Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori’s third entry in the Halo soundtrack franchise marks a tremendous conclusion to the original trilogy, holding nothing back in an intensely action-focused thematic sendoff that entertains from beginning to end.
As the conclusion of the first Halo trilogy, Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori’s soundtrack for Halo 3 does nothing if not bring its absolute stylistic and thematic A game. Its first track “Luck” wastes no time in making this clear, opening rather intriguingly with twinkling percussion and serene vocals building to dramatic crescendo before quietly noble brass then starts to play a new motif – the “One Final Effort” theme – opposite solemn echoes of the iconic Halo theme, both rising in determination with ethereal vocals abound to let you know that the fight is only just beginning. With the stage set together with dramatic stakes to match, the subsequent “Released” then simmers moodily with eerie electronics, synthy vocals and light thuds of percussion reprising the atmospheric “Walk In The Woods” from Combat Evolved, before “Infiltrate” gives us our first taste of action as frenetic electronics build alongside dramatic drums and grandiose brass. The rising sense of militaristic pride then continues into “Honorable Intentions” as marching percussion and noble brass notes evoke a keen sense of well.. honour, with “Last Of The Brave” afterward building intensely on this as grandiose bursts of increasingly resolute brass thunder to a rather triumphant crescendo alongside the same marching drums.
A surgingly anxious pace kicks off “Brutes” with synthy brass and sprightly percussion leading a wary charge. This then fades at the thirty second mark, replaced by eerie echoes of electronics, strings and unnervingly high-pitched vocals for a rather ambient back half of the cue. Parts of the Halo theme then float ethereally on choir at the start of “Out Of Shadow” with quiet percussion lurking, which then builds into louder, more emboldened drums and synth fighting to crescendo. The opening moments of “To Kill A Demon” then simmer creepily as distorted electronics fade in and out, but this doesn’t last long as the percussion of the action side of the Halo theme quickly overtakes with its well-known string counterpart following for a much more upbeat (though sadly short) section. Darting electronic ambience then retakes the reins alongside synthy vocals for the final minutes of the cue. Rapid strings surge alongside more determined vocals at the start of “This Is Our Land”, though the strength of this fades quickly as tenser, more aggressive drums and strings overtake for the second half. The final moments of the cue then hint back toward the percussive side of the Halo theme, seguing pretty perfectly into the subsequent “This Is The Hour” as the triumphant opening notes of “One Final Effort” thunder heroically through followed by an increasingly epic rendition of the action portion of the Halo theme on grandiose strings, drums, brass and vocals.
The malevolent music for the parasitic Flood returns in “Dread Intrusion”, as ominously high-pitched strings and distorted vocals open the track against an eerie electronic backdrop, creating a particularly horror-like tone for the first two minutes. The Halo theme then echoes ethereally through after this with increasingly emboldened drums following to elevate the mood, injecting hope until the eerie electronics of the Flood unfortunately return and the track then fades to an unsettling end. The slower, more atmospheric “Follow Our Brothers” then reprises the synthy “Under Cover Of Night” ambience from Combat Evolved in its opening minute before rapidly building in both volume and intensity in its second half as triumphant brass and marching drums victoriously emerge. Next track “Farthest Outpost” is an album highlight, opening with angelic vocals that then transition into more purposeful strings and drums for an enjoyable atmospheric section, with the pace then kicking up in the final minutes as lightly playful strings pluck at the Halo theme. The lighter tone then continues into the start of the similarly standout “Behold A Pale Horse”, with chanting vocals joining the strings to sound out the opening notes of the Halo theme. After a loud brassy crescendo the action side of the theme then strides grandly through before the music then fades back down into vocal and synthy ambience, with a final heroic flourish of the Halo theme closing the cue.
After further percussive and vocal atmosphere in “Edge Closer”, the upbeat “One Final Effort” theme returns at the start of “Three Gates” with a piano-led action section briefly following, and a surgingly heroic brassy playthrough of the Halo theme then ends the track. The distorted vocals of the Flood then moodily return at the start of “Black Tower” before a tone of sheer strings-focused regret then takes over in the back half. The standout “One Final Effort” afterward however thankfully elevates the mood considerably, taking the titular new motif introduced earlier and pairing its upbeat piano notes with the ever-grandiose thudding percussion and rapid strings of the Halo theme’s action side for three fist-pumpingly epic orchestral minutes. The subsequent “Gravemind” though then rather expectedly drags the tone back down into eerie darkness, with cold electronics and distorted vocals echoing for the monstrous titular consciousness of the Flood in the opening minutes of the track. Solemn hints toward the Halo theme then float warily through with a similarly downtrodden strings rendition of “One Final Effort”, before a particularly wondrous final echo of the full Halo theme on vocals closes things out. The latter theme then returns in quietly mournful form on strings at the start of “No More Dead Heroes” before colder electronics and percussion overtake later on, with “Keep What You Steal” afterward plinking forlornly with the “One Final Effort” piano before moving back into the Halo theme on light strings.
A high-pitched, rather angelic choir opens “Halo Reborn”, introducing a gentle motif that’s then reprised for the highlight of the score “Greatest Journey”; the aforementioned choir echoes quietly at the start before rapid percussion starts to sound, and the Halo theme then thunders through for its longest, most epic action rendition on the album. It feels like a gigantic and impeccably enjoyable culmination of the entire trilogy with triumphantly heroic orchestrations all abound, and my only criticism is that it should be longer; as great as this five minute setpiece genuinely is, the game version goes on for more than eight! With the Standout Cue fading out, “Tribute” marches with militarist percussion and blasting brass before “Roll Call” gives us an end credits treatment of the score’s major themes, with the gregorian chant of the Halo theme and an upbeat reprisal of “Farthest Outpost” preceding a gentle string and piano finish. As the album moves towards its end, “Wake Me When You Need Me” reprises the Halo theme in a rather forlorn manner on high-pitched strings, with “Never Forget” continuing this more downtrodden tone as a solemn rendition of “Unforgotten Memories” from Halo 2 echoes serenely on gently melancholic strings, downbeat piano and mournful brass. Thankfully though, to finish the score proper “Finish The Fight” then elevates the mood for one last thunderously heroic burst of “One Final Effort” and the Halo theme’s action side, with triumphant brass, rapid strings and frantic drums all abound.
Overall, Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori’s score for Halo 3 is an epic conclusion to the phenomenal soundtrack trilogy that is Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and 3. Each part brought its own strengths to the table; the first introduced the iconic theme, the second had its electric guitars and this third entry has all of the above and more, wrapped in an unapologetically thunderous orchestral bow. The iconic Halo theme naturally returns in both its ethereally gregorian vocal form and its louder, more grandiose action style all across the album, and the latter is also joined now by the five note and similarly triumphant “One Final Effort” motif. As such, highlights for the action include the impeccably fast-paced aforementioned track as well as “Finish The Fight” and “This Is The Hour”, with the absolute standout being the fantastically conclusive “Greatest Journey” that surges in unapologetically grandiose style. The best rendition of the gregorian side of the theme then goes to the angelic opening of “Roll Call”, with the rest of the track offering an excellently conclusive suite for the game’s end credits. Returning to the music here too are also the eerie electronics and distorted vocals of the Flood from Combat Evolved, which clash malevolently against the grander side of the music throughout the album.
All-in, there’s a lot to unpack with this dramatically orchestral final entry in the original trilogy with Standout Cue after Standout Cue whistling heroically past, genuinely making it one of the stronger entries in this soundtrack franchise as a result.
Score: 8.5/10
Standout Cues: Behold A Pale Horse, One Final Effort, Greatest Journey, Roll Call
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