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Time travel turned into music

This is the music review of
DLC Civilizations (2016) | Rise and Fall (2018) | Gathering Storm (2019) | New Frontier Pass (2020).

Now that I've spent several hours watching videos on YouTube ripping apart the final season of Game of Thrones , which has only increased my hatred of this unworthy ending, I'd like to turn my attention to something more enjoyable: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. I'm not going to talk about the gameplay here, because the game deserves its own review, which I'll provide when the time comes. I'm mainly talking about the soundtrack here.

I only got into this time-honored series of turn-based strategy games with the 5th game. One, if not the highlight, is the soundtrack of the Civilization-series. Right at the beginning, we are greeted with a triumphant main theme (Sogno di Volare (The Dream of Flight)), a hymn of praise to the human urge to explore, which never fails to inspire me. The track was written by Christopher Tin, who also wrote the Baba Yetu für den Vorgänger geschrieben hat. Ich weiß, der Track mag vielen vielleicht sogar zu pathetisch sein – aber darum geht’s ja gerade. Wir erheben eine Zivilisation aus den simplen Anfängen in der Antike bis hin zur weltumspannenden Supermacht. Da darf es auch ruhig im wahrsten Sinne epochal klingen.

At the same time, the soundtrack of the Civ-games is also a prime example of excellently realized, thematically appropriate background music. As it is about civilizations long past as well as current ones, meticulous care is taken not to present the player with anything culturally inappropriate - both in terms of content and audio. There is no cross-faction music, but individual themes that encapsulate the character of each civilization.

Due to my lack of knowledge of traditional Scythian tunes, I can of course only judge to a limited extent whether soundtrack composer Geoff Knorr has succeeded in this. But for Germany, for example, the folk song Ich habe die Nacht geträumet (I have dreamed last night) from 1775 was adapted, which in my opinion wonderfully captures the spirit of Germany, which has only existed in this form for about 150 years, without it going completely in a historically conditioned military or these-are-the-baddies direction, but almost taking on a Wagnerian quality.

In general, the work that went into restoring the music of cultures that perished long ago must be emphasized. In a behind-the-scenes video for the predecessor, Sid Meier’s Civilization V, Knorr explains that ancient fragments and recordings were used for the compositions in order to reconstruct the music of our ancestors. A huge effort when, in comparison, you could simply compose something that sounds tribal or primeval. This gives us at least a remote idea of what the music of the Sumerians, who lived in the Persian Gulf region around 4500 BC, might have sounded like. And also what a modern adaptation of this ancient melody might well have sounded like.

That's right, not only does each civilization have its own theme, which is often taken from a folk song, such as the famous Kalinka for Russia. No, four versions were also composed, each for one era. Each version reflects the spirit of the time and the growth of your civilization. The further you progress through the periods of humankind, the more complex the music becomes, turning a simple melody into a symphony of several instrumental layers. In ancient times, for example, Scarborough Fair by the British is played by a lone string player, while in the Middle Ages, bells and drums give the theme a feudal touch. In the industrial era, the piece then experiences an unprecedented dynamism and drama, building up and exploding almost orgasmically in the main theme. In the atomic age, synths and additional effects are added, giving the whole thing a futuristic, or at least modern, feel.

For me personally, as you may have noticed from the description, the tracks about the industrial age are the most worth listening to - but of course everyone has to decide for themselves. But you should bring plenty of time to listen to them: There are 19 civilizations with 4 tracks each in the main game, so it can take a while. Of these, I liked the motifs of Arabia, China, England (my absolute favorite), Germany (2nd place), Japan, Norway (3rd place), Sythia and Sumeria the most. Now the question almost arises as to whether these songs perhaps make use of stereotypes, like musical tropes of certain countries? Some do, but is that a problem? In my opinion, no. After all, isn't a nation's self-image and identity also based on its musical self-image, which is not least reflected in the national anthem? And isn't an appropriate adaptation of folk tunes the perfect way to express this culture?

Maybe I'm creating a problem that isn't really there. I haven't heard any complaints about the music of Sid Meier’s Civilization , but when it comes to real-life examples, you always have to be a bit careful when depicting them in video games - looking at you Call of Duty. Finally, the question: Can I recommend the soundtrack of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI empfehlen? Definitives „Ja“, voll und uneingeschränkt. Wer es simpel mag, kann sich an den einfachen antiken Melodien erfreuen, wer auf epische Aufarbeitungen nationaler Identitäten steht, kann den Zeitstrahl weiter in die Moderne ablaufen. Ach, und vielleicht sogar das Spiel dabei spielen – das ist nämlich ähnlich gut!

