Music of the Dead Space series

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The music of the Dead Space media franchise, created by Visceral Games (originally EA Redwood Shores) and published by Electronic Arts around a series of survival horror video games, was mainly composed by Jason Graves. Graves composed the music for all mainline entries in the series and the majority of spin-off titles. Other composers have been involved in the series; Grave's recurring collaborator Rod Abernethy acted as an early advisor for the titular first game, James Hannigan co-composed the score for Dead Space 3, while Seth Podowitz and Christopher Tin were the respective composers for the movies Dead Space: Downfall and Dead Space: Aftermath.

The original Dead Space was scored to sound unconventional by standards of the time, drawing inspiration from the work of Christopher Young and the score of The Shining. For Dead Space 2, Graves expanded the orchestral elements, and incorporated a string quartet to represent protagonist Isaac Clarke. For Dead Space 3, Graves maintained his style while incorporating action themes, while Hannigan composed music to advance its narrative and be distinct from Graves's tracks. Each mainline entry has received digital soundtrack album releases. Reception of the music has been generally positive, with Graves being nominated for multiple awards for his work on Dead Space and Dead Space 2.

Overview[edit]

An American man with graying black hair sits behind a stand speaking to a crowd through a microphone.
Composer Jason Graves (pictured in 2016) worked on the majority of the Dead Space franchise.[1]

The Dead Space series was produced by Visceral Games (originally EA Redwood Shores).[2] The titular first game, released in 2008, began production two years before. The concept was based on series creator Glen Schofield's wish to create the most frightening horror game possible.[3][4] It was supported by a wider multimedia narrative, originally referred to as "IP cubed" and later as a "trans-media franchise".[5][6] Following the original's success, multiple spin-off titles followed.[2][7] The next two mainline entries were Dead Space 2 (2011), and Dead Space 3 (2013).[2][8][9] While a fourth game was planned, the commercial failure of Dead Space 3 and the closure of Visceral Games brought the series to a close.[10][11]

The music for the Dead Space series was primarily composed by Jason Graves. He had a background in classical music and composition for film and television before debuting in video games.[1][12] Graves would go on to work on the next two mainline Dead Space entries, and all the spin-off titles (Dead Space: Extraction, Dead Space Ignition, Dead Space Mobile).[1] His work on Dead Space 3 was in collaboration with James Hannigan.[1][13] The music for the animated direct-to-video spin-off Dead Space: Downfall was composed by Seth Podowitz.[14] For the later movie Dead Space: Aftermath, the score was composed by Christopher Tin, who was told to emulate Grave's musical style.[15]

Albums[edit]

Dead Space Original Soundtrack[edit]

Dead Space Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album to Dead Space by
Jason Graves
ReleasedNovember 11, 2008
RecordedBastyr Chapel, Seattle
Skywalker Sound, Redwood Shores, California
GenreVideo game music
Length61:07
LabelElectronic Arts
ProducerJason Graves, Rod Abernethy

Graves joined the project early in production, when the game was a quarter of the way through development.[16] During their requests for composers, the team cited the work of Christopher Young as a reference for applicants. After joining the project, Graves took further inspiration from the score for The Shining.[16] Using the available guidelines, Graves put together a sample demo, which both got him the job and greatly impressed sound designer Don Veca.[12] A sample from the demo plays during the game's credits.[16] The developers wanted music that was dark and "Aleatoric in style", ranging from eerie sounds to loud cacophonous sections.[17] As part of his work, Graves was regularly sent footage of level playthroughs as reference material.[16] While the game credits both Graves and recurring collaborator Rod Abernethy as composers, all music was composed by Graves alone.[18]

The first samples used heroic tones negatively compared to a "Will Smith sci-fi movie", prompting requests for a more frightening score.[19] One of the key challenges for the score was creating a musical and sound experience equivalent to linear horror movies within a non-linear game environment.[20] Rather than character themes and bombastic pieces, the score is based on moody ambience aside from boss encounters or scripted chase sequences.[16] To create the horror-styled environment, Graves visualized the situation through the eyes of protagonist Isaac Clarke, then used modern contemporary instruments to make the score "as non-musical as possible".[21] The sample-based style is a musical rendition of the name of the enemy Necromorphs, with "Necro" meaning "death" and "morph" meaning "to change".[22] An exception to this approach is the theme of supporting character Nicole Brennan, which followed Graves's more conventional musical tastes with traditional chord progressions.[23]

The score uses a live orchestra; each section is recorded separately, then arranged into four musical layers and adjusted in-game based on the situation.[16][23] Many of the ambient elements as produced by string or brass sections being allowed to each play any note they wanted, with the resultant sounds mixed into the environment.[12] The score elements were performed first by the Northwest Sinfonia at the Bastyr University Chapel.[17] At one point, Graves worried that half their recording budget would be spent on elements that could be scrapped as unworkable.[22] The final in-game score for Dead Space is three hours long and was recorded over five months, several times more than Graves had composed for previous video game titles.[16] Graves described it as the most challenging and enjoyable composing job he had undertaken for a game, praising the amount of freedom he was given by the sound team.[17]

