Zanobard Reviews

The iconic musical style and themes of Howard Shore’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy return in spectacular form for Stephen Gallagher’s The War Of The Rohirrim – but while these are probably what will draw you to the score, what will make you stay is Gallagher’s own material, with his heroically determined theme for Héra being the absolute star of this exquisitely orchestrated show.

Yes, the iconic themes of Howard Shore’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy return for The War Of The Rohirrim – well, some of them anyway. It was a question that hung in the air for me ever since Miranda Otto was announced as reprising her role as Éowyn (in narrator form) for this new animated film, and with Stephen Gallagher – who was one of the music editors for The Hobbit trilogy – then also announced as composing for it, that question was only strengthened in its resolve. Now at last though here we are with the full soundtrack album released, and while it wasn’t exactly a mystery of late as to whether certain motifs would reprise – as the marketing has been positively awash with Shore’s Rohan theme for one – it’s great to hear them fully confirmed now. And it’s not just Shore’s themes as well that stand out here; even from the first track, I have to say that Gallagher has done an absolutely fantastic job at pulling us back into the iconic musical world of The Lord Of The Rings, just in its sheer style. The music just sounds like Howard Shore, and that’s not an easy feat. First track “Overture” opens with quietly pensive brass in that mysterious, evocative style and mood that whispers and floats all across Shore’s original trilogy, with ominous strings then cementing this return as none other than the theme for the Rings then briefly echoes malevolently through. Sixty seconds in, and it’s as if we never left Middle Earth. Gentle vocals then build to dramatically grandiose brass and the noble Rohan theme swells in full heroic form, and if you’re not smiling at this point… hell. Of course you are.

Quieter but still hopeful strings then start to move into Gallagher material, with a determined new theme for Héra, main character of War Of The Rohirrim and shield-maiden of Rohan, playing initially on said strings before then building into grander brass swells with the full might of the incredibly Shore-esque orchestra standing heroically at its back. Héra’s theme is simply sublime as well; it’s memorable right off the bat, noble and sweeping and it sits right at home alongside Shore’s Rohan theme. With the five minute suite starting to fade, the Rohan theme gently reprises one last time on hopeful strings and brass before the music fades peacefully away. Noble brass notes then occupy the “Riders From The West March” alongside some rather pensive strings, all still seeding this overall impeccably Shore-sounding orchestration before a quiet reprisal of Héra’s theme closes out the cue. The ominous mood continues into “The Witan”, with the noble brass notes from the prior track reprising – I think at this point, it’s a theme for Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan in the time of War Of The Rohirrim. The motif spars lightly with Héra’s here until a grand rumble of drums signals orchestral danger towards the end of the track. It’s very vivid I must say, the music so far. Shore’s Rohan theme then reprises rather solemnly alongside Héra’s on strings in “An Ill Omen” before action thunders tensely into centre stage for seven minute setpiece “The Beast Is Rabid”; Gallagher properly channels his inner Shore here, with angry brass flaring and strings at fever-pitch as Héra’s theme leads an anxious charge.

The proud theme for Gondor reprises in “Who Dares Occupy Isengard?” in a spellbindingly brassy though sadly short rendition, with Héra’s then thundering tensely through the action-centric “Call The Men To Arms”. Things however then slow down for the much more pensive and withdrawn “The Wisest Move”, with the Rohan theme playing moodily, until said motif surges with hope and determination on brass and rumbling percussion in the subsequent “The Line Of Helm”. This rising grandiosity then continues into “Arise, Arise Now” with the Rohan and Héra themes building on the mighty shoulders of the now dramatically deafening orchestra until it all comes to a worrisome halt towards track’s end. “Edoras Burns” continues where this leaves off, with worry and tension emotionally and stylistically evoking Shore alongside a now rather frantic Héra’s theme throughout the cue’s seven minute runtime. “Call The Retreat” then continues the fast pace initially before fading into moody ominousness, with a final burst of wary brass ending the cue. Despair is centre stage in “Surround The Keep”, with sombre strings as the focal point throughout its four minute and rather atmospheric runtime. The strings ambience then turns from solemn to somewhat hopeful in “Pretty Words Will Not Save You”, though downtrodden vocals do start to sour the mood somewhat towards the end. Seven minute “The Wraith” then opens in much a similar vein before tensions start to rally back up with cymbals crashing and brass blasting.

