Darren Korb’s Hades will absolutely rock your world as it thunders in unapologetically deafening yet grandiose style throughout its runtime, with an electric guitar and a mysterious theremin leading protagonist Zagreus’ metal-focused battle through the Underworld.
The score for 2020 rogue-like game Hades, composed by Darren Korb, features an intriguing stylistic mixture for its core musical structure, with none other than a theremin as its delightful leading instrument alongside Mediterranean strings (with a focus on Greek ones, given the game’s thematic linking to Greek mythology) and last but not least – a grandly metal-styled electric guitar. Despite the broad spectrum of instrumental stylage however it actually works really well, and you need look no further than opening track “No Escape” for an impeccable example of it; the cue begins with the above Mediterranean strings plucking in gentle harmony before deeply pitched guitar throbs begins to simmer moodily underneath, and the theremin then quickly joins in higher-pitched and indeed much wackier style. The instruments together then echo a dramatically imposing theme – for Hades himself – which leaps and swirls enthusiastically over the course of the track’s two and a half minute length, building in both volume and intensity with crashing drums also joining the fray until the entire ensemble eventually comes to a thunderous end. Overall, “No Escape” is an excellent introduction to the unique aforementioned style Korb uses for Hades, and it certainly leaves you wanting more too – of course, the full album is happy to oblige.
Second track “The House Of Hades” twangs unsettlingly in its opening seconds with the Mediterranean folk strings atmospherically in centre stage, before a faster pace then kicks off just past the minute mark and an electric guitar intertwines with the strings in increasingly emphatic style with the theremin eerily in tow. A more determined tone then overtakes for “Out Of Tartarus” with tenser strings swirling against percussion and the theremin, building to a series of finishing crescendos after which the music then cycles back to the start. With each progressive cycle though it becomes fuller and stronger in both instrumentation and volume, eventually reaching an imposingly heavy metal style with electric bass and guitar in the forefront, and overall it’s a really interesting way of musically showcasing the “try, die, try again” run-focused gameplay of Hades itself. The subsequent “Wretched Shades” is then a slightly quieter cue, focusing more on the folk side of the instrumentation – though it does speed up with fearsome intensity towards the end. “Lament Of Orpheus” then actually features vocals from Korb himself, singing serenely against gently melancholic strings for three minutes of deeply downtrodden… well, lament.
After quiet strings and a theremin once again build to intensely in-your-face electric guitar-led rock in “The Painful Way”, a more unnerving tone opens “Through Asphodel” as echoing thuds of drums and floating electronics set a wary intensity. It’s not long though before the wacky theremin and moody bass start to occupy the background as the pace begins to quicken, with an electric guitar also joining the growing action in the final minutes of this nearly nine minute setpiece before everything then thunders to a deafening close. Another bout of gentle vocal serenity then occupies the enjoyably wistful “Good Riddance” – sung by vocalist Ashley Barrett this time – before the eight minute “Mouth Of Styx” kicks off with lighter strings and the ever-wiry theremin. As the track progresses, the instrumentation swirls with a melody that then, much like prior cues, builds in both volume and intensity with the increasingly thunderous heavy metal guitar and bass stylings rapidly taking centre stage. A sharply ethereal ambience then descends for “Primordial Chaos” as eerie electronics, ghostly string twangs and an air of mystery provided by the theremin echo wackily for four atmospheric minutes, before a more playful side to Hades‘ instrumentation emerges with “Scourge Of The Furies” as the theremin and electric guitar lead a lighter action setpiece.
Another solemn song, this time for protagonist Zagreus, is sung serenely in “Hymn For Zagreus” before the nine minute “Field Of Souls” delves back into atmospheric territory; moody drums and the vaguest hint of bass open the track, with the theremin returning before long to gently lead a new melody as strings and low-pitched backing vocals join the fray. Naturally it isn’t long before the electric guitar returns either, with the new melody surging along backed by a now veritable ensemble of fist-pumpingly metal instrumentation until a crescendo finish. The subsequent and even lengthier – at almost ten minutes – setpiece “River Of Flame” then thunders at an even faster pace with the theremin, strings, thudding drums and intense bass all rising in eternal and impeccably enjoyable ferocity. The Hades theme then returns in moodily anticipatory form in the short “Death And I”, with the nine minute “Rage Of The Myrmidons” afterward very much adhering to its emotion-led track title as an intensely aggressive electric guitar leads a particularly heavy metal-focused charge all through its second half. The theremin practically dances through the more upbeat setpiece “The Exalted”, with playful folk strings dancing alongside it for the first four minutes before the electric guitar naturally then overtakes for the rest of the track.
A tremendous percussive beat leads the theremin, some rather epic electronics and a church bell through “Last Words”, with “Gates Of Hell” simmering with similar orchestral tension as percussion and twanging folk instruments build breathlessly over the course of three and a half minutes. This then leads into Standout Cue “God Of The Dead”, where the Hades theme returns in thunderously heavy metal style as the electric guitar and bass leap into centre stage right off the bat against deafening drums. This thematic ensemble continues until just before the halfway mark, after which the drums and bass become intensely frenzied, and the action crashes along all the way to the end of this lengthy bossfighting track. Off the back of this frenetic fight the score then settles somewhat for the more ambient “Final Expense” with the theremin and percussive electronics playing gently. “On The Coast” then continues this as a rather ethereal, almost reflective tone emerges with swaying strings and twinkling percussion unusually at the forefront. “In The Blood” however returns us to the metal side of things, with both Korb and Barrett’s lovely vocals soaring together on a background of a guitar and drum-focused Hades theme. Frantic heavy metal-styled action then occupies “The Unseen Ones”, harkening back to the second half of “God Of The Dead” in style before “Good Riddance” returns with Korb and Barrett’s vocals to end the score on a gently serene note.
Overall, Darren Korb’s Greek-styled, rock-infused Hades is a thunderously entertaining and unapologetically loud soundtrack from start to finish, and it’ll leave you breathless by the end too. Central to its unique stylistic combination of Mediterranean folk strings, electric guitar and bass is intriguingly a theremin, which gives the music a spookily unnerving vibe that pretty perfectly encapsulates the wondrous darkness of the game’s Underworld setting. And leading this intriguingly different orchestral charge is the theme for Hades, a main motif that stands out with unfalteringly epic flair as it surges dramatically across a number of intense setpieces, with highlights including opening cue “No Escape” and the lengthy bossfighting track “God Of The Dead”. Interestingly too, composer Korb lends his voice as well as his instrumental skillset to this album, singing a number of laments for various characters as well as a personal highlight, the fantastically soaring song “In The Blood” together with vocalist Ashley Barrett. While I will say that if you listen to this two and a half hour score all in one sitting you may find the continually bombastic heavy metal a little tiring after a while, that doesn’t stop Hades overall from being a uniquely styled game score that’s use of instruments is absolutely out of this world (or should I say… under it).
Give “God Of The Dead” a go below. It’ll knock your socks off, in a good way.
Score: 8/10
Standout Cues: No Escape, God Of The Dead, In The Blood
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