that sold a lot of fans into believing music in video games is also considered high art, and Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori were at the top of the game.