One thing I will say actually, now that we’re about halfway through the score; as cool as it is, with the genuinely exciting reprisals of Howard Shore’s themes and the well-crafted, mighty Héra motif, all of which are great – it is all a bit… samey so far, to be honest. The action is interesting and Shore-stylish and tense absolutely, but all the tracks so far kind of just do the same tense orchestral thing, and blend into eachother. It’s not a bad thing, by any means, but after a few seven minute setpieces I’ve just kind of… heard it, you know? This is a two hour album, and I feel like I’ve kind of heard all it’s got to offer after only a couple of tracks. Shore’s LOTR work was a bit more… varied, by comparison, I suppose. But anyway. The eerily malevolent theme for the Rings returns in “What Does Mordor Want With Rings?”, briefly playing on creepy strings before dramatic brassy action then kicks back into gear with worrisome interspersals of Héra’s theme for the back half of the track. The seven minute “Helm Hammerhand Still Stands” opens solemnly with a quietly reflective rendition of both the titular character’s motif and Héra’s before the orchestral thunder returns for another few minutes of tense action. “For Hope” then slows the pace somewhat with quiet, thoughtful strings evoking both solemnity and suspicion interspersed with segments of the Rohan and Héra motifs, with this same wary sorrow reprising throughout the subsequent “Out Of Time” before “One Small Chance” starts to seed war again with thunderous drumming.

With the action stage set, Standout Cue “A Shield-maiden Of Rohan” opens gently and solemnly with strings before then starting to build with Héra’s theme echoing quietly in the background. As the minutes continue, the theme becomes more powerful and prominent, swirling and rising into a thunderously heroic rally cry that the entire orchestra then rallies behind, and with the full might of the Shore-esque stylistics the track and the score properly goes for it, to some truly spectacular action results. “The Hornburg Will Fall” then continues the frantic pace and crashing orchestrations for its first few minutes before some rather lamenting vocals build into hope, and Héra’s theme returns. With the action simmering down, “Let Mercy Rule This Day” settles with quieter strings, brass and vocals alongside a gentler Héra’s theme and “The Tenth King Of Rohan” continues in much a similar quieter and more peaceful vein along with the start of the subsequent “Adventure Beckons”, before the orchestra starts to rise once again and a final heroic crescendo flourish of Héra’s theme closes out the track. The final score cue of the album is then “Secret Tunnels”, a mostly ambient Shore-esque strings-based piece that feels more like a bonus track than a finale – especially given the very firmly final rendition of Héra’s theme in the prior cue – but it’s a fine way to end nonetheless.

Overall, Stephen Gallagher’s score for The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim evokes Howard Shore’s iconic musical style for the original trilogy pretty damned solidly, and that combined with several theme reprisals is probably what will draw you to this album initially – but while those elements are great, what will make you stay is Gallagher’s own material, in particular Héra’s theme. It’s a grand, determined and very memorable piece that feels right at home alongside Shore’s Rohan and Gondor themes in its sheer nobility, and the way it’s weaved rather spectacularly through triumphant orchestral highs and solemn strings lows makes it enjoyably versatile too. That alongside Gallagher’s brassy motif for Helm Hammerhand and the composer’s excellent own hand at orchestrations – like I say, evoking Howard Shore very well indeed – makes this score worth a listen, though I will say; probably not all of it. As much as I enjoy Gallagher’s style here, the score does get a bit samey after a while, especially given it’s two hours long. There’s a lot of lengthy action setpieces that are very tense and brassy and Shore-esque, but also very similar-sounding especially after you’ve been listening for eighty minutes or so. That being said though, the absolutely sublime standout suite “Overture” and best action setpiece “A Shield-maiden Of Rohan” are worth the price of admission honestly just on their own, and Héra’s theme properly carries both as it’s such a fantastic composition. Genuinely.

All-in then; come for Howard Shore’s Rohan theme, stay for Gallagher’s Héra.

Score: 7.5/10

Standout Cues: Overture/A Shield-maiden Of Rohan

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