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Drummer-Drama

No road is long with a good friend as a companion

Unknown

That's how the saying goes. The saying also goes that all roads lead to Rome. From this, you can conclude that you will inevitably arrive in Rome at some point, and that it goes even faster with a friend in tow. But you could also think that the author has once again been out smoking and googling proverbs in search of an appealing introduction until he found something that he could weave into a somewhat coherent introduction.

This freedom of interpretation is up to you, dear reader, and you are welcome to make a note of your conclusion in the comments or keep it to yourself. But to stay with the initial image, in the 2004 strategy game Rome: Total War , many routes do indeed lead to the pre-Christian metropolis, and in my own experience, time passes more quickly when you're having fun. That's what I do when I get to listen to good music, for example - as in this case the composition by Jeff van Dyck.

The track list for Rome: Total War is not an OST (Original Soundtrack), i.e. the officially curated music selection, because at the time, unfortunately, a musical decoupling was rarely considered. Instead, we have a kind of gamerip here, i.e. a collection of almost all the pieces that appear in the 2004 game. Unlike the Mass Effect-gamerip, however, there are far fewer total failures to report here. And this is despite the fact that the music of the Total War-series has always 'suffered' from the polar game principle. What does the man mean by that? Briefly explained, the games can be divided into two basic components or mechanics: firstly, the turn-based strategy map, on which we manage our empire turn by turn and move troops around, and secondly, the battle maps, on which we command our units against the enemy in real time.

Therefore, on the one hand, the music calls for a calmer accompaniment in order to relax and build up cities and push troops, but also for action-packed pieces when the armies are really going at it. In my opinion, van Dyck masters this balancing act anew with each installment and gives the soundtrack the right sound for the respective era, despite the blueprint-approach of emphasized calm and brute force. In keeping with the nature of things, there are tracks for people who enjoy relaxed music and Mediterranean guitar plucking and music for people like me, for whom the constant sound of war drums makes the testosterone shoot into the ends of their hair - you can of course also like both.

My preference becomes clear in the rating scale at the latest, where the battle tracks invariably come off better than much of the campaign map. Of course, the nostalgia card has to be played once again, because as one of my first great strategy experiences (alongside Command & Conquer 2: Tiberian Sun), Rome has a special place in my heart. I would love to give an anecdote, a special moment or simply a melody description for each track, but to discuss them all in detail would simply take too long and bore you more than it would be enjoyable. As is so often the case, the best way to do this is to listen for yourself! Get an idea, give it a go, enjoy it. Therefore, here is a short summary of the best tracks in my opinion:

• "Melee Cafe": The track that played in the trailer back then and promised the zenith of gaming when I saw the graphic opulence with the hundreds of soldiers. Today, nobody will be impressed by the technical performance, but back then it was simply state of the art. And the music still rocks with its driving rhythms.
• "Rome HQ": I had to think for a moment about when this music was played, and I'm not sure if it's the pop-up music for the start menu before you open the actual game, or during campaign selection. In both cases, it was a gateway to antiquity for me, with the simple but straightforward sounds, the oriental touches and the accentuated playing of the individual instruments.
• "Rome: Total War": The sound of the main menu. How often did I just sit there idle and clicking nothing because I wanted to hear this epic that was about to begin. Too beautiful to skip and still giving me goosebumps to this day!
• "Mayhem" & "Romantic Battle": Barbarian hordes charging out of the forest towards my Roman legions, Egyptian crescent chariots driving through the desert sands and cataphracts riding down soldiers: so many memories resonate.
• "Imperial Conflict": The music masterfully combines military order and discipline with pure battle chaos. Marching drums are supported by strings, then displaced and covered again by wind instruments. The looming conflict seems inevitable. Great!
• "The Enemy Is Near": As soon as the armies started to move, this marching music began, in which so much threat resonates, but at the same time something hopeful. Will we emerge victorious from the battle?
• "Warrior March": Like "The Enemy Is Near", it's off to battle here, but more determined, more martial. Blood will flow, the drums drive forward indefatigably, only to pause for a brief moment of suspense, of uncertainty, before it continues relentlessly, on and on.
• "Journey to Rome, Part 2": For me, the centerpiece of the soundtrack, this track was also part of many trailer montages and combines all aspects of the acoustic accompaniments. It begins with rhythmic guitar sounds, which are then complemented by brute drums, drawn-out female vocals, which in turn are drowned out by a male choir singing something in Latin - dead language my ass! The further the song progresses, the more determined and insistent it becomes. The looming conflict seems inevitable. Magnificent!
• "Forever (Credits)": The only song sung in English rather than Latin comes at the end, of course. The singer is Angela van Dyck, presumably the wife of composer Jeff van Dyck, who also sang the credits in the sequel Shogun 2: Total War as well as tracks in Medieval 2: Total War Kingdoms. A bit cheesy, a bit pathos, but I still like it - even if I can't remember hearing it in the actual game.
• "Soldier's Chant": One of my absolute favorites blasts your ears off with marching music that just screams epic. Male choirs just give everything a form of gravitas and I love it. "Moblize" is the little brother and drives me a little less, but is still beyond reproach.
• "Army of Drums" & "Intro Roman Scipii": More of the same from the way into battle, but I particularly like the brief moment of tension in the former before the rhythmic tempo is picked up again. It's fun and entertaining.

