Unfortunately, music is still the weakest point of the expansion. Jeremy Soule is back at the helm, but he still has the same problem: the inability to write a memorable melody. Take the \u201cMain Theme\u201d, for example: it has promise in its ominousness, but it\u2019s too\u2026damn\u2026slow. And the rhythm is too erratic. It does, however, have a recognisable melody this time around, which can be heard as an aural reminder in other tracks. A more successful variation of this theme is \u201cQueen of the Shattered Mirror\u201d, which plays during the first scene featuring the Valsharess. It\u2019s still messy rhythmically, but it\u2019s also faster and has some percussions to liven things up. Rhythmic messiness is really the watchword for the entire HotU soundtrack, as it seems to have gotten worse since the original campaign. \u201cZorvak\u2019mur\u201d, for example, starts out on a bona fide cacophony, with several different incompatible rhythms vying for attention. There\u2019s also \u201cDracolich Vix\u2019thra\u201d, which sounds like someone trying to compose music while someone else is killing flies in the background (*thwack! thwack!*) just to spite them, or \u201cFight in the \u2018Yawning Portal\u2019\u201d, which plays during the eponymous event in Chapter 1 and seems to have forgotten that it\u2019s a combat theme, as it consists entirely of buildup with no payoff.<\/p>\n
Mind you, there is <\/em>a handful of tracks that somewhat stands out from the ambient mess. There\u2019s \u201cLith My\u2019athar\u201d, which combines delicate woodwinds and flutes with a driving undercurrent that creates a sense of unrest. \u201cConfrontation with the Underdark Army\u201d is quite possibly the best track of the expansion, with its frenetic percussions and brass flourishes, creating a real sense of momentous confrontation. \u201cShowdown with Mephistopheles\u201d has less urgency to it, but more flair and originality, peppered as it is with bongo counterpoints and even some organ.<\/p>\n\n