Sonic and the Black Knight Soundtrack

[eXtaticus]

Though it's a tad late, I have decided to formulate a discussion topic on the now-renowned Sonic and the Black Knight OST, entitled Tales of Knighthood. This is, of course, as a result of the recent Sonic Stadium Soundtrack Squad Review of the aforementioned album, which you can (and most definitely should) check out here, should you want to view JezMM, T-Bird and BlitzChris' opinions on it. I highly recommend doing so.

Here and now, however, you can enjoy the original, uncut edition of my review, if you briefly take a glance at the document below (refreshments will be offered after the sermon):

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Tales of Knighthood - Sonic and the Black Knight Soundtrack Review

Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog; all games with stupendously superb soundtracks, all of which were directed by none other than Sega’s resident guitar god, Jun Senoue. The man is, quite frankly, an absolute genius; his incredible slashes of remarkably powerful rock and marvellous metal have been stalwart features of Sonic soundtracks since 1998, and his wowing influence continues to dominate the styles of the series’ masterful music even when he’s not actually directly involved in creating it. Since giving the hedgehog’s first truly 3D outing a distinct “rock” flavour, Jun’s become a world-renowned musician in the gaming industry, and has even contributed some material to popular Nintendo arena fighter, Super Smash Bros Brawl. After leaving his post as Sound Director in the Sonic series for a few years, (following the release of Shadow the Hedgehog) Mr Senoue has finally been invited back to work on the OST for the much-anticipated Wii title, Sonic and the Black Knight. So, has the long wait been worth it, and has the master of video game metal managed to make just as powerful and positive an impact as he did on Sonic Adventure, ten years previously?

Unfortunately and disappointingly, the answer to this question is, most definitely, a disconsolate and resounding “no“. Screeching guitar and overly simplistic melodies both serve to make Tales of Knighthood a thoroughly unenjoyable experience to listen to, and this is further worsened by the fact that the whole soundtrack exhibits very poor audio engineering throughout virtually the entirety of its duration; most of the various (and derivative) rock licks are ruined by their shockingly woeful tinniness, and the mismatched blend of classical and modern instruments creates nothing but tedious clashing and sharp discord.

The uninspiring and unoriginal orchestral pieces don’t help matters much, either; comparing them to their older equivalents in previous Sonic titles (such as the awe-inspiring Tricky Maze from Sonic Adventure) does far more than enough to show their true direness, and also reveals a worryingly high level of under-complexity in the newer tunes. Boring, lacklustre, and monotonous, these orchestral interludes give very little to the overall quality of the album, and serve only as worthless and pointless intermissions to break up the equally dull repetition of the rock.

It’s a real shame, too, as Tales of Knighthood not only marks Jun Senoue’s return to Sonic, but also the long-awaited comebacks of Richard Jacques (of Sonic R fame) and Howard Drossin, (who contributed to the fabulous Sonic & Knuckles soundtrack, and was also involved in creating the music for other classic MegaDrive titles such as the much-venerated Comix Zone and The Ooze) though neither of them have actually produced anything outstandingly spectacular for this particular album. A notable mention, however, is Drossin’s Dragon’s Lair, (not to be confused with Dragon Slayer, a dreary orchestral track with a stupidly similar name) which provides at least a moderately enjoyable listening experience, but - due to its uninspiring melody - falls a few marks short of being able to be classed as the incredible masterpiece that one would expect from such an acclaimed and experienced artist.

There is, however, a single, individual piece of music - composed by Sonic newcomer, Tommy Tallarico (made famous for his work on the original MDK) - which stands head and shoulders above all of the other tracks on the entire two-disc span of Tales of Knighthood; with a stupendously spiffy blend of spicy flamenco and riveting rock licks, Molten Mine is a wholly wonderful joy of a tune to listen to, and it serves as the one and only saving grace for the entire album as a whole. I was extremely shocked and disappointed, then, to discover that this magnificent musical magnum opus was actually a remix of one Mr Tallarico’s previous works; namely “Action”, from the distinctly unpopular Saturn and PlayStation helicopter simulator, Black Dawn. This in no way stops it from being an excellent tune, however; it’s just a major disappointment that the stellar sound team behind this decidedly un-stellar soundtrack couldn’t - at the very least - come up with some decent, inventive and new material for us all to devour and enjoy.

