Weeks ago I was in a bleak mood and ended up listening to the Silent Hill series soundtracks. (And weirdly, just days later Konami announced a bunch of new Silent Hill stuff.) I haven't really listened to them in a few years, but I used to listen to them quite a lot. It inspired me to start working on a song with a similar sound and vibe. That got me thinking: "How many people have actually listened to the soundtracks?"
I never really thought about it, but the games are now something like twenty years old. I guess they're a bit difficult to get ahold of these days. I still have my copies of Silent Hill 1, 2, 3, 4, Origins, and Shattered Memories for the PS2. I haven't played Homecoming or Downpour. And if I'll be honest, Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 are the only ones I really recommend playing if you're not hardcore into the genre or series. I like the story of Silent Hill 2, but the combat, boss fights, puzzles, and locations are more fun to actually play in Silent Hill 3. (Plus, Heather is one of my favorite video game protagonists.)
While the music in the game itself is focused on being atmospheric, the soundtracks contain many songs that are melodic. There are of course the main themes and the various ending music numbers, but there are also songs that don't actually appear in the games themselves, including vocal tracks featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. I would do anything for a vocal synth voicebank of her!
If you haven't, you should really give these songs a listen:
- Theme of Laura
- You're Not Here
- Promise
- Waiting For You
- I Want Love
- Room of Angel
- Love Psalm
- Letter From Lost Days
- Your Rain
- End of Small Sanctuary
There are many other good songs, but I feel like those are the highlights.
So tell me: Have you played the games? Have you only heard of them? Have you listened to the soundtracks? What do you think of the music? How would you describe it?
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