Hans Zimmer dropped the most popular single of the fall (in certain very small circles) by revealing the main theme Dragon Age: The Veil Guard up official YouTube channel yesterday. And today, the track is available to stream on “all major music services,” according to a press release from BioWare confirming that Zimmer composed the entire thing. Veil Guard‘s soundtrack featuring frequent collaborator Lorne Balfe.
The main theme itself is driving, ominous and repetitive (you think it’s menu music). But, as the featured track shows, the melody is flexible enough to remain clear through changes in instrumentation and major and minor keys, a must to tickle players’ hearts during crucial moments. It’s not the First piece by Zimmer and Balfe Veil Guard however, trying to reach the public.
That honor would go to a creepy number hidden within Dragon Age selections from the video game soundtracka box set with four vinyl records with music from the Dragon Age games that BioWare released last May. Hidden at the end of a disc with music composed for DLC Dragon Age: Origins And Dragon Age: Inquisition is “Read Koda”, a fast, atmospheric soundscape credited to Zimmer and Balfe. D’read Koda may mean something in one of the various Dragon Age fantasy languages, but it could just as easily be a pun on “Dreadwolf” (the name Veil Guard that passed at the time) and ‘coda’ (the musical term for, essentially, the bit at the end).
According to BioWare’s press release, fans can pre-order the official Veil Guard soundtrack from October 18 on iTunes and Amazon Music. The album will be released on November 1, one day after the October 31 release Dragon Age: The Veil Guard yourself.