The Best Halo Soundtrack?

[Ranger Intel]

Sure this is down to opinion, but which Halo Soundtrack do you believe is the best? I only recently began paying more attention to the music in each different game, and there's some nostalgia behind them all. Some of them are powerful, well-composed pieces that really define Halo, and war all together.

 

Please vote for your favourite album in the poll. Also feel free to share your thoughts on each track and any favourites you have. Thank you.

 

Edit: I am referring to the full albums, not an individual track.

Edited December 11, 2017 by UNSC Spartan II

[Maestro]

I definitely think that Halo 5's soundtrack is a contender for the best soundtrack in the series, with many tracks giving the player an adrenaline rush or making them feel tense, as Halo games tend to do. It also combines memorable songs from the original trilogy, giving veterans a sense of nostalgia, and blends it with some tracks from Halo 4 (also while making them sound nostalgic somehow, even though Halo 4's only three years old), giving certain moments throughout the campaign a mix of the old and the new. The 14th mission puts this contrasting effect to great use.

However, Halo 5 tends to repeat tracks much like Halo Reach and its repetitive drumming tracks. However, unlike Halo Reach's drums, the songs that Halo 5 repeats seem to fit in a variety of moods and situations, and just sound pretty good overall. A good example of this is Osiris Suite Act 4. You will hear parts of that song many times throughout the campaign, but it fits the mood when it plays.

[Axilus Prime]

Very hard to decide. As Maestro said, Halo 5, for all the reasons he outlined, makes a good case for being the best one. Halo 3 has some of the best music as well though. I'd give it to 5 if I had to pick one with a Jackal sniper aiming at me, though how much of that is due to it being new, I can't say. Listen to any song enough times and it won't feel as powerful. It definitely has a wonderful mix of old and new though, with all of it (that you can noticeably hear in game anyway) good.

[I_Make_Big_Boom]

I think Halo 2 / Anniversary takes the cake for me. Halo 3 and 5 are close behind. 2 just has an atmosphere that is abysmally deep, and it's easy for me to get lost in the music.

 

3's was a little less so, and was geared more towards iconic tunes, and themes as well as building on the foundation that Halo 2 created. It still does not have the same atmosphere as 2.

 

5's music is like 343 throwing you into a blender. It's racy, epic, and brutal. It's meant to get your heart pumping. Not too elegant like 2 or 3. Also, there's ALLOT going on, and personally I don't like the compression all too much. Still, those trumpets man.

[Caboose The Ace]

Its either between Halo 3 or Halo 5 but overall I'd have to give it to Halo 5 if only slightly simple because it has this wonderful piece in it.

 

< This is probably my favourite soundtrack in Halo history. Edited December 24, 2015 by Caboose The Ace

[RedStarRocket91]

Surprisingly, I have to say Halo 5. For all I really dislike very large parts of it, the OST is absolutely phenomenal - it feels like a perfect blend of new material and throwbacks to the older games, and I really love the way they've managed to get something which feels so fresh and exciting in terms of music but which also manages to evoke a sense of the rest of the series, too. In particular, 'The Trials' is just a perfect example of music done well - it feels like it's drawing on every single one of the great Halo tracks over the years, and it's so well done you could put it in just about any moment from any Halo game and it would feel appropriate.

 

[Guts]

Well I'll give a quick rundown of my opinion:

 

 

Halo CE: In the original game, you couldn't hear it at all and even when it was remastered and audible it was just boring.

 

Halo 2: Same as Halo CE, could never hear it in the classic game so much so that I thought there was none. And when it was remastered, boring and brand and hard to hear still.

 

Halo 3: Finally an OST which was audible. Had great tracks which tied in with was happening to add atmosphere but very easily ignored.

 

Halo 3: ODST: Just no. This game was bad in every aspect. Boring and bland.

 

Halo Wars: Hated the game and the music. If it wasn't boring enough it taunted you with that stupid music.

 

Halo Reach: Same with Halo 4, boring and bland. Have to give it to Bungie, they made the game the same as the music.

 

Halo Spartan Assault: Nope. So easily ignored.

 

Halo Spartan Strike: Unbelievably ignorable.

 

Halo 4: I don't even know if this game had a soundtrack. I finally got around to listening to it but no, wasn't very interesting.

 

Halo 5: Guardians: It is easily ignored like the others but it's always there making you listen to it. Once you ignore it, it comes back to you a minute later. The music itself was just nice to listen to, but not love.