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Nostalgia warning

The rating of the individual tracks is purely subjective and clearly colored by my own experience with the game. You can find out more in the article About Nostalgia.

Sid Meiers Civilization VI

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Scythia (Ancient)	Sandro Friedrich	2
02	France - Quand je bois du vin clairet (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	3
03	Rome - Magna Mater (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	3
04	Spain - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
05	Spain - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
06	Rome - Magna Mater (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	4
07	France - Quand je bois du vin clairet (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	4
08	Norway - Gjendines Bånlåt (Ancient)	Sissel Morken Gullord	2
09	Germany - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	5
10	Germany - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet(Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
11	Norway - Gjendines Bånlåt (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
12	China - Mo Li Hua (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
13	Russia - Kalinka (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
14	England - Scarborough Fair (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
15	England - Scarborough Fair (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	5
16	America - Hard Times Come Again No More (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
17	America - Hard Times Come Again No More (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
18	Russia - Kalinka (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
19	Brazil - Brejeiro (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
20	Scythia (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
21	Sumeria - Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, No. 6 (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr	3
22	Aztec - Traditional Nahua Music (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	3
23	Kongo - Banaha (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
24	Egypt - El Helwa Di (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
25	Egypt - El Helwa Di (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
26	China - Mo Li Hua (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
27	China - Mo Li Hua (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
28	Kongo - Banaha (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
29	Aztec - Traditional Nahua Music (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
30	Arabia - Banat Iskandaria (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
31	Greece - Epitaph of Seikilos (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
32	Greece - Epitaph of Seikilos (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
33	India - Vaishnava Jana To (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
34	Japan - Lullaby of Itsuki (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
35	Japan - Lullaby of Itsuki (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
36	India - Vaishnava Jana To (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
37	Arabia - Banat Iskandaria (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
38	Sumeria - Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, No. 6 (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5

Sid Meier's Civilization VI [Extendend Edition]

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Sogno di Volare (The Dream of Flight)	Christopher Tin	5
02	America - Hard Times Come Again No More (Ancient)	Patrick McAvinue; Brad Kolodner	3
03	America - Hard Times Come Again No More (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
04	America - Hard Times Come Again No More (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
05	America - Hard Times Come Again No More (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
06	Arabia - Banat Iskandaria (Ancient)	Kylie Hilali	3
07	Arabia - Banat Iskandaria (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	4
08	Arabia - Banat Iskandaria (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
09	Arabia - Banat Iskandaria (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
10	Aztec - Traditional Nahua Music (Ancient)	Roland Rizzo	2
11	Aztec - Traditional Nahua Music (Medieval)*	Roland Rizzo	3
12	Aztec - Traditional Nahua Music (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	3
13	Aztec - Traditional Nahua Music (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
14	Brazil - Brejeiro (Ancient)	Cesar Garabini; Kahil Nayton	3
15	Brazil - Brejeiro (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
16	Brazil - Brejeiro (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
17	Brazil - Brejeiro (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
18	China - Mo Li Hua (Ancient)	Bing Xia	2
19	China - Mo Li Hua (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	3
20	China - Mo Li Hua (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
21	China - Mo Li Hua (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
22	Egypt - El Helwa Di (Ancient)	Chakib Hilali	2
23	Egypt - El Helwa Di (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	3
24	Egypt - El Helwa Di (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
25	Egypt - El Helwa Di (The Atomic Era)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
26	England - Scarborough Fair (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr	4
27	England - Scarborough Fair (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	4
28	England - Scarborough Fair (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	5
29	England - Scarborough Fair (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
30	France - Quand je bois du vin clairet (Ancient)	Roland Rizzo	3
31	France - Quand je bois du vin clairet (Medieval)*	Roland Rizzo	3
32	France - Quand je bois du vin clairet (Industrial)*	Roland Rizzo	4
33	France - Quand je bois du vin clairet (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
34	Germany - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr	4
35	Germany - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
36	Germany - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	5
37	Germany - Ich hab die Nacht geträumet (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
38	Greece - Epitaph of Seikilos (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr	2
39	Greece - Epitaph of Seikilos (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	4
40	Greece - Epitaph of Seikilos (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
41	Greece - Epitaph of Seikilos (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
42	India - Vaishnava Jana To (Ancient)	Deepak Ram	2
43	India - Vaishnava Jana To (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
44	India - Vaishnava Jana To (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
45	India - Vaishnava Jana To (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
46	Japan - Lullaby of Itsuki (Ancient)	Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin; Geoff Knorr	2
47	Japan - Lullaby of Itsuki (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
48	Japan - Lullaby of Itsuki (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
49	Japan - Lullaby of Itsuki (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
50	Kongo - Banaha (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr	3
51	Kongo - Banaha (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	4
52	Kongo - Banaha (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
53	Kongo - Banaha (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
54	Norway - Gjendines Bånlåt (Ancient)*	Sissel Morken Gullord	2
55	Norway - Gjendines Bånlåt (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	3
56	Norway - Gjendines Bånlåt (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	5
57	Norway - Gjendines Bånlåt (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
58	Rome - Magna Mater (Ancient)	Roland Rizzo	2
59	Rome - Magna Mater (Medieval)*	Roland Rizzo	3
60	Rome - Magna Mater (Industrial)*	Roland Rizzo	4
61	Rome - Magna Mater (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	3
62	Russia - Kalinka (Ancient)	Andrei Saveliev	3
63	Russia - Kalinka (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	4
64	Russia - Kalinka (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
65	Russia - Kalinka (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
66	Scythia (Ancient)*	Sandro Friedrich	2
67	Scythia (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
68	Scythia (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
69	Scythia (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
70	Spain - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Ancient)	Benjamin Beirs	3
71	Spain - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Medieval)*	Geoff Knorr	3
72	Spain - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Industrial)*	Geoff Knorr	4
73	Spain - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
74	Sumeria - Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, No. 6 (Ancient)*	Geoff Knorr	3
75	Sumeria - Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, No. 6 (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
76	Sumeria - Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, No. 6 (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
77	Sumeria - Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, No. 6 (Atomic)*	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5