Tales of Knighthood, then, is - in virtually every way - a potentially wonderful album, though it’s thoroughly and totally ruined by Senoue’s scrap-metal, Drossin’s dross, and Jacques’ junk. And although Tommy Tallarico’s tremulously tantalising cover of “Action” from Black Dawn provides at least some classy and exciting listening material, it does precisely and absolutely nothing whatsoever to alleviate the diabolically serious originality crisis which grips the soundtrack so tightly. As it stands, it’s just an incredibly unsatisfactory group of unnecessarily lacklustre tracks, most of which provide absolutely zero pleasure and exert next to no charm at all. Oh well; for Jun Senoue, there’s always Sonic 4 and Sonic Colours, right?

2/10

Summary: Thoroughly unmemorable, virtually unenjoyable, entirely unspectacular and appallingly unexciting, Tales of Knighthood is the definitive example of a well and truly sub-par Sonic soundtrack, which relies on cheap covers and repetitive rock riffs to defibrillate its flat-lining fest of ultra-low-octane pseudo-fusion, pseudo-metal woefulness.

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You know what to do, soldiers; if you think that I, or anyone else is talking total garbage in relation to this soundtrack, feel free to blow our posts apart, and blast myself and each other with opinions of your own. State your disagreement!

Edited October 10, 2010 by eXtaticus

[Chooch]

I wasn't terribly fond of this soundtrack either. It has a few nice tracks (Misty Lake and Molten Mine as two examples), but much like the actual game itself, the soundtrack is relatively unmemorable.

[Doctor MK]

While I vastly preferred the vocal themes of "Face To Faith", I wouldn't rate "Tales of Knighthood" as low as 2/10.

Sure, most of its best tracks are remixes of classic Sonic themes ("It Doesn't Matter", etc) but it does have a few original standout moments for me - "Sir Percival, Knight of the Grail" being a particular favourite. Short, but very very sweet. I also love Molten Mine, Crystal Cave and Faraway Avalon, amongst other level music.

So yes, it's not an amazing soundtrack. But I wouldn't call it awful, in my opinion.

[Sean]

I was extremely disappointed to find out that Richard Jacques only (or at least mostly) composed cutscene music for this game.

[Blue Blood]

I was extremely disappointed to find out that Richard Jacques only (or at least mostly) composed cutscene music for this game.

Absolutely agreed. At least he did do one piece of level music for Shrouded Forest, which also just so happens to be my favourite track in the game. But yeah, most of Black Knight was just random music. The two tracks that were supposed to be celtic rock (Camelot Castle and Titanic Ruin) were just dreadful. Senoue really went the wrong direction for the game.

[Octarine]

My main problem with Black Knight's soundtrack was that a lot of it just felt like filler; it wasn't bad so much as it was just there. I mean, there were some really interesting songs in some places, but more than a few levels felt pretty phoned in. It might not have been as bad if Black Knight weren't a sequel to Secret Rings, which was just about the least boring soundtrack the series has ever had. Nothing will make a generic rock song sound more generic than standing it next to DINO! IT'S A JUNGLE!

Still, Black Knight's music was hardly awful. I thought it captured the Arthurian feel fairly competently, even the boring stuff was at least listenable, and... Molten Mine. Goddamn. Recycled from an older game or not, it still has a place among my favourite video game songs of all time. I do actually kind of like the Black Dawn version better, though. Just a bit.

[ArtFenix]

Sonic and the black knight has one of the best soundtracks. End of story.

Besides, 2/10 is VERY low score. As much as i hate unleashed OST i wouldn't judge it like that. I'm sorry, but you fail.

