Although original Destiny composer Marty O’Donnell was fired from Bungie in 2014, his collaborator Michael Salvatori was still involved in Destiny 2‘s soundtrack, and it’s evident from the opening notes of the very first song. With booming horns and a somber, melancholy tone, it sounds like the calm before the storm — perhaps the music to listen to just before you head into a huge battle.
The 13th track, Red Legion, is another standout, with a heavy drum beat and deep horns that reminds us of the Death Mountain music from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Given the enormous size of the Cabal enemies in the game, its lumbering, weighty sound seems like a perfect fit. Dominus Ghaul’s own theme song, the 30th track, is even more menacing, with strings and drums moving at a breakneck pace. Hopefully the baddie is formidable enough to actually deserve such intense background music.
It certainly looks like Bungie is focusing on Destiny 2‘s narrative more than it did in the original game, with the online Grimoire cards replaced with more direct storytelling. The game’s first campaign mission is much more cinematic and exciting than anything in 2014’s game, and its multiplayer modes seem to keep pace, as well.
While we love the direction Bungie has taken Destiny 2‘s music in, we’ll always have a soft spot in our heart for Marty O’Donnell. After his firing, O’Donnell won a lawsuit against Bungie for unpaid wages as well as company shares, and he opened the game studio Highwire Games to develop the PlayStation VR title Golem. In addition to O’Donnell’s music, the team includes designer Jaime Griesemer, who previously worked on the Halo series and Destiny.
Destiny 2 is available now, except for PC players. That version will arrive on October 24. If you want to purchase the soundtrack, it’s also available on Bungie’s store.
