Halo 2: Original Soundtrack
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
The Halo 2: Original Soundtrack was composed and produced by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, with a few tracks by Incubus. While the Halo: Original Soundtrack was released in a one format, the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack was split into two volumes, which were released almost two years apart. Volume 1 was released on November 9th, 2004 and Volume 2 was released on April 25th, 2006. Rather than keep the medley form from the Halo: Original Soundtrack, the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack focused more on suites with different chapters, similar to movements in a symphony. Unlike the Halo: Original Soundtrack, the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack focuses more on heavy guitar riffs and beats as evident in the re-designed Halo Theme- Mjolnir Mix. As such, O'Donnell brought in several bands and guitarists (such as Incubus and Breaking Benjamin) to help compose the songs.
Volume 1 of the soundtrack differs greatly from Volume 2 in the presentation and form of the songs. While Volume 1 is made up in a "movement" form, Volume 2 focuses heavily on suites. As stated on the Volume 2 inlay card, Martin O'Donnell details why he chose to use this structure: "I decided to use a "suite" structure that corresponds to the chapters within the game. In a sense, by listening to this soundtrack, you will hear the musical representation of the story of Halo 2."
Volume 1
- Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix - 4:11 (Guitarist: Steve Vai)
- Blow Me Away - 3:25 (Breaking Benjamin)
- Peril - 2:47
- Ghosts of Reach - 2:22
- Follow (1st Movement of The Odyssey) - 4:15 (Incubus)
- Heretic, Hero - 2:32
- Flawed Legacy - 1:59
- Impend - 2:21
- Never Surrender - 3:36 (Nile Rodgers & Nataraj:)
- Ancient Machine - 1:39
- 2nd Movement of The Odyssey - 5:10 (Incubus)
- In Amber Clad - 1:38
- The Last Spartan - 2:18
- Orbit of Glass - 1:18
- 3rd Movement of The_Odyssey - 6:40 (Incubus)
- Heavy Price Paid - 2:32
- Earth City - 3:06
- High Charity - 1:59
- 4th Movement of The Odyssey - 9:07 (Incubus)
- Remembrance - 1:17
- Connected - 2:39 (Hoobastank) "Bonus Song"
Volume 2
- Prologue - 2:35
- Cairo Suite - 9:42
- Mombasa Suite - 6:41
- Unyielding - 3:05
- Mausoleum Suite - 8:10
- Unforgotten - 2:09
- Delta Halo Suite - 11:26
- Sacred Icon Suite - 7:26
- Reclaimer - 3:05 (Guitarist: Steve Vai)
- High Charity Suite - 8:27
- Finale - 3:10
- Epilogue - 3:49
Additional information
- Original composition: Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori
- Sound design: Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori
- Arrangement: Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori
- Label: Sumthing Else Musicworks
- Performance: Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, Steve Vai, Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, Hoobastank, Nile Rodgers, Nataraj, Daniel Estrin
Trivia
- Volume 1 also included an excerpt of the Covenant Writ of Union.
- Volume 2 also included an excerpt of the Covenant Ratification Parley.
- When played in reverse, the "Destroyers Invocation" part of Mausoleum Suite on Volume 2 plays a cryptic message from what is thought to be the Gravemind, but could in truth be many people/AI.[1]
- The "Infected" movement seemingly contains reversed vocals as well, it is unknown whether there is a message hidden here or if they are just part of the music.
- There are four extra tracks not included in either of the two Halo 2 OST's, and can only be heard during gameplay, these are:
- Metropolis (Bridge) - This is an altered version of the MJOLNIR Mix track, focusing on the instrumental side.
- Metropolis (Finale) - Another altered version of the MJOLNIR Mix, this one, focusing on the guitar.
- Delta Halo (Landing) - This track resembles the second half of the track In Amber Clad, but is stripped down and shorter than it's counterpart.
- Quarantine Zone (Drumrun) - As it's name implies, this track is focused on the drum section.
- There are a handful of other unreleased music pieces as well, including one played on Cairo Station in Commons Area B-01, and another near the end of The Arbiter when you first encounter the Heretic Leader.