[Core]

Sonic and the black knight has one of the best soundtracks. End of story.

Besides, 2/10 is VERY low score. As much as i hate unleashed OST i wouldn't judge it like that. I'm sorry, but you fail.

[Blue Blood]

Sonic and the black knight has one of the best soundtracks. End of story.

[MykonosFan]

It might not have been as bad if Black Knight weren't a sequel to Secret Rings, which was just about the least boring soundtrack the series has ever had. Nothing will make a generic rock song sound more generic than standing it next to DINO! IT'S A JUNGLE!

I definitely agree with you, though I did find

to be a stand-out in Secret Rings. Other than that I honestly don't remember much of the music from Secret Rings, which is sad, since Sonic games generally have quite memorable music.

As far as Black Knight is concerned, it's largely the same deal; I don't remember most of it. The following are great in my eyes:

With Me

Sir Percival's Theme

Misty Lake

Shrouded Forest (Which I was hoping would largely be the type of music Black Knight boasted; sweeping orchestral pieces that gets your adrenaline pumping)

Molten Mine, of course.

Blacksmith Theme

And honestly that's about it. I remember things like "Fight the Knight" and "Knight of the Wind", but if you asked me to hum the melody for other songs in the game I'd be dumbfounded. There was some great stuff in this soundtrack, but everything else was just...there.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Mykonos

[eXtaticus]

Sonic and the black knight has one of the best soundtracks.

[Tornado]

Besides, 2/10 is VERY low score. As much as i hate unleashed OST i wouldn't judge it like that. I'm sorry, but you fail.

This tells me that you read the 2/10 bit in the OP, and decided to bitch about that and only that without reading any of the rest of the post. Now, I'm not sure if I agree with 2/10 specifically, but:

1. Extaticus supported his position with a very long and detailed bit of information explaining it.
   
2. Its his opinion. Not mine. I can't very well say he fails simply because I disagree with him.
   
3. Quibbling over the number attached to the end of a review rather than the review content is stupid.
   
4. I honestly cannot remember any of the music from the game. Not a single piece. Which, considering the raw talent attached to the game's soundtrack (Tommy Tallarico! Richard Jacques! Howard Drossin! That other guy!), is unbelievably disappointing.
   

Edited October 11, 2010 by Tornado

[Marcello]

While the music isn't memorable, I did like some things. Like Misty Lake or Molten Mine.

It's definitely not one of my favorite soundtracks from Sonic, but I can't say I hate it.

[Ebby]

Sonic and the black knight has one of the best soundtracks. End of story.

Besides, 2/10 is VERY low score. As much as i hate unleashed OST i wouldn't judge it like that. I'm sorry, but you fail.

Hmm. I actually remember the tracks in Sonic Unleashed. What were the songs in this OST again? Besides Knight of the Wind? Geez... dunno!!!

[Kiberbot]

For me, this soundtrack is the great return of Jun. Yes, this is not one of the best soundtracks that was made under his directorship, but it was a soundtrack, which gave me many hours of joy and good emotions, in contrast to that disgusting Unleashed soundtrack, after hearing it, I thought, that music in Sonic games died in agony. And Black Knight’s soundtrack brought back my hopes, that I lost in 2008, and for that I am grateful to Jun "Rock God" Senoue.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

For me, this soundtrack is the great return of Jun. Yes, this is not one of the best soundtracks that was made under his directorship, but it was a soundtrack, which gave me many hours of joy and good emotions, in contrast to that disgusting Unleashed soundtrack, after hearing it, I thought, that music in Sonic games died in agony. And Black Knight’s soundtrack brought back my hopes, that I lost in 2008, and for that I am grateful to Jun "Rock God" Senoue.

Why do you dislike Sonic Unleashed's Soundtrack? It sounded pretty awesome to me.

I thought the "Tales of Knighthood" was pretty good, though to be honest, some of the rock tracks didn't appeal to me as much as songs like "Shrouded Forest" and "Great Megalith".

