Halo Reach (Game Soundtrack) by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori - Review

Reach Exceeds its Grasp
Review by Marius Masalar


Grandiose choirs, slightly processed percussion, piano interludes, familiar theme? Yup, it’s a HALO score, folks. HALO REACH to be precise. I must make a heretical confession: I’ve never understood the hype about the HALO scores or the games. While it’s certainly commendable that Bungie has taken such a well-worn formula and honed it to the fine point of the series’ acclaimed multiplayer gaming, the franchise’s near-deification remains something of a mystery to me.

That being said, credit must be given where due, and HALO REACH is a solid score, and despite my coming complaints it remains true that the game would be weaker without it. The acclaimed duo of MARTIN O’DONNELL and MICHAEL SALVATORI return to deliver another entry in the series, and as long as you’re not expecting anything new or innovative or particularly moving outside the context of the game, you’ll be well pleased by the results.

Read the full review

Halo Legends Soundtrack is Coming from Sumthing Else

I don't know about you, but the announcement that the HALO franchise would be receiving an Animatrix-like, production was like music to my ears...and I'm not even that big of a Halo-fan.  The prospect of seeing some eight, anime, episodes created by some of the top anime studios in Japan is pretty exciting.  And, if you are a big fan of franchise's iconic music by MARTIN O'DONNELL and MICHAEL SALVATORI, then you have even more reason to dance a little jig - as thematic material from the two composers will be re-arranged and orchestrated.  Add to that new music by TETSUYA TAKAHASHI (Final Fantasy V and VI) and YASUHARU TAKANASHI (Naruto Shippuden) and we've got the makings of something special.  The official soundtrack will be released by Sumthing Else and will be available on February 9, 2010, a full week before HALO LEGENDS debuts on blu-ray.   Check the full press release below:

SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE HALO LEGENDS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Brand new orchestrations of the classic Halo themes originally created by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori with new original Anime music composed by Tetsuya Takahashi and Yasuharu Takanashi

New York - January 20th, 2010 - Sumthing Else Music Works, through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo Legends Original Soundtrack featuring the original music from the anime series Halo Legends composed by Tetsuya Takahashi (Sonic: Night of the Werehog, Resident Evil: Degeneration) and Yasuharu Takanashi (Genji: Dawn of the Samurai). Presented by 343 Industries Halo Legends is an unprecedented gathering of the finest talent in Japanese animation that have drawn together to explore the mystery and action of the Halo universe.  Halo Legends Original Soundtrack will be released on February 9th to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works www.sumthing.com, and will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes®.

Created by some of the world's leading anime studios including Bones Inc., Casio Entertainment Inc., Production I.G, STUDIO4°C and Toei Animation, Halo Legends takes one of the most iconic franchises in science fiction and video games to an amazing new level; Eight episodes and a stunning range of visual styles shed new light and epic perspective on Halo lore. Halo Legends will be distributed by Warner Home Video on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital formats on Feb. 16, 2010.

For more information on Halo Legends, please visit www.halolegends.com and www.halolegendsdvd.com.

Halo 3 Original Soundtrack Site Launches

You know the game is a big deal when the game's soundtrack get's its own official site! Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori's score for the mega-hit game HALO 3 recently received its own piece of web-relastate with the site http://www.halo3ost.com/. There you will find info about the composers, artwork, tracklisting and more. Don't miss the downloadable sheet music and video documentary, "Behind the Audio" and a streaming version of the score.

The Halo 3 soundtrack is scheduled for release on November 20, 2007.

Cool stuff.

Check it out here!

Halo 3 (Soundtrack) by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori

More video game soundtrack news for you today. As I posted some days ago, the launch of HALO 3 was reported as the most successful launch ever. In just about one month the HALO 3 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK with music composed by MARTIN O'DONNELL and MICHAEL SALVATORI will be released by SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS and SUMTHING DIGITAL.

Below you can check the full press release:

SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE HALO 3ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK FROM THE BLOCKBUSTER XBOX 360 VIDEO GAME FROM THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCH IN HISTORY,COMES THE MOST ANTICIPATED VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACK OF THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

New York - October 17th, 2007 -

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo® 3 Original Soundtrack. The highly anticipated original soundtrack comes in a 2-CD set featuring the game’s original music score and will be released on November 20th to US retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works label

http://www.sumthing.com/ and via digital download at Sumthing Digital http://www.sumthingdigital.com/.

Halo 3 is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where Halo 2 left off, answering questions about the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief™ and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant.

The official Halo 3 Original Soundtrack features the new symphonic compositions by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, the award-winning composers behind the best-selling Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 Volume One and Halo 2 Volume Two soundtracks. In addition to new original tracks written for the Halo 3 video game, the Halo 3 Original Soundtrack also includes new arrangements of the game’s musical themes that Bungie’s audio director and composer Martin O’Donnell recorded with a full live orchestra and chorus. The 2-CD set amounts to two hours of original music from the game Halo 3.

Developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the critically acclaimed Xbox 360® exclusive, which was released worldwide on Tuesday, Sept. 25, is the fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history. The Xbox 360 title beat previous U.S. sales records set by blockbuster openings for entertainment events such as the release of “Spider-Man 3” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Halo 3 was released in 37 countries and 17 languages. To date, more than 20 million copies of the games in the Halo trilogy have been sold worldwide. For more information visit

http://www.halo3.com/.

About Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc.

Nile Rodgers started Sumthing Else Music Works (SEMW) as a nationwide record label and creative outlet for independent artists and unique musical projects. Through its affiliated company, Sumthing Distribution, SEMW prides itself on its ability to rapidly and effectively deliver to the marketplace many innovative products. In view of the successes of its previous game soundtrack releases, the company is now recognized as the leader in this newly emerging musical genre. Accordingly, SEMW has bolstered its commitment to enhancing gamers’ overall experience by acquiring many new titles to complement its current catalog of releases. For more information visit

http://www.sumthing.com/ and http://www.sumthingdigital.com/.

Sumthing Else Music Works and Sumthing Distribution logos are copyright of their respective companies. All other names of products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.