Phew, it's a bit longer than I thought. Then I'll shorten the rest of the soundtrack a bit, because it's basically relatively self-explanatory. At the bottom of my scale are what I consider to be the boring tracks, which in most cases are the pieces for the pre-battle phase - the musical calm before the storm, so to speak - in which we can place our units like in a board game. They are part of the collection, but are superfluous for the musical experience - especially in comparison to the rest of the score. But maybe that's why the rest of the tracks come off so well, because you have a direct comparison of how it could have been done.

If we go further up the scale chronologically, the tracks with 2 stars at least have melodies, but they often simply lack something flashy, something special. Tracks like "Lonely Strategos" or "Arabic Summer" are nice, but "Autumn" and "Barbarian Victory" are more exciting. The tracks that are really worth listening to come in the 4-track range. What I like about the top tracks, however, I have already explained at length.

At the end of this long road, we have completed our journey to ancient Rome, immersed ourselves in an idea of the past and listened to epic and solemn music. A march for the ears that not everyone will like. But not everyone walks the Camino de Santiago, even if many say it's worth it. And I can recommend this musical pilgrimage. By the way: if that wasn't enough antiquity for you, you can listen to the later successor Total War: Rome 2 by Richard Beddow. If, on the other hand, you are more into the Middle Ages or the Far East, you should listen to the music for Medieval 2: Total War or Shogun 2: Total War! And for a complete all-round experience, take a look at Sid Meier’s: Civilization VI.

Rome: Total War

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Journey to Rome, Part 1	Jeff van Dyck	3
02	Carthage Intro	Jeff van Dyck	1
03	Warrior March	Jeff van Dyck	5
04	Mayhem	Jeff van Dyck	5
05	Barbarian Victory	Jeff van Dyck	3
06	Rome HQ	Jeff van Dyck	5
07	Eastern Intro	Jeff van Dyck	3
08	Caesar's Nightmare	Jeff van Dyck	1
09	The Enemy Is Near	Jeff van Dyck	5
10	Imperial Conflict	Jeff van Dyck	5
11	Lost Souls	Jeff van Dyck	3
12	Egyptian Intro	Jeff van Dyck	1
13	Death Approaches	Jeff van Dyck	1
14	Divinitus	Jeff van Dyck	4
15	Contemplation	Jeff van Dyck	3
16	Drums of Doom	Jeff van Dyck	1
17	Roman Intro	Jeff van Dyck	5
18	Army of Drums	Jeff van Dyck	5
19	Melee Cafe	Jeff van Dyck	5
20	Arabs Victory	Jeff van Dyck	4
21	Autumn	Jeff van Dyck	3
22	Mobilize	Jeff van Dyck	5
23	Romantic Battle	Jeff van Dyck	5
24	Barbarian Domination	Jeff van Dyck	3
25	Arabic Winter	Jeff van Dyck	1
26	Rome: Total War	Jeff van Dyck	5
27	Greek Intro	Jeff van Dyck	3
28	Arabic Summer	Jeff van Dyck	2
29	Soldier's Chant	Jeff van Dyck	5
30	Journey to Rome, Part 2	Jeff van Dyck	5
31	Roman Celebration	Jeff van Dyck	3
32	Epic	Jeff van Dyck	4
33	Forever (Credits)	Angela van Dyck	5

Rome: Total War [Gamerip]

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Journey to Rome, Part 1*	Jeff van Dyck	3
02	Carthage Intro*	Jeff van Dyck	1
03	Warrior March*	Jeff van Dyck	5
04	Mayhem*	Jeff van Dyck	5
05	Barbarian Victory*	Jeff van Dyck	3
06	Rome HQ*	Jeff van Dyck	5
07	Intro Eastern*	Jeff van Dyck	3
08	Caesar's Nightmare*	Jeff van Dyck	1
09	Enemy Is Near*	Jeff van Dyck	5
10	Imperial Conflict*	Jeff van Dyck	5
11	Lost Souls*	Jeff van Dyck	3
12	Intro Egyptian*	Jeff van Dyck	1
13	Death Approaches*	Jeff van Dyck	1
14	Divinitus*	Jeff van Dyck	4
15	Drums of Doom*	Jeff van Dyck	1
16	Intro Roman Julii	Jeff van Dyck	2
17	Army of Drums*	Jeff van Dyck	5
18	Melee Cafe*	Jeff van Dyck	5
19	Arabs Victory*	Jeff van Dyck	4
20	Autumn*	Jeff van Dyck	3
21	Mobilize*	Jeff van Dyck	5
22	Romantic Battle*	Jeff van Dyck	5
23	Barbarian Domination*	Jeff van Dyck	3
24	Arabic Winter*	Jeff van Dyck	1
25	Rome: Total War*	Jeff van Dyck	5
26	Greek Intro*	Jeff van Dyck	3
27	Arabic Summer*	Jeff van Dyck	2
28	Soldier's Chant*	Jeff van Dyck	5
29	Journey to Rome, Part 2*	Jeff van Dyck	5
30	Roman Celebration*	Jeff van Dyck	3
31	Forever (Credits)*	Angela van Dyc	5
32	Barbarian Intro	Jeff van Dyck	2
33	Invicta	Jeff van Dyck	4
34	Lonley Strategos	Jeff van Dyck	2
35	Melancholy	Jeff van Dyck	3
36	Intro Roman Brutii	Jeff van Dyck	3
37	Roman Scipii Intro [Roman Intro]	Jeff van Dyck	5
38	Time to Kill	Jeff van Dyck	4

*Track contained in the Original Soundtrack´