Warcraft - The Humans Dignified (Patreon)

And now for something from an American game. I've always felt that in the warcraft games (not sure about WoW as I haven't played that), the in-game graphics and the beautiful CG cinematics clash in tone. One is light-hearted and at times silly, while the other is dark and ominous. However, I felt the Warcraft II menu music to me captures the spirit of both the CG and the gameplay visuals perfectly. They should use this theme in every game.

The menu music overall sounds like it is an intro to something greater. This is perfect for the title screen, where the player is eager to jump into the gameplay. To develop the theme further, though, I used the Blackrock and Roll music from Warcraft III to flesh the piece out. I always thought the two would mesh well together with the latter's heroic melody supported by the former's battle rhythm. If the menu music describes the humans preparing for war, then Blackrock and Roll is them marching out into battle. I kept the arrangement relatively similar, and I added the bass drum to sell the savage ferocity of fighting the barbaric orcs. Finally, to round out the piece, I extended the melody with a more emotional motif, painting humanity's last stand against impending doom. I used a generous helping of horns and vocals to augment the majesty of the human race. Heroes will rise, and souls will be corrupted.