Despite the sheer number of people who play the game, I think WoW has one of the best soundtracks that nobody's ever heard, mainly because people turn the background music off when they play. That makes me sad, because it contains some incredible music, including one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard.
Drums of War
The legendary trailer for the game released in 2004 made me fall in love with the game, and it lasted for many years. This is one song that I can't really analyze out of context, because it's tightly synced to the trailer. Watching this again still gives me chills after all these years.
Login
Man, this brings back many memories, of... well, of getting disconnected from the server mostly. I imagine most people probably associate this song with either getting disconnected or waiting in a queue, but despite these associations, it's a superb song. To diverge slightly, the mission of a composer in a game like this is a bit different from a console. You usually only get about 30-40 hours of gameplay from a console RPG (though I played Star Ocean: The Second Story for 200+, but that's beside the point). As such, they can afford to do more with the music, and be a lot bolder. However, in a game like WoW, you might spend hundreds of hours just in one of the capital cities, and if the music is too intrusive, you'll grow to hate it. With all this in mind, in my view, the mission of the login screen music is twofold:
1) Make the player excited about entering the game.
2) Don't overdo it, because filling them with too much anticipation can only let them down after spending 10+ minutes in a login queue.
They accomplished both of these goals admirably. Probably the main way they accomplished it was to never let a clear melody dominate the piece - all you really get are snatches of melody that are quickly dropped out, which means that the piece isn't too distracting. I'd be more effusive in my praise, but... the memory of that damn login screen is too traumatic. Sorry.
Dalaran
The mission of this song is one word - majestic. Dalaran is a magical city which was ripped out of the ground and floats in mid-air above the Lich King's domain, so the song is intended to portray the power and grandeur of the Kirin Tor, Dalaran's ruling council of mages. The main melody is carried by an unusual instrument, sounds like a cross between an oboe and a wailing spirit of some kind. Adding to the ethereal quality is the lead instruments floating in and out, and it pulls somewhat the same trick as the login screen music, never letting a single melody dominate.
Stormwind
Apologies to the Horde-inclined among us. Though I played Horde almost as much as I did Alliance, I've never been a fan of their background music, especially the capital cities. Stormwind, however, is one of the iconic songs of the series. The mission of the piece is to emphasize nobility and honor, and it does this well with a stately horn playing the lead melody. Unlike the previous pieces, which were relatively understated, this piece is anything but. It seems like it might be trending in that direction, but then 6:32 hits you in the gut. Easily my favorite part of the song, and it's over all too quickly.
Elwynn
The starting area for human characters, Elwynn is mostly relaxing, but still gives a mildly ominous vibe, which goes along with the starting area, as it's fairly easy while giving you an intro to the troubles that lurk unseen. 1:34 is a tiny snippet of a melody repeated a few times which I absolutely love. It doesn't do too much, but still manages to be memorable, and my favorite kinds of music are those which are just simplistic enough to convey whatever it is the composer intends.
Nagrand
Nagrand is a lush, spacious zone reminiscent of the African savannah, and the mission of this piece is clearly to convey a pastoral feel while never forgetting the slightly ominous tone present in pretty much all non-city zones, reminding the player that danger isn't far. A great example of this starts at 4:00. This loop starts with a creepy flourish, but then quickly opens up into a spacious-sounding tune played by multiple strings. Around 5:30 is another memorable moment that lasts for just a second. A single chord is struck by the orchestra, and it's very dissonant, yet somehow beautiful at the same time. I really love when composers are able to do this, as for an amateur like me, trying to stike and hold a dissonant chord just sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
Totems of the Grizzlemaw
Finally we come to Totems of the Grizzlemaw, one of my favorite pieces of all time, not just restricted to VGM. It evokes such an emotional response that I find I have trouble putting it into words, but I'll try. The piece starts right off with a majestic faux-vocal track underlying a delicate violin melody. The violin is joined by the voices, and the mood is sad, nostalgic, and yet majestic, hearkening to what the Grizzly Hills used to be before the Lich King stepped in.
The first standout moment of the piece for me happens at 1:14, where the melody stops and restarts itself, doubling up on emphasizing the sadness of the Hills. It gets me every time.
Abruptly, the piece shifts gears, and a Scandinavian instrument called the nyckelharpa takes over. Very sparse backing music is used at the beginning, highlighting the unusual sound of the instrument and the melody it plays, which ratchets up the feeling of nostalgia even more, though now tinged with a sense of joy at the remembrance.
Then we shift gears again to my favorite section of the piece. A horn (English horn maybe?) takes over and plays an overwhelmingly mournful melody which needs no accompaniment. Every second it plays solo strengthens the impact of the moment at 4:21, which is the second standout moment of the piece for me. The rest of the orchestra joins the horn, delicately embellishing the theme, and then the nykkelharp jumps in to remind us that while we can feel nostalgia, it's better to celebrate than mourn. And then suddenly, the piece is over.
I don't mind admitting that I teared up as I was listening to this piece again to review it. Truly epic.
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