The Pillar of Autumn
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The Pillar of Autumn is the tenth track (Disc 2 Track 3) included in Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack, and plays mainly in the Halo: Reach campaign level The Pillar of Autumn. It is composed of Once More Unto the Breach (0:00-0:58), Through the Rock (0:58-1:31), Shipbreaker (1:31-3:18), Meltdown (3:18-4:58), Move Mountains (4:58-6:12), Noble Six (6:12-7:11), Special Delivery (7:11-8:50), and On the Gun (8:50-9:40).
Overview
Once More Unto the Breach
Once More Unto the Breach (0:58) opens with a louder and graver rendition of the brass opening in The Battle Begins (from the earlier track Winter Contingency), followed by the choir singing a slower rendition of the vocals from the aforementioned track. The piece plays in the cinematic in which Carter-A259 rams his D77-TC Pelican into a Deutoros-pattern Scarab, then continues into the gameplay sequence afterwards.
Through the Rock
Through the Rock (0:33) features eerie choir ambiance with low strings accompaniment. The piece plays when Noble Six and Emile-A239 encounter a swarm of Yanme'e in the caverns, with the ending playing when they exit the cavern.
Shipbreaker
Shipbreaker (1:47) begins with percussive beats, quickly joined by strings playing a heavy melody, which occasionally evokes the Halo Theme. The piece ends with high strings holding a note. The piece plays during the first encounter with Covenant in the Asźod ship breaking yards.
Meltdown
Meltdown (1:40) is a reprise of The Other Side (from the earlier track Exodus), featuring a more prominent brass as well as low strings over the original pulsing synth effects and a high tempo string melody. The piece ends with ambience played by brass and low strings. The piece ends with high strings holding a note. The piece plays shortly after Shipbreaker at the Asźod ship breaking yards.
Move Mountains
Move Mountains (1:14) features a heavy but crisp melody by brass and heavy strings, accompanied by percussion. It transitions into synth effects. The piece plays when Noble Six encounters a pair of Mgalekgolo in the ship-breaking facility.
Noble Six
Noble Six (0:59) is a strings-only version of the second section of Lone Wolf (from Winter Contingency), though omitting the solemn ending. The piece plays when the first wave of Ru'swum-pattern Phantoms deploy Jiralhanae at Platform Delta.
Special Delivery
Special Delivery (1:39) opens with the percussion from The Battle Begins, accompanied by high strings ambience. Male choir fade in as the percussive beats become more complex briefly, and when the percussion fades out, strings return as ambience in accompaniment to the male choir. The piece ends with a drumroll. The piece plays in the cinematic in which Noble Six gives the armored matrix to Jacob Keyes and Emile-A239 is killed.
On the Gun
On the Gun (0:50) opens with twinkling effects. The twinkling effects plays in the main menu of Halo: Reach, and when Noble Six battles with the Sangheili Zealots and the Sangheili Field Marshal. Heavy percussion of Few More Days enters, quickly joined by synth effects. Strings fade in and the piece ends with a dissonant chord and synth ambience. The percussion plays when Noble Six mans the Mark 2488 Onager.
Production notes
- The name Once More Unto the Breach alludes to the first Halo: Reach ViDoc released, Once More Unto the Breach, itself being a reference to the famous speech in William Shakespeare's play Henry V. The name is also used as the opening chapter of the level.
- The name Through the Rock alludes to the rocky caverns before reaching the ship-breaking yards.
- The name Shipbreaker alludes to the ship-breaking yards and the decommissioned UNSC Commonwealth.
- The name Meltdown alludes to the melting of steel scraps in the ship-breaking facility.
- The name Move Mountains is likely derived from the idiom and alludes to NOBLE Team’s mission to deliver the armored matrix to UNSC Pillar of Autumn in the Covenant-dominated Asźod region.
- The name Noble Six is named after SPARTAN-B312’s designation within NOBLE Team. Fittingly, the piece is a variation of the character’s motif Lone Wolf. It may imply that by the time the piece plays in the penultimate level, the Spartan, as instructed by Carter in the the first campaign level Noble Actual, has discarded his/her Lone Wolf personality, and has adopted the role of a team member as “Noble Six”.
- The name Special Delivery alludes to NOBLE Team’s mission to deliver the armored matrix to Captain Keyes. A track of the same name was featured in Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack.
- The name On the Gun alludes to Six operating the Onager.
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