An official digital soundtrack album, Dead Space Original Soundtrack, was announced in October, shortly before the game's release.[17] Originally slated for release alongside the console version of Dead Space on October 14,[17] it was eventually released by Electronic Arts on November 1 through its own music label, then on other storefronts in November 11.[24][25] Video Game Music Online's Simon Elchlepp cited the music as unlike anything that had been heard in video games before, but felt that the constant tension became wearing after prolonged listening, and felt that Grave's style was better realised in Dead Space 2.[25] Robert Halvarsson, writing for Original Sound Version, praised the ambience and constant tension invoked by the score, but noted a lack of subtlety in later combat-oriented tracks.[26] Rick Damigella of G4 praised the soundtrack's overall quality and called it "truly original", saying it had encouraged him to try out the game despite his dislike of the survival horror genre.[27] Both Halvarsson and Damigella positively noted the naming puns for several tracks.[26][27] At the 2009 British Academy Games Awards, Graves and Dead Space won in the "Original Score" and "Use of Audio" categories.[28] The game also won in the "Audio of the Year" category at that year's Game Audio Network Guild Awards.[29] The track "Welcome Aboard the U.S.G. Ishimura" was later included on the Amazon release of The Greatest Video Game Music, a compilation album of video game music.[30]

Track list
No.TitleLength
1."Dead Space Theme"3:35
2."Welcome Aboard the U.S.G. Ishimura"5:21
3."The Necromorphs Attack"5:51
4."Fly Me to the Aegis Seven Moon"4:55
5."Severed Limbs Are Hazardous Waste"4:56
6."Nicole's Farewell"2:51
7."I Left My Heart in Med Lab 3"2:19
8."The Leviathan"3:18
9."Cyanide Systems Offline"3:17
10."Entering Zero-G"2:01
11."I've Got You Devolving Under My Skin"3:10
12."Manual Survival Mode Seven"4:56
13."Plasma Cutters Are Your Friend"3:14
14."The Cost of Living Is on the Rise"4:05
15."Do Not Vomit - Do Not Shout"2:43
16."The Hive Mind"2:37
17."Escape from the Planet of the Red Marker"1:58
Total length:61:07

Dead Space 2 Original Videogame Score[edit]

Dead Space 2 Original Videogame Score
Soundtrack album to Dead Space 2 by
Jason Graves
ReleasedJanuary 25, 2011
RecordedSkywalker Sound, Redwood Shores, California
GenreVideo game music
Length60:22
60:15 (Collector's Edition)
LabelElectronic Arts
ProducerJason Graves, Andrew Boyd

As with the original game, Graves was involved in the production of Dead Space 2 from an early stage, wanting to make the score akin to an updated version of his earlier work.[31] Graves drew inspiration from classical music from the first half of the 20th century, citing Krzysztof Penderecki's Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima as a point of comparison for the string focus in Dead Space 2.[19] As with his usual work method, Graves first created a main theme, acting as a template for the rest of the score.[31] Each section of the orchestra, whether woodwinds or strings, had their own recording sessions and created samples that Graves later mixed together for each track.[32]

The main theme "Lacrimosa" was born from there being the time to create a concerto using a string quartet.[32] Speaking about its tone compared to the rest of the score, Graves admitted that he liked playing against genre expectations, while also giving Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky as possible inspirations for its instrumentation.[32] Other recurring musical elements include newly-written themes for Isaac and the story-centric Marker artifact, with Nicole's theme returning from Dead Space.[31] Isaac's leitmotif uses the note order D-E-A-D—spelling the word 'DEAD'—and appears throughout the score[31] Dead Space 2 contains over three hours of layered music.[32]

An official soundtrack album, Dead Space 2 Original Videogame Score, was digitally released on January 25, 2011 by Electronic Arts.[33] A physical soundtrack release was included in the Collector's Edition of Dead Space 2.[34] Graves spent around three weeks producing the albums. Due to the large amount of music in-game, his biggest challenge was selecting which pieces and arrangements to pick for commercial release. For the Collector's Edition, the soundtrack's sole physical release, he included thirty minutes of exclusive music.[32] At a launch event called "Dead Space Exposed", Graves conducted an eleven-minute version of "Lacrimosa", performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra.[33][35] Elchlepp called the score "a mesmerising creation", and praised the selection of album tracks as a superior listening experience compared to the first game's soundtrack album.[33] Gideon Dabi of Original Sound Version compared the accomplishments of the music to sequels that surpass their originals mechanically, praising its tone and dramatic elements.[36] Both reviews praised "Lacrimosa".[33][36] At the 2012 Game Developers Choice Awards, the title was nominated for in the "Best Audio" category.[37] At that year's Game Audio Network Guild Awards, it was nominated in the "Audio of the Year" and "Best Interactive Score", and "Best Original Soundtrack Album" categories.[38]