 

 

So that's why I have to go with Halo 5.

[Ranger Intel]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I personally really like '117' from Halo 4, possibly the best from it's album. I also prefer 'The Trials' to 'Blue Team' in Halo 5's album, mainly because it's less repetitive and felt more engaging. I also think that the remastered Halo 2 soundtracks were actually not as good as the original.

 

 

It seems as if Halo 2 and Halo 5 are the best-composed games, and that is something I can agree with. I'd definitely put Halo 3 and Halo 4 up as second place.

 

Here's this dilemma: Some albums have one track that's better than most others, but it's not as well rounded as the others, and vice versa. It's like there isn't one album full of great songs, but again, all down to opinion. For one 'perfect' Halo album, we'd probably have to combine songs from various different games.

 

After reading your replies, I am more confident in an album to invest in if I ever choose to purchase one. Please feel free to continue discussing your thoughts.

[Dark_Avenger]

In my opinion I believe that halo 2 is the the candidate for being one of the best soundtracks out there. Halo combat evolved was just not feeling like halo yet, Marines were weak, elites looked like crayola crayons. And the only race that looked normal were the grunts. But as soon as we got to halo 2 everything looked amazing, it felt like an actual halo games with that music. The music brought the battles to come alive with amazing graphics and design. The music in halo just put the mood right.

[I_Make_Big_Boom]

Had to post since my views changed. Who'da thunk.

 

I've never really payed attention to ODST until now, which I'm kicking myself for. Very underrated. Found some sweet tunes. Love the noir aspect, and that distinct gloom. I'm a sucker for that.

 

H2 / A is great and all, but that feeling of incompleteness drags it down not only allowing 3 to eclipse it, but overtake it as well. Pretty obvious why. It is the crown jewel of the Halo Trilogy when it comes to OSTs. Hell, I'd argue it's the best in the franchise. I played, and listened to 3 religiously so I fail to ascertain the reason why it fell so out of favor with me. Not anymore.

 

Then I returned to 5 discovering that the compression I mentioned before is on a worse scale than previously thought. Convoluted, and too haphazard. 5's great and all music-wise, but it's far from being top-dog. Maybe a step up from 4, but not contender for the crown. And what annoys me the most is that unsatisfactory motifs get the spotlight, but other "cooler" snippets that have caught my fancy are not. Like the droning heard at the beginning of Battle of Sunaion. The track it originates from sets it then forgets it. Favorite snippet out of the entire OST, and it ends up forgotten, and underutilized.

 

Now Reach... dunno. I really love the main theme, but everything else ends up leaving me feeling... bored. Still alright. I'll need to listen more intently.

 

So the new list is 3 > ODST > H2A / 2 > 5 >?< Reach.

[Cyan Cardigan]

I guess its all down to interpretation but I truly believe the ODST soundtrack is the best by far.

I mean, it just really struck home and did its intended job well. The pieces provoked loneliness within the night ruins of New Mombassa when you're journeying around by your lonesome. As well as throwing spine tingling guitar riffs in when being combatted by the daunting covenant masses as required.

The other soundtracks just seemed too much like each other (excluding 4 and 5 of course, considering there was a changeup of the musics composer).

10/10 would listen again.

[rrhuntington]

The Soundtracks of Halo have always been one of my favorite parts of the Series itself. I've never actually found a soundtrack I've disliked from Halo. (barring the Top Down Shooters, I just don't remember the music of Spartan assault.)

 

Halo CE Set the Standard with the Drums and the Fast paced Orchestra and Ho Hums, setting the Style of Marty for years to come. Covenant Dance, The Classic Halo Theme, and one of my Personal Favorites: Under the Cover of Night. Oh what a song.

 

Halo 2 took it a step further adding Guitars and Outside Music (I.E Breaking Benjamin) for sections of the game, and adding more tracks that Fit the overall theme of what we would know to be "Halo Music". It also gave us Peril, In amber clad, Ghosts of Reach, and Heavy Price paid. Seriously, why have we never heard Heavy Price Paid in any other Halo Game?! It's Criminal.

 

Halo 3 took a lot of tracks from the previous 2 games, updating them and inserting them in different ways. I hardly notice new tracks in Halo 3 until getting to "The Ark". The Music for this Level and the Covenant are absolutely Top Tier and step it up a notch. One final Effort sends us out with a Bang and the Hillside Memorial cutscene music is just a beautiful send off. And Never Forget "Never Forget", Such a Beautiful Track that I think it's best iteration is in Halo 3.