*Track contained in the Original Soundtrack

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DLC Civilizations

Even before the first addons and the New Frontier Pass developer Firaxis Games released seven individual nations as DLCs between 2016 and 2019. Although they didn't bring any major gameplay changes, they did feature the usual high-class musical accompaniment from the main game. As usual, my favorites are the Atomic-versions, my highlight there being Macedon – Tino Mori / Buvčansko.

• Poland - Hej ide w las
• Australia - Waltzing Matilda
• Persia - Kereshme / Reng-e Shalakhu
• Macedon - Tino Mori / Buvčansko
• Nubia - Allah Musau
• Khmer – Khmer Rourm Sam Mawgee
• Indonesia - Rejang Dewa / Bapang Selisir

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Poland - Hej ide w las (Ancient)	Roland Rizzo	3
02	Poland - Hej ide w las (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	3
03	Poland - Hej ide w las (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	4
04	Poland - Hej ide w las (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
05	Australia - Waltzing Matilda (Ancient)	AJ Block; Patrick McAvinue	2
06	Australia - Waltzing Matilda (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
07	Australia - Waltzing Matilda (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
08	Australia - Waltzing Matilda (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
09	Persia - Kereshmeh / Reng-e Shalakhu (Ancient)	Kazem Davoudian	2
10	Persia - Kereshmeh / Reng-e Shalakhu (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	2
11	Persia - Kereshmeh / Reng-e Shalakhu (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
12	Persia - Kereshmeh / Reng-e Shalakhu (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
13	Macedon - Tino Mori / Buvčansko (Ancient)	Vasko Dukovski	2
14	Macedon - Tino Mori / Buvčansko (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
15	Macedon - Tino Mori / Buvčansko (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
16	Macedon - Tino Mori / Buvčansko (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	5
17	Nubia - Allah Musau (Ancient)	Sandro Friedrich	2
18	Nubia - Allah Musau (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
19	Nubia - Allah Musau (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
20	Nubia - Allah Musau (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
21	Khmer - Khmer Rourm Sam Mawgee (Ancient)	Song Heng	2
22	Khmer - Khmer Rourm Sam Mawgee (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
23	Khmer - Khmer Rourm Sam Mawgee (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
24	Khmer - Khmer Rourm Sam Mawgee (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
25	Indonesia - Rejang Dewa / Bapang Selisir (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr; Sandro Friedrich	3
26	Indonesia - Rejang Dewa / Bapang Selisir (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
27	Indonesia - Rejang Dewa / Bapang Selisir (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
28	Indonesia - Rejang Dewa / Bapang Selisir (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4

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Rise and Fall

The first major add-on to Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, Rise and Fall, brings along some great gameplay features such as governors, golden ages and a loyalty system as well as nine new nations and cultures: the Mongols, the Zulu, Georgia, Korea, the Netherlands, Scotland, India and the native American tribes of the Cree and Mapuche - making this a trip around the world. The expansion remains true to the main game in all facets and not only takes you through all the ages in terms of gameplay, but also musically. The quality of the music composed for the newcomers is in no way second to that of the main game and, as far as I can tell as a German potato, captures the spirit of the respective ethnic groups well.