Track List (Album)
No.TitleLength
1."Welcome to The Sprawl"5:20
2."Much Ado About Necromorphs"4:36
3."Nice R.I.G. If You Can Get It"2:20
4."Canonical Aside"2:01
5."Rest in Pieces"2:46
6."The Cassini Towers"3:58
7."It Had to Be Unitology"5:16
8."Say Hello to My Little Friends"5:02
9."Awesome Hulk"4:14
10."You Got Nill"4:13
11."I Only Have Eyes for You"5:00
12."You Go to My Head"4:14
13."Come Rain or Come Convergence"3:46
14."Lacrimosa"7:36
Total length:60:22
Track list (Collector's Edition)
No.TitleLength
1."Isaac, Are You There?"5:16
2."Padded Room With a View"3:11
3."Hospital Escape"2:20
4."The Cassini Towers"3:58
5."Fear of Flying"4:03
6."It Had to Be Unitology"5:16
7."Isaac Get Your Gun"1:48
8."Titan Station Elementary"3:44
9."Class Dismissed"2:40
10."East of the Sun and West of the Solar Array"2:09
11."Administering Control"2:46
12."Start Spreading the Limbs"2:31
13."You Go to My Head"1:15
14."The Government Sector"2:41
15."Canonical Aside"1:56
16."War and Pieces"2:45
17."Convergence Delayed"3:46
18."Lacrimosa"8:10
Total length:60:15

Dead Space 3 Original Video Game Score[edit]

Dead Space 3 Original Video Game Score
Soundtrack album to Dead Space 3 by
Jason Graves & James Hannigan
ReleasedFebruary 12, 2013
RecordedAbbey Road Studios, London
Slovak Radio Concert Hall, Bratislava
GenreVideo game music
Length1:23:29
LabelElectronic Arts

For the soundtrack of Dead Space 3, Graves collaborated with Hannigan. Reflecting the title's gameplay change, the music shifts its tone towards action over the earlier focus on horror.[39][40] While there was a greater focus on action, Graves wanted to maintain musical links to the earlier games, blending the series' established horror-based sound with "some modern, edgier appointments".[39] For the long space sections, while otherwise realistic in their muting of sounds beyond the range of Isaac's suit, use musical cues to emphasise the action.[41]

Hannigan was brought in around the middle of 2012 after being requested to provide test music by Electronic Arts.[13][40] Hannigan described his contribution to the score as focusing on moving the narrative along rather than creating atmosphere.[13] Speaking about the change from urban to natural environments with the Tau Volantis location, Hannigan compared the contrasting tones with how music was used to humanise alien locations by John Williams for the Star Wars film series. Knowing Grave's style for the series, Hannigan chose to mostly stay away from it.[40]

The soundtrack was performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, and the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall in Bratislava.[42][43] Graves and Hannigan mostly worked on different areas of the music or focused on specific chapters, though there were sections where both of their compositions featured.[13][40] Hannigan described the score as a whole as being "a little more high-tech" than earlier entries.[40] The score featured vocals from singer Miriam Stockley.[43] The ending credits used the track "Ephemeral" by post-metal band Pelican.[44] The live-action launch trailer used a remixed version of the Phil Collins single "In the Air Tonight".[45]

An official soundtrack album for the game titled Dead Space 3 Original Video Game Score, featuring selected tracks by Graves and Hannigan, was released by Electronic Arts on February 12, 2013.[42][44] The official album featured tracks from both composers, chosen to contrast against one-another.[13] Elchlepp found the official album a disappointment due to the clashing tones of Grave's and Hannigan's work, also noting that the more atmospheric tracks made similar mistakes to the ambient focus of the original game; he summed up the changed as "a disappointing downgrade".[42] He ranked Grave's self-published digital album release as being better musically, but still less impressive than earlier soundtrack releases.[46] Jen Bosier of Forbes was more positive, saying series fans would enjoy the album despite the shift in tone, saying that "Hannigan's and Graves' style and tone combine for a wonderful, cohesive listening experience."[44]

Track list
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."200 Years Ago, On an Icy Planet..."James Hannigan7:20
2."The Quick and the Dead"Jason Graves6:03
3."A Broken Past"James Hannigan4:54
4."Lunar Express"James Hannigan4:35
5."60 Seconds Over Tau Volantis"Jason Graves1:59
6."The Fiery Room"Jason Graves2:32
7."Spaced Out and Frantic"Jason Graves2:30
8."Vomit Comet"Jason Graves2:12
9."Graffiti Speaks"James Hannigan1:30
10."Knee Deep"Jason Graves5:30
11."Buckell Down"James Hannigan2:13
12."Apoplexia"Jason Graves4:04
13."In Tents"Jason Graves4:23
14."Into the Stomach"Jason Graves6:33
15."The Nexus"Jason Graves2:37
16."Mountains of Madness"James Hannigan2:16
17."The Ascent"Jason Graves2:26
18."Rosetta Suite"James Hannigan5:31
19."Cry of the Ancients"James Hannigan4:26
20."Convergence"James Hannigan2:43
21."Moon Crash"James Hannigan7:04
Total length:1:23:29

References[edit]

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