Reading the latest blog from tombraider.com, made me revisit all the Tomb Raider music and fall in love with it all over again...

From 1996 all the way to Shadow of The Tomb Raider, The music, not only served a purpose to set a mood, create atmosphere and tell a story, but it also stirred something primal inside of me, It's the kind of music you want to listen to while you are motivating yourself for a hard workout.

The classic Tomb Raider tracks, Tomb Raider 1, 2, 3, Revelations , Chronicles and Angel Of Darkness by the legendary Nathan McCree and Peter Connolly . were exquisite masterpieces that i believe were partially responsible for Tomb Raider's ground breaking success.

Troels Brun Folmann and Colin O'Malley did a phenomenal job scoring Tomb Raider Legend and Underworld respectively, the music had a movie quality feel to it.

Jason Graves' Tomb Raider 2013 soundtrack will always have a special place in my heart, he used specially made instruments to create unique sounds. Mr Graves was able to achieve an incredible amount of emotion through the music, at least for me, some of it made me want to cry.

I believe his soundtrack helped define what the re-imagined Lara Croft was all about, and that his music was also responsible for its wild popularity. I wish Mr Graves was able to come back for Rise Of the Tomb Raider. Although Bobby Tahouri did a fantastic job, having also worked on Game Of Thrones, he did it more than justice in my opinion.

Which brings us to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The music of this upcoming game (Sept 14th 2018) is shaping up to be yet another triumph under the Tomb Raider music belt.

Sample:



Audio and Music director, Rob Bridgett explained:

"While we are staying loyal to many of the musical recipes and devices that have made the series so successful over the last 5 years, things have evolved a lot in terms of aesthetics. As Lara is in a much darker place emotionally, and a more dangerous place physically, the music needs to represent both of these things. The South American jungle and the Maya civilization both play a central role in the instrumentation of the score, and we are also reaching deeper into Lara's emotional point-of-view."

He and Composer Brian D'Oliveira have spent time together collaborating on the incredible soundtrack , some of which you can hear in the video below:


"Brian has a mind-blowing collection of pre-Columbian and South-American instruments, which form the basis of our authentic sound signature for the game. He has also spent a lot of time working with musicians from specific regions in South America to understand how and why the music would be performed on those instruments. It all brings a completely unique color and authenticity to the score that I don't think anyone will have heard anywhere else!"


Composer, Brian D'Oliveira




Instruments & Live Room at LaHacienda Creative (Brian D'Oliveira's Montreal studio)

Brian:

"...There are many different emotions that Lara goes through in this final part of the trilogy – we needed the music to convey all those feelings, from melancholy, joy, sadness, rage to pure animal aggression, and all in a way that feels natural and flows well."

In the blog we also learn that in order to shift the mood and atmosphere in a few parts of the game, specifically underwater scenes where the music needed to exude an unknown and alien tone, they turned to composer and sound designer Martin Stig Andersen (best known for his work on Limbo and Inside).

I can honestly say that i can't wait for the full soundtrack and experience it while i play the game. to hear some of the available Shadow Of The Tomb Raider tracks, visit the blog here.

Listen to my all time favorite Tomb Raider music: