Top 10 Dark Souls III Themes Part 2 - No's 5-1

OK, time for part two of my list of the top 10 themes from Dark Souls III, which will cover the top 5 tracks from this superb soundtrack.

So, with that said let's take a look at what themes made it into the top 5...

5. Dancer of the Boreal Valley 

So, at No.5 is the theme for the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, who is only one of the two female bosses in this game (the other being Sister Friede) and her theme is an absolute belter it has to be said.

As to why this theme is so good...well it comes down to the fact that it is by far THE most atmospheric theme in the entire game as it is very dark and brooding throughout and its pretty subtle aswell for the most part. Its also helped by the fact that the Dancer herself as a boss has some pretty creepy but at the same time very cool footsteps in the fight and this theme plays under it to perfection. But I think its basically a great marriage of the choir and the strings here once again as they just come together beautifully in this track and overal the whole thing just has a great sense of menace to it. It also has a kind of eastern feel to it aswell in places (maybe middle eastern??) as I keep looking at the Dancer's face mask it has that Indian/eastern look to it (mind you I was looking at something else too in that fight!).

So for me, the Dancer's theme really is a great one and it was one of the first tracks that really leapt out at a me as a standout in the game when I first played it and to this day still think its one of the best and for that it sure deserves its place at No.5.

4. The Twin Princes

So, at No.4 is the theme for one of the most pivotal and above all else most challenging bosses in the main game: the Twin Princes and by heck its a good un. In fact for me its one of the most emotional themes in the entire Souls series and I actually at times find it difficult to listen all in one go because of that (wimp I know lol!).

As for the theme itself, the way it starts is just superb as its got one of the strongest, most dramatic starts to any Souls theme as it highlights the danger of the theme nicely just as the Elder Prince, Lorian whacks the hell out of you with that firey ultra-great sword of his and there is a undercurrent of real menace here that works great. However, its the second phase of the theme is where it all get's pretty emotional as the choir comes in and sings those hauntingly beautiful yet very sad notes as the dynamic duo try to take you down. Its a great marriage of choir and orchestration again and it really does pack an emotional wallop here if you ask me.

So, for me the Twin Princes is definitely a real standout theme in the game and one that highlights the epic qualities of the boss fight itself as the choir and the strings work together in harmony to come with something suprisingly emotional and powerful.

So, the Twin Princes definitely deserve their spot here at No.4.

3. Vordt of the Boreal Valley 

So, at No.3 is the theme for one of the earlier bosses in the game, Vordt of the Boreal Valley and while he isn't necessarily a great boss, his theme on the other hand for totally sure is!

As for why Vordt's theme is so good, well it comes down to the contrast of styles between the two chief composers of the game, Yuka Kitamura, who scored the majority of the tracks and Motoi Sakuraba who scored this one as they both brought a different feel to the score. Yuka's music has a greater emotional weight to it whereas Motoi's is more playful and vibrant and Vordt's theme is a great example of this.

And right from the get-go, the strings kick off wonderfully in such a bold way along with synthesizers and the theme also has that undercurrent playfulness to it and in the first phase you get the feel that its all bubbling under the surface before things kick off in the second. So, when we get to second phase, the choir suddenly kicks into overdrive as the male choral voices go a bit nuts but in a really great way and there is also a nice middle eight section where things calm down a little before the track's wonderful end with the choir voices raising into their crescendo and the synths and strings calmly ending the theme.

So, yeah even I must admit this track can be a little OTT in its sound especially in the choir department but it never detracts from this wonderful and even adds to it and Vordt's theme for me is easily right up there as one of the best, so it deserves its spot at No.3.

2. Slave Knight Gael

So, in the runner-spot is this theme for what is often considered to be the final boss in the entire Dark Souls series, Slave Knight Gael and by God its a masterpiece, in fact its incredible to think a theme this good could possibly even be in 2nd place!

So, why is Gael's theme so good??? Well, for me this is Yuka Kitamura's masterwork as its hands down the best theme she ever wrote for Dark Souls or Bloodborne, period. Its just a tremendous theme with such great emotional weight attached to it and its never too sad or morose sounding, it just has a pefect mixture of danger, emotion and excitement attached to make it a superb piece of music.

And the first phase of the theme kind of acts as a kind of slow build-up with the menacing sounding strings coming in and female operatic voice singing alongside, again the two elements works wondefully here as this phase just keeps building up slowly for what lies ahead. As for the second phase, this is where the theme starts to really hit its stride and the choir voices kick in and again its wonderful mix of orchestration and all things choral and those dramatic strings are magnificent and in this phase we get what would essentially be the chorus of the theme itself. Then we get to the 3rd phase where things change to a higher key and again the choir and strings rise as one to give this theme a stupendous crescendo and it finishes the theme on a major high before the choir and orchestra deliver that final solem note. Awesome.

So, for me Slave Knight Gael's theme is a towering achievement in the Soulsborne catalog as its a theme that has got absolutely everything, drama, emotion and excitement and its a more than deserving runner-up. Just a shame I couldn't put this and the next theme both at No.1 but hey that's lists for you but either way you look at it, Gael's theme is a winner.

And so the number one theme from Dark Souls III (for me anyway) is....

1. Nameless King

Yep at No.1 is the theme for old Namless, yep the Nameless King's theme takes the top spot and it more than deserves it, as it is just an absolutely outstanding piece of music from start to finish.    

So, as for the theme itself??? Where to begin! Its just great, that's all you need to know! No, but seriously this theme is just absolutely wonderful right from the get-go as the strings kick in and that we get that amazing first section of the intro that highlights the danger of the fight and that is followed up by the second section, which perfectly captures the flight of Nameless's dragon early on. And as the first phase of the theme keeps building we get another wonderful passage played on I believe the harpsichord and it resembles something like you would hear from Mozart!

And then we get to the dreaded second phase where you take on ol Nameless himself and this again is a wonderul piece of music as it starts off fairly slow with the harpsichord playing underneath the strings as Nameless bears down on you. And the strings here just have an amazing flow to them as they are incredibly fluid and of course there is that very memorable rising chorus towards the end of the track and this is followed by a very dramatic sounding strings and horns section that punctuates the final notes of the theme itself.

So, while it took me a good while to get over the frustration I felt fighting this boss, I then took a proper listen to his theme and ever since then it has never failed to blow me away with its impressiveness. Nameless's theme is a just a superb mix of danger, drama, excitement and vibrancy courtesy of Motoi's Sakuraba and for me this is also his masterwork and its one, which I'm sure will be very hard to beat in future and sets the bar very high for future video game themes. And that is why I think it more than deserves its place right at the top of the list at No.1.

OK, so that's it for now and if you've read this post or any others a big thanks to you and I will be back again soon with another one for you all (or y'all).

Till then its bye fer now!