Top 10 Favourite Jesper Kyd Tracks

Right!  OK this is a different post than usual as this one will be based on my favourite video game score composer, the Danish composer, Jesper Kyd, who has written so much brilliant music within the video game industry for various games.

Kyd's most notable work has been on the Hitman games and the Assassin's creed series but he has written and contributed to many more games than just those two franchises alone.  And for me he may well go down as the greatest video game composer there has been, so much so that his work could easily translate into works in their own rate and independent of the video games they are used within.  In short the guy is amazing and his work deserves to be heard and more praise to be lauded at him.

Anyway so without further ado I thought I would look at my pick of my top 10 favourite tracks composed by Jesper Kyd that have appeared in the various games he has scored or contributed towards.

10. Trouble in Eden - from Darksiders 2

So at No.10 is a track from Darksiders 2, the action role play game and it is said to be the first score the Kyd composed without using synthesizers (although listening to the soundtrack I'm not sure I'd agree with that!).  Regardless of that though this track really is a good one and its another prime example of Kyd building up the momentum starting off quiet and getting progressively louder.  And this track really get's going in the middle and packs a suprisingly emotional punch and that's why it certainly deserves a place here at No.10.  

9. Slaughterhouse - from Hitman Contracts

OK so at No.9 is this track from the third Hitman game, Contracts, and this track is a real tense and atmospheric, not to mention disturbing one which exclusively features that eerie synth throughout the whole track.  There are actually even points in this track where it sounds like you are listening to the soundtrack from John Carpenter's The Thing with the heartbeat type low synth cues.  Its haunting, powerful, creepy and very worthy of taking a place in the list and its certainly not a piece of music you would want to listen to in the dark!


8. H2 Exploration - from Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

At No.8 is another Hitman track that is from Hitman 2 and this is another great atmospheric track which is heavily synthesized and it builds itself up nicely as it moves along.  The track is also helped greatly by the bassline and by the percussion that underlies the main theme and again it shows that Kyd is the master of creating an audio landscape all of his own and its definitely worth putting on the list here in the 8th spot.


7. Sanctuary - from Borderlands 2

Coming in at No.7 is a track from the action role play game, Borderlands 2, and this track is another gorgeously atmospheric one which slowly builds itself up as it goes before tails off in its sombre climax at the end.  The track also has a nice western feel with the use of the guitar as the synthesized atmospherics in the background play wonderfully underneath it.  Its a real standout track on the Borderlands 2 soundtrack for sure and worthy of a place on the list.


6. Before the storm - from Hitman Blood Money

So at No.6 we have a track from Hitman Blood Money, Before the storm, which for a change is an all orchestral track as Kyd composed and conducted the score under the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, who feature here.  Its another great track and a terrific example of Kyd's ability to create a brooding atmosphere and instill dread in the listener, the track also might have a slight feeling of the late great Bernard Herrmann's work in it here and there also.  And the best thing about the track is how towards the end it changes key and becomes even more sinister just before it finishes.  Its a short track at just over two and a half minutes, but really a great one.

5. Nightfall - from Freedom Fighters  

In at No.5 is a track from the acclaimed action adventure game Freedom Fighters, which sadly never got a sequel or has been heard of much since but Kyd compose did manage to compose one hell of a score for it.  And this is one of the great tracks from that very score, Nightfall, which is another ambient track which starts off very quiet with the low synth and then a snare drum punctuating the track throughout.  And as the track builds, Kyd then introduces a haunting piano piece that really gives the track its emotional hook.  So for me this track is a real cracker and one of the very best from the score and deserves a place here on the list.

4. Access the Animus - from Assassin's creed

Well a track from the Assassin's creed franchise had to appear somewhere on this list so I decided to put this lenghty near 10 minute track in the top 5 and its a terrific one at that.  The track is pretty recognisible and it features fairly often in the game as the player scopes various different sites and it becomes even more recognisible as it reaches it frantic passage over half way through and that's where the quality of the track really goes up.  Its another beautiful mix of suspense and drama all in one piece of music and Kyd builds it all up to perfection for the listener and its easily one of the best AC tracks.

3. Hunter - from Hitman Blood Money

At No.3 is another great rack from Hitman Blood Money, Hunter, which is again features the Budapest Symphony Orchestra but also incorporates more of Kyd's keyboard themes.  This is a terrific brooding piece of music that builds up its quiet dynamic and it suceeds in working so well as a piece of music it never needs to raise its volume so loud but instead keeps a really intense and fairly quiet tone.  The track also features some great percussion not to mention great use of choral chants sung by the Hungarian radio choir.  At just over six minutes, it never feels too long or lags and it remains one of the best tracks on Blood money and more and deserving of a place on here.

2. The Battle for Freedom - from Freedom Fighters

So the runner up is this track from Freedom Fighters, the Battle for Freedom, which is frankly just stunning and it also packs quite a punch emotionally too and its another prime example of Kyd building up the sound quietly before the track really kicks in and get's going.  And the track's main theme is an absolute cracker with its mixture of electronic percussion and synthesizer, its a near perfect mix.  The only slightly negative thing I'd say about the track is that the underlying synth sound is a bit plinky-plonky sounding but the track itself is so damn good it doesn't really matter.  The Battle of Freedom is still one of Kyd's very very best tracks and is more than worthy No.2 on this list.

And at the No.1 best Jesper Kyd track (well for me anyway) is......

1. Interlude combat - from Borderlands 2

So at No.1 is Interlude combat from Borderlands 2 and I just had to put this one at the top spot because frankly, it kicks ass.  This track shows what Kyd can do best by creating catchy, menacing, driving music, which he does here with this one track that lasts just two minutes which also features a killer bass hook that grabs your attention right from the start.  The track itself is purely electronic and it even sounds a bit like the Nine Inch Nails song, The Perfect Drug with its rising guitar line towards the end of the track.  And even if it was a homage to that track it doesn't really matter that much as Kyd here just sends things into overdrive and builds the music in it up into a perfect crescendo.  Its two minutes of sheer brilliance and my favourite Jesper Kyd track and I could listen to it over and over again all day (well just about!) and that's why its at the top of the list. 

So that's it for this list and I will be back some other time with an actual review of something else.

Till then its bye the now and I'm off to listen to some of Jesper's stuff.... ;-)