Grand Adventure Awaits /// Music Monday #42

Yep, it's that time once again!

Prepare thine ears, for today we listen to . . .

"Stronger Faster Braver" from the Two Steps From Hell album Battlecry

Composed by Thomas Bergersen

Okay, so I know that TSFH has a ton--and I do mean a TON--of awesome songs. They're so good that I can recognize them by their musical style. But this one has stuck out to me, and I have to say, it's one of my favorites.

There's something about the piano melody at the beginning that lets you know something great is gonna go down. Then that flute (or whatever the wind instrument they used is) kicks in, adding to that feathery tone. And suddenly, wham, we're hit by the other parts of the orchestra with some electronic elements in the background.

Oh, and that electric guitar halfway through? Can't think of a better use for it. Seriously, were do Thomas and Nick come up with these amazing songs? If I could have them compose the soundtracks for my books, I'd jump on that opportunity in a heartbeat. They know how to do a wide variety of emotions through their music.

Today's song is special to me, though. Why's that? I'm using it as the main theme for Shattered, the first book in the revamped Portal Chronicles trilogy that I'm working on. It fits the tone of a grand and epic adventure, fraught with danger and filled with intrigue. Heroes will rise up to the challenge in a world both beautiful and dangerous to save the innocent from annihilation. There will be moments of joy mixed in with buckets of heartache and agony. But there's something more than that, something that I think the track hits perfectly.

The three teens, the main characters--my boys--may not make it home. They may never see their families again, forced out of everything they knew into a land where they'll do what even grown men might not. And so it is with heavy hearts, in the midst of all that comes with perilous quests, that they reflect on Earth, their past lives, and their loved ones. Nothing but death seems certain, and they can only hope and pray that perhaps they will step foot on their beloved planet once more.

That is an emotion that the song encompasses with excellence. Even just writing this with the music in the background sends my gut into turmoil. I do not look forward to the day that I must say goodbye to these characters, but I know I'll have to at some point. It fills me with an ache that only other writers, readers, and even many gamers will understand: the pain of writing that last word, closing that book, completing that game, and parting ways with characters you felt connected to.

If nothing else, this song will always remind me of my brave boys.

Thanks for reading my ramble. I hope you enjoyed the song just as much as I do. Any thoughts on it? Do you have favorite TSFH songs, or even a favorite album? (Mine is Battlecry, by the way.)