 

Halo Wars has a sweet spot for me, because the Music was always playing in the Hundreds of Private matches I took part in with my friends years ago. Calming For the Buildup of your units and fitting with Halo, and then into an explosion of Action music as your unit's collide with your enemies. I think Halo Wars got it 100% right. As a spin-off, it's music gave it it's own vibe, while also sounding extremely like what I'd expect to hear in a Halo game.

 

ODST is just awesome. Deference to Darkness is one of my Favorite Tracks in all of Halo. Fitting in with the Lonely feel of the Mombassa Streets, it absolutely sucks you in to it's Ambiance. When they also let the Guitar Rip in ODST's OST, THEY LET IT RIP! Traffic Jam and Skyline get me Pumped. I hold this one in High Regard.

 

Halo Reach, I do admit I'm not the biggest fan of this soundtrack. Sounding more Heavy and Militaristic, it fits the game well, but I'm just not a huge fan of the sound. Some of the game's slower tracks though I like much more. I'll be looking at this soundtrack again in the coming weeks.

 

Halo 4. This is the game that deviated from the course drastically and Had everyone saying "it doesn't sound like Halo". Well yea. Reach was Marty's last Halo Title, and Neil Davidge had come in. So, Brand new sound was (or should have been) expected. After listening to these tracks again, I have my favorite's and some that sound like Halo, at least to me. Solace and Legacy come to Mind, and 117 and Green and Blue stand out on their own. In short, I like Halo 4's. I don't think its as great as the First 3, but Definitely good.

 

I won't go into too much about MCC, just because it's mostly all the same tracks. But one I will point out, Follow in Flight. Not a Halo Song, but damn is it good.

 

And Finally Halo 5. I think it's the same thing with Halo 4 for me really. There are tracks that are like Halo 4, but many tracks that bring you back to that Classic Halo Sound. Osiris Suite 4 (Which eventually I realized had a redone Ghost of Reach thrown in), Blue Team, Light is Green, and The Trials come to mind as my favorite tracks from this game. Kazuma Jinnouchi did a Fantastic job in this game taking over after Neil Davidge.

 

One thing I do miss from Halo games is quieter battle music. I know that sounds weird, but if you look at the first 3 games compared to 4 and 5, the Music during some battle sequences was more Cool and Calculated. In 4 and 5 it's Roaring and in your face. I don't need that EVERYTIME I'm fighting. Some Chill music when I'm just passively killing Covenant would be appreciated.

 

It's Hard to Rank these But here's my Shot: 3 > ODST > 2 > 1 > Wars > 5 > 4 > Reach. Whew, Long post, but I love talking about the music of Halo.

Edited May 21, 2016 by DMinion4

[PHIL0S0PHY]

I think Halo 3 has the best soundtrack to me because it has the best songs from CE and 2, and has great ones as well

[Bornstellarx]

I have to go with Halo CE because that original soundtrack just gets you so pumped up. There are parts like on Reconciliation where you take down a whole haven of covenant, the soundtrack comes on as you have just bossed it and you just roll with the momentum. It feels Awesome.  

[The Ragin Pagan]

I definitely think that Halo 5's soundtrack is a contender for the best soundtrack in the series, with many tracks giving the player an adrenaline rush or making them feel tense, as Halo games tend to do. It also combines memorable songs from the original trilogy, giving veterans a sense of nostalgia, and blends it with some tracks from Halo 4 (also while making them sound nostalgic somehow, even though Halo 4's only three years old), giving certain moments throughout the campaign a mix of the old and the new. The 14th mission puts this contrasting effect to great use.

However, Halo 5 tends to repeat tracks much like Halo Reach and its repetitive drumming tracks. However, unlike Halo Reach's drums, the songs that Halo 5 repeats seem to fit in a variety of moods and situations, and just sound pretty good overall. A good example of this is Osiris Suite Act 4. You will hear parts of that song many times throughout the campaign, but it fits the mood when it plays.

 

Pretty much all of this; I could not have said it better. How the OST blends the new and the old (The Trials, for example) is masterfully done, as well as giving the Sangheili a cultural theme through the various tracks of Sanghelios. (I also am of the opinion that while Marty was a good composer, a lot of his Halo stuff was... samey. At times, I have to check and see which track of which OST is playing on my playlist, as a lot of tracks from Halo: CE, Halo 2, and even Halo 3 sound very much alike, if not identical.)