[Album] Kameo: Elements of Power (SE-2021~2)

(all information courtesy of Chudah's Corner)
Composed by: Steve Burke
Publisher: Sumthing Else
Catalog Number: SE-2021~2
Released:November 8, 2005

Tracklist:
1) Kameo's Quest
2) Enter the Shadow Realm
3) Shadow Realm
4) Elemental Warriors
5) Hero's Theme
6) Serenity
7) Forest Glade
8) Crystal Cavern
9) Enchanted Kingdom
10) Dragons Approach
11) Thorn's Lair
12) Battle Prelude
13) The Badlands
14) A Lament for Solon
15) Into the Light
16) Darkness Looms
17) Ortho's Theme
18) The Snow Tribe
19) Theena's Sorrow
20) Taken Hostage
21) Thorn's Pass
22) Ice Siege
23) Ice Mountain Onslaught
24) Drok's Theme
25) Thorn's Arrival
26) Danger in the Sky
27) Legend Unfolds

Thanks to the Sumthing Else label, western game music has been undergoing a mini-renissance, with many soundtracks pressed to commercial discs (at least for Xbox games). I personally have never played Kameo, but was able to aquire the disc for very cheap, and found it to be a pleasant surprise, full of symphonic and choral power.

Steve Burke's compositions are clearly heavily influenced by Howard Shore's genre-defining fantasy effort in "The Lord of the Rings," especially where the chorus is concerned. It's almost omnipresent, even at low registers, and really shines in tracks like "Hero's Theme" and "Ice Mountain Onslaught," lending the ensemble power.

Burke's own voice, rather than Shore's influence, is most clearly heard in the quirky, smaller scale tracks. This results in tracks that are slightly off-kilter, but (especially when combined with a female solo voice) uniformly impressive and beautiful. "Enchanted Kingdom," an album highlight, combines the vocal with a minimal ensemble to produce a stunning lullaby, while "Crystal Cavern" uses that same vocalist to convey a chaotic and quirky feeling, like a maze of relflections in crystal. "The Snow Tribe" continues the quirky sound, without vocal accompaniment, and remains highly enjoyable.

If one had to fault the album, it would be for the lack of strong thematic material, and the tendancy (especially in the latter half of the album) for cues to run together and begin to sound alike. "Hero's Theme" is the closest the album has to unifying thematic material, as it's referenced several times, but it is never boldly presented other than in its titular track.

The tail of the album is jam-packed with action cues, but these tend to be very similar: the chorus as backup and color, strong percussion hits, and a large volume of brass. But many of these tracks don't differeniate themselves well enough to be individually memorable, leaving less of an impression than the smaller-scale compositions.

On the whole, Burke's score to "Kameo" is reccommended to fans of orchestral and choral VGM, as well as those who enjoy quirky music. The album may have some shortcomings, but it is still very impressive, and I hope to see future efforts from the composer find their way to disc.

4/5

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Great game just beat it. Classic Rare.

Anyway pretty good soundtrack, but I am disapointed that it doesn't include probably my favorite piece from the game. Which plays in the Warrior Trainers Hut in the Enchanted Kingdom. Its very mellow but gorgeous.

And Orion the Enchanted Kingdom track is decent here. For some reason it is 10 times better in the game though with all the sound effects and majectic nature of the kingdom. Check it out if you can.

Also love Legend Untolds. Serenity, Thorns Lair, Lament for Solon, and Danger in the sky.

4/5 as well. Maybe 4.5 if they included the one track that should be on here =D

How ya doing, buddy?