As in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI , composer Geoff Knorr has given each faction four tracks, each of which is assigned to an era: Ancient times, the Middle Ages, the Industrial Age and the Modern Age. While the ancient tracks seem simple and unrefined, the later interpretations of the respective historical models sound more epochal without losing their cultural essence. Instead, one might rather call it variations with a vocal focus in antiquity, string orientation in the Middle Ages, wind instruments in the industrial age and finally orchestral pomp in the modern age.

It is not a matter of course for me that the final stage is necessarily the 'best', 'most beautiful' or most listenable version. Especially in ancient cultures such as the Mongols, traditional stylistic devices are at the center of the composition. One example for this might be the famous throat singing, which we might already be familiar with from Age of Empires IV or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and which I would only be able to do myself under acute constipation. These sounds, even if done with style, are only quotet in the modern times and somewhat lost under all the excitement of additional instrumental layers.

• Cree – The Drums of Poundmaker
• Georgia - Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali / Shen Khar Venakhi
• Korea – Arirang
• Mapuche – Traditional Mapuche
• Mongols - Pastor Song / Khoomii Improvisation / Urtin Duu
• Netherlands - Gaillarde / L’esmerillonne
• Scotland - Scotland the Brave / Bonnie Dundee
• Zulu – Uthe Ubhuti Asizomlanda / Shaka Mamba; Bayisa / Halala

Of course, I'm not the judge of what appeals most here. My favorite version of Georgian chants, for example, is that of the industrial era, while - if I may say so - the howling of Cree tribesmen in ancient times reminds me more of a mixture of engine starting meets husky packs. Want another example? Gladly! The Korean folk song Arirang, which is around 600 years old (source Wikipedia), sounds like something out of a 1950s Hollywood movie in its industrial version, while the ancient version oscillates between cherry tree melancholy and drum solo.

Gaillarde L’esmerillone, a piece from the early Baroque, is a lot of fun in its intended and later period, but can also be convincing as simple flute music in antiquity. At the same time, it seems strange at first to hear a traditional African song with autotune, but what can I say? It works. Beyond that, I would venture the thesis that the tracks, which, as already mentioned, are based on real or reconstructed models, sound best in the style or era for which they were written. Now I don't want to repeat my conclusion of the main game, but I'll do it anyway: just listen to it, there's definitely something for everyone.

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No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Rise and Fall	Geoff Knorr	5
02	Cree - The Drums of Poundmaker (Ancient)	Poundmaker Singers	2
03	Cree - The Drums of Poundmaker (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
04	Cree - The Drums of Poundmaker (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
05	Cree - The Drums of Poundmaker (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
06	Georgia - Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali (Ancient)	Trio Kavkasia	3
07	Georgia - Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
08	Georgia - Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	5
09	Georgia - Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
10	Korea - Arirang (Ancient)	The Korean Performing Arts Academy of America	3
11	Korea - Arirang (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	4
12	Korea - Arirang (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	4
13	Korea - Arirang (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
14	Mapuche - Traditional Mapuche Music (Ancient)	Sandro Friedrich; Phill Boucher	3
15	Mapuche - Traditional Mapuche Music (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	4
16	Mapuche - Traditional Mapuche Music (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	3
17	Mapuche - Traditional Mapuche Music (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
18	Mongolia - Pastoral Song; Urtin Duu (Ancient)	Nature Ganganbaigal of Tengger Cavalry	3
19	Mongolia - Pastoral Song; Urtin Duu (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
20	Mongolia - Pastoral Song; Urtin Duu (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
21	Mongolia - Pastoral Song; Urtin Duu (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
22	Netherlands - Gaillarde L'esmerillone (Ancient)	Sandro Friedrich	4
23	Netherlands - Gaillarde L'esmerillone (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	4
24	Netherlands - Gaillarde L'esmerillone (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	5
25	Netherlands - Gaillarde L'esmerillone (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
26	Scotland - Scotland the Brave; Bonnie Dundee (Ancient)	Kevin O'Brien; Patrick McAvinue	4
27	Scotland - Scotland the Brave; Bonnie Dundee (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
28	Scotland - Scotland the Brave; Bonnie Dundee (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
29	Scotland - Scotland the Brave; Bonnie Dundee (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
30	Zulu - Uthe Ubhuti Asizomlanda, Halala, Bayisa (Ancient)	Legato	3
31	Zulu - Uthe Ubhuti Asizomlanda, Halala, Bayisa (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
32	Zulu - Uthe Ubhuti Asizomlanda, Halala, Bayisa (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
33	Zulu - Uthe Ubhuti Asizomlanda, Halala, Bayisa (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4