P.S. if "Great Megalith" is rock, then I feel Stupid

[lounge]

I loved this soundtrack. I thought the blend of rock and strings were really nice and warm. Definetly better than Unleashed. I honestly think this was Jun's best work since Sonic Adventure 2. To me, it felt like there was a lot of effort put into it. The first time I heard Misty Lake, I was surprised by how nicely the music captured the setting and sonic's personality. The really love the harmony of the strings and guitar. I especially loved the soothing music during the cutscenes.

For me, the most dissapointing work Jun has done was Sonic Heroes (that soundtrack sounded real generic and even annoying at a lot of points.)

[ArtFenix]

Oh well guys.. Talk about being stubborn and full of surprises er? xD

I just LOVE the OST, it's full of catchy tunes. Oh, you don't remember anything from it? Well, that's YOUR problem and it's not a good reason to judge it so low. the OST is varied with A LOT of instruments and melodies. besides, i LOVE the guitar of Jun Senoue and it's one of the additional reasons to love the soundtrack. The soundtrack really fits the game's medieval theme. Overall, i do not see any good reasons why you judged it 2/10. Say what you want, i have my own reasons (see above) to love the OST and to disagree with the review. Or are you trying to make me change my mind by downing my rep and spamming the topic with this bullshit? You think the game's OST sucks? Well, i think it's great and the review is full of fail. There's nothing personal.

Edited October 14, 2010 by ArtFenix

[Sean]

Oh well guys.. Talk about being stubborn and full of surprises er? xD

I just LOVE the OST, it's full of catchy tunes. Oh, you don't remember anything from it? Well, that's YOUR problem and it's not a good reason to judge it so low. the OST is varied with A LOT of instruments and melodies. besides, i LOVE the guitar of Jun Senoue and it's one of the additional reasons to love the soundtrack. The soundtrack really fits the game's medieval theme. Overall, i do not see any good reasons why you judged it 2/10. Say what you want, i have my own reasons (see above) to love the OST and to disagree with the review. Or are you trying to make me change my mind by downing my rep and spamming the topic with this bullshit? You think the game's OST sucks? Well, i think it's great and the review is full of fail. There's nothing personal.

So what you're saying is that he's wrong for scoring it by his opinion and not by yours, and therefore it's a bad review.

[ArtFenix]

He doesn't like the OST that i love. I don't like his review, because it is just wrong and incorrect. For example what reason to judge it so low is "Senoue’s scrap-metal"?( I for one LOVE Jun Senoue's work, but i have already said that above.) And after things like that you are bitching about what i said. What a joke!

You don't mind his opinion about the game's OST which he thinks is wrong.. But you are against my opinion about his review which i think is full of fail. I think those were pretty poor reasons to judge the OST so low and that's also my opinion. What's wrong with that?

[Sean]

I'm not against your opinion. Nobody is. There have been people posting in this topic who have completely disagreed with eXtaticus and genuinely enjoyed this game's soundtrack, and you don't see anybody complaining to them. People are responding specifically to you because of your attitude toward him and what he wrote, which he is completely entitled to.

[ArtFenix]

Maybe you got me wrong, but i have NOTHING against the guy, i just think that his review is wrong. If you thought i was rude, i'm sorry for that.

[Tornado]

He doesn't like the OST that i love. I don't like his review, because it is just wrong and incorrect. For example what reason to judge it so low is "Senoue’s scrap-metal"?( I for one LOVE Jun Senoue's work, but i have already said that above.) And after things like that you are bitching about what i said. What a joke!

[ArtFenix]

It's not always that i act like that. There should be some good reasons to judje the OST that low and i didn't find anything better, than "no memorable tunes IMO" and "Senoue’s scrap-metal". I think the real reason of your negative reaction towards my posts is that it is I who has opinion different from that of yours and your multiple downing my rep in my every single post only confirms that.

[Core]

I think the real reason of your negative reaction towards my posts is that it is I who has opinion different from that of yours and your multiple downing my rep in my every single post only confirms that.