Dragons, dragons everywhere… This instrumental orchestral piece perfectly captures the feeling of charging through the Equestrian Dragonlands. Every string and wind instrument along with the powerful percussion melds together to form something that’d fit perfectly in an RPG game. I’m not the only one who wants an MLP RPG game, right?
Orchestral
Marcus Warner – Reprise | EP | Orchestral
The artist formerly known as Evening Star has returned under his real name, Marcus Warner. As a thank you to the fans who’ve been there for him since day one as well as a tribute to the show itself, he’s put together Reprise, an EP full of ES tracks from way back then, remastered and reimagined in an epic orchestral style. Along with him are a number of guest vocalists and musicians, such as Brione Jackson, who provides live cello to the tracks Octavia and To Build an Army, and Rory Sherman, who in addition to taking part in choir vocals across the EP, also shows off his skills with the flute. In terms of stand out tracks, Starswirl the Bearded definitely hits a high note with its strong atmosphere crafted by a dark choir alongside a viola before building up to add punchy drums and plenty of epic string progressions to top it off. Land of Equestria – the EP’s closer and sole lyrical track – was originally produced a year ago and features fandom musicians Silver Note and Sterling Fusion on vocals. Now it’s back, and with a new beautiful orchestral coat of paint. This EP is nothing short of amazing, and a beautiful way to pay tribute to the show that brought us all together and will continue to inspire. Thanks for the memories, Marcus!
Night Blaze – Free Again | Orchestral
For whatever reason, this track feels inspiring. Maybe it’s the up-beat instrumental, or maybe it’s the fact that, even with the show being over, the community will never stop making masterpieces like this one. Or hey, maybe it’s both. This track’s pretty relaxing to listen to with it’s incredible instrumental music, complete with drums and a whole bunch of other stuff!
Jyc Row – The Changeling Queen (feat. Maria Grigoryeva) | Orchestral
Jyc Row’s latest EP Legion is finally here, and this is just the beginning. Joining him on this track is violinist Maria Grigoryeva, whose musicianship really helps complete this epic piece about the changeling queen herself. Jyc is known for his orchestral mastery, but when joined with another musician in this field, whatever comes out is guaranteed to be amazing. Be sure to check out Legion on Bandcamp and buy a CD if you can!
Alexey Kotlyar – Twidance | Orchestral / Soundtrack
A very cute track from Alexey, this Twilight-themed Orchestral beauty also has some Soundtrack vibes, as it would make such a fine BGM to have playing during a light-hearted, “Twilight being cute” scene in some RPG game. The various instruments and the melodies are paying much tribute to Twilight and “Twidance” is such an apt name for this song!
Frozen Night – Thorn of The Frozen Star | Album | Orchestral / Metal
Breathtaking, astonishing, mesmerizing. The superlatives are lacking to describe this majestic album.
If you decide to embark on this journey Frozen Night has crafted for us, you will be hearing the incredible fusion of orchestral and metal we know and love him for. Half of the tracks include gorgeous lyrics sung by the equally gorgeous voice of Velvet R. Wings.
Each piece is a chapter of a well thought-out story which you will be able to discover in the document that comes with the album, along artwork accompanying every track and detailed explanations. It tells the tale of a kirin trying to save her kin from a looming threat of olden times. Zenith is about an epic fight between the protagonist and her nemesis, told with creative sound design exploring different electronic elements, all while empowering Velvet’s extraordinary operatic singing. Thorn of The Frozen Star creates spellbinding soundscapes throughout the track which has multiple phases including ones of respite with heartbreaking melodic percussion and the absolutely stunning climax with the guitars and strings working in unison to create a memorable experience. The album closes on a beautifully emotional ethereal piece centered around a piano and strings.
Together with Radiarc they coordinated their respective album releases to be simultaneous, and you should check out Radiarc’s album too, and remember physical copies of Thorn of The Frozen Star are available!
John Doe – Stroll | Soundtrack
John Doe returns to the soundtrack fold with the 2nd track from the recently released EP, White Tail Park. Keeping in spirit with Legends Of Equestria’s themes, this song primarily uses string and wind instruments you’d find in a typical orchestra. The general feeling of the song is calm and steady, with the faint sound of birds chirping to further fuel the atmosphere of taking a walk outside. Halfway through sees the addition of a wooden-sounding xylophone, which gives a sense of adventure. A great addition to an already great game!
Night Blaze – New Day | Orchestral / Soundtrack
A piece as gorgeous as a sundawn or a moondawn, New Day is Night Blaze’s tribute to the two sisters, as well as a musical take on their backstory. An epic, intense, deep and uplifting composition is brought forth along the progression of the track, and it’s just so wonderful to listen to while thinking about the topic some more!
N4ghtwolf – Artificial Madness (feat. Liv & Learn) | Hybrid Orchestral
N4ghtwolf is back again with an impressive piece featuring vocals from Liv & Learn. The dark story it tells can be heard both in the instrumentation with a variety of strings and an organ, mixed with more electronic components, as well as in the grim lyrics. The concept-driven piece carries heavy emotions throughout, and definitely manages to convey the creepy feels in the atmosphere crafted in the story.
Rarity Advocate – Passacaglia | Orchestral
Matching the beautiful artwork of stargazing Rarity with a breathtaking composition on the organ of 12 minutes, Rarity Advocate definitely had another marvelous idea with this new track, that is very unique! We don’t get such pieces focused on the organ often in the community, and the soothing vibes from the sounds are definitely a wonderful accompaniment to the artwork!
Horse Music Herald 