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Gathering Storm

As the name suggests, the second add-on Gathering Storm is primarily about nature, natural disasters and how mankind deals with them ... and is also to blame for them. After all, anyone who blows coal into the atmosphere for centuries should not be surprised that their coastal towns are drowning. Conservatives and oil lobbyists may see it differently, but perhaps it is a small consolation to them that our opponents are also sharing the boat with us.

The expansion introduces eight new ones, bringing the number of playable factions to 37 nations! In terms of content, I don't want to go into any more detail, because a welcome pattern is emerging in the addons: a great expansion with meaningful content and new factions, which in turn have once again been given an excellent musical treatment of their national identity. In my opinion, the only thing that cannot match the qualities of before is the Gathering Storm theme when compared to Sogno di Volare (The Dream of Flight) and Rise and Fall.

In contrast to the previous albums, I usually like the modern variations of the tracks in this expansion the best, even with representatives such as the Incas, whose empire collapsed a good 450 years ago. There's just something about witnessing the evolution of the Maori haka, for example, from its archaic form to an epic orchestral piece in the atomic age. However, before I go back over every civilization, I'll leave it with a small overview of the newcomers and briefly name the (folk) songs their themes were based on:

• Canada - Vive la Canadienne / The Crooked Stovepipe / O Canada
• Hungary - Hej Dunáról fúj a szél / Cinege, cinege
• Inca - Siempre Macho
• Mali – Mali Sadio / Masana Seesay
• Maori – Pokarekare Ana / Ka Mate
• Ottoman - Ey büt-i nev eda olmusum müptela / Yelkenler Bicilecek
• Phoenicia - Hurrian Hymn
• Sweden - Helan Går / Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle / Polska efter Pelle-Fors

So if there's a nation you're particularly interested in or you just want to hear more of the (very good) same, go for it!

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No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Gathering Storm	Geoff Knorr	4
02	Canada - Vive la Canadienne (Ancient)	Patrick McAvinue; Cris Jacobs	3
03	Canada - Vive la Canadienne / The Crooked Stovepipe / O Canada (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
04	Canada - Vive la Canadienne / The Crooked Stovepipe / O Canada (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
05	Canada - Vive la Canadienne / The Crooked Stovepipe / O Canada (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phil Boucher	4
06	Hungary - Hej Dunáról fúj a szél / Cinege, cinege (Ancient)	Sandro Friedrich; Michel Horsak	2
07	Hungary - Hej Dunáról fúj a szél / Cinege, cinege (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	3
08	Hungary - Hej Dunáról fúj a szél / Cinege, cinege (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	4
09	Hungary - Hej Dunáról fúj a szél / Cinege, cinege (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phil Boucher	5
10	Inca - Siempre Macho (Ancient)	Carlos Moises Ambia; Andres Jimenez (Inkarayku)	3
11	Inca - Siempre Macho (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	4
12	Inca - Siempre Macho (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	4
13	Inca - Siempre Macho (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	5
14	Mali - Masana Seesay (Ancient)	Amadou Kouyate	3
15	Mali - Mali Sadio / Masana Seesay (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
16	Mali - Mali Sadio / Masana Seesay (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
17	Mali - Mali Sadio / Masana Seesay (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	5
18	Maori - Ka Mate (Ancient)	The Te Tini a Maui Kapa Haka Group	3
19	Maori - Pokarekare Ana / Ka Mate (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
20	Maori - Pokarekare Ana / Ka Mate (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
21	Maori - Pokarekare Ana / Ka Mate (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
22	Ottoman - Ey büt-i nev eda olmusum müptela / Yelkenler Bicilecek (Ancient)	Adam Good	2
23	Ottoman - Ey büt-i nev eda olmusum müptela / Yelkenler Bicilecek (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
24	Ottoman - Ey büt-i nev eda olmusum müptela / Yelkenler Bicilecek (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
25	Ottoman - Ey büt-i nev eda olmusum müptela / Yelkenler Bicilecek (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
26	Phoenicia - Hurrian Hymn (Ancient)	Sandro Friedrich; Roland Rizzo	3
27	Phoenicia - Hurrian Hymn (Medieval)	Roland Rizzo	2
28	Phoenicia - Hurrian Hymn (Industrial)	Roland Rizzo	3
29	Phoenicia - Hurrian Hymn (Atomic)	Roland Rizzo; Phill Boucher	4
30	Sweden - Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle (Ancient)	Niccolo Seligmann	2
31	Sweden - Helan Går / Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle / Polska efter Pelle-Fors (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
32	Sweden - Helan Går / Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle / Polska efter Pelle-Fors (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
33	Sweden - Helan Går / Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle / Polska efter Pelle-Fors (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4

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New Frontier Pass

A series of DLCs were summarized under the title New Frontier Pass, which were released from 2020 to 2021 and, in addition to new game modes and minor changes, also included new races: the Maya, Gran Colombia, Ethiopia, Byzantium, the Gauls, Babylon, Vietnam and Portugal. While original melodies could be used for most of the factions, some tweaking was necessary for Babylon and the Gauls due to the lack of a template.

• Portugal – Fado Menor
• Maya – Rabinal Achí / Xtoles / Bolonchon
• Gran Colombia - Velo Que Bonito / Reír Llorando / Pajarillo
• Ethiopia - Tizita / Bati
• Byzantium - Ti ipermaho / Kontakion to the Mother of God
• Gauls - La Brabançonne
• Babylon - Babylon
• Vietnam – Lý kéo chài / Trống Cơm / Giăng Câu

The Gaul tracks, for example, are an original composition that was supplemented with the Belgian national anthem La Brabançonne. Babylon, on the other hand, was composed from scratch - and sounds just as people of today would imagine the empire from back then to sound. In general, the music is of the usual high standard and is simply great fun. A clear recommendation!

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Maya - Xtoles (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr; Sandro Friedrich	2
02	Maya - Rabinal Achí / Xtoles / Bolonchon (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	2
03	Maya - Rabinal Achí / Xtoles / Bolonchon (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
04	Maya - Rabinal Achí / Xtoles / Bolonchon (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
05	Gran Colombia - Velo Que Bonito / Reír Llorando (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr; Martin Vejarano	3
06	Gran Colombia - Velo Que Bonito / Reír Llorando / Pajarillo (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
07	Gran Colombia - Velo Que Bonito / Reír Llorando (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
08	Gran Colombia - Velo Que Bonito / Reír Llorando (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
09	Ethiopia - Tizita (Ancient)	Minale Bezu; Getachew Mekuria	1
10	Ethiopia - Tizita / Bati (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	2
11	Ethiopia - Tizita (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
12	Ethiopia - Tizita (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
13	Byzantium - Ti ipermaho / Kontakion to the Mother of God (Ancient)	Martinů Voices; Niccolo Seligmann	2
14	Byzantium - Ti ipermaho / Kontakion to the Mother of God (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
15	Byzantium - Ti ipermaho / Kontakion to the Mother of God (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
16	Byzantium - Ti ipermaho / Kontakion to the Mother of God (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
17	Gauls - La Brabançonne (Ancient)	Geoff Knorr	2
18	Gauls - La Brabançonne (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	2
19	Gauls - La Brabançonne (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
20	Gauls - La Brabançonne (Atomic)	Geoff Knorr; Phill Boucher	4
21	Babylon (Ancient)	Andy Lowings; Sandro Friedrich; Geoff Knorr	1
22	Babylon (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
23	Babylon (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
24	Babylon (Atomic)	Phill Boucher; Geoff Knorr	4
25	Vietnam - Lý kéo chài / Trống Cơm (Ancient)	Thi Vu	3
26	Vietnam - Lý kéo chài / Trống Cơm / Giăng Câu (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	3
27	Vietnam - Lý kéo chài / Trống Cơm (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	3
28	Vietnam - Lý kéo chài / Trống Cơm (Atomic)	Phill Boucher; Geoff Knorr	4
29	Portugal - Fado Menor (Ancient)	Cordeone	3
30	Portugal - Fado Menor (Medieval)	Geoff Knorr	4
31	Portugal - Fado Menor (Industrial)	Geoff Knorr	4
32	Portugal - Fado Menor (Atomic)	Phill Boucher; Geoff Knorr	4