The best orchestral/epic music
 

(similar to "best movie themes", but doesn't have to be movie music)

Title says it all - post your favorite orchestral/epic music. :D

Here are favourites of mine:

Undying Love by Two Steps from Hell. Probably my very favorite music track.
YouTube - Two Steps From Hell-Undying Love(Choir Extended Mix)

Interstellar by Groove Addicts.
YouTube - Groove Addicts - Interstellar

My Name is Lincoln by Steve Jablonsky. From The Island.
YouTube - Steve Jablonsky - "My Name Is Lincoln"

Like a Dog Chasing Cars by Hans Zimmer. From The Dark Knight.
YouTube - Soundtrack Song to Own: Like Dog Chasing Cars

Home, part 3 by Armand Amar. From Home.
YouTube - Armand Amar - Home OST - 03 Home Part 3

Coronation and Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin. From Civilization IV.
YouTube - Video Games Live: 05. Civilization IV [High Quality]

Believe by Immediate Music.
YouTube - Immediate Music - "Believe"

Sometimes you Lose by Inon Zur. From Crysis.
YouTube - Crysis Soundtrack - Sometimes you lose

Airfield Theme by Inon Zur and Peter Antovszkif. From Crysis: Warhead.
YouTube - Crysis Warhead Boss Fight Theme2

Fallout 3 Main Theme by Inon Zur. From Fallout 3.
YouTube - Fallout 3 Soundtrack - Main Theme

You're a Soldier Now by Steve Jablonsky. From Transformers.
YouTube - Transformers - You're A Soldier Now

Metal Gear Solid 4: Main Theme by Harry Gregson-Williams. From Metal Gear Solid 4.
YouTube - Metal Gear Solid 4: Main Theme

There are other songs by him, which I find so beautiful when I'm feeling like this :'(

Hmm, you ask for epic orchestral music. I will go classical: "Also Sprach Zarathustra", Richard Strauss.

Now of course everyone knows what the first minute of this sounds like; it's the theme from 2001 and has been overplayed to death. But that's the beginning of a much longer two-part tone poem. The second part isn't so great. But the rest of the first part - 20 minutes or so - is really freakin' good. It ends on an earth-shattering crescendo that actually outdoes the famous beginning.

Pirates of the Caribbean OST - Klaus Badelt

Isn't the PoTC OST written by Hans Zimmer?

(I should know, being a huge Zimmer fan :P)

Klaus Badelt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's what wiki says but obviously the source is unreliable.

Seems like he co-worked with a lot of composers..

Two musical minds are better than one (in most cases :P). :)

True.

Out of curiosity - what do you think of the tracks I linked to in my first post?

Interstellar - Groove Addicts was brilliant. Thinking of using it in one of my youtube videos. It's got that kind of 'awe' to it.

Completely agree with Steve Jablonsky and Hans Zimmer.

Got to listen to the rest. :)

Interstellar seems to be inspired by Steve Jablonsky's Bumblebee from the Transformers OST.

I think Interstellar is better though. :D Absolutely amazing.

If I may go the classical route too...I offer Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." Like "Also Sprach Zarathustra," it's another fairly well-known piece, but what's even better is Copland's "Symphony no. 3," which includes the fanfare within the fourth movement. The entire 45 minute-long piece is concluded with the entire orchestra quoting the fanfare in what has got to be one of the most beautifully epic moments in classical music ever, IMHO. Sadly, I can't find a good enough recording of it available on YouTube, but I would suggest listening to the entire symphony all the way through first anyways. ;)

Tangent - I took a class on Aaron Copland last Spring, and it became one of my favorite classes I've ever taken at my university.

Love this thread BTW.

Soulfly II - Soulfly

I find it amazing that Thrash metal bands, (like Soulfly here) that usualy make songs as aggresive and powerful as they can, can still deliver such calm and peaceful music like this! I could very well fall asleep to this :) Some people may think that for Metalheads it's all about noise and to be violent... but oh so you are wrong ;)

If you want epic music, you can't drift too far from the Metroid series. The boss themes there are epic.

YouTube - MP1/MP3 Meta Ridley Theme

YouTube - MP3 Gandrayda Battle Theme

YouTube - MP1 Metroid Prime Battle Theme pt2

YouTube - MP1 Flaahgra Battle Theme

YouTube - MP3 Rundus Battle Theme

I highly recommend you listen to all of these.
For those unfamiliar with the Metroid Prime series, GET IT! GET IT!

Edit: Oh, and Eltu, the Airfield Theme for Crysis: Warhead is one of the best I've ever heard in a game. Congrats to the composer.

The most scaringly inflencing soundtrack I've ever heard in my life...

The Diablo Soundtrack! (first one ofc)

You can imagine listening to this while walking around in dark narrow caves deep beneath the ground where countless of flesh eating fire breathing minotaurs just waits till they can get to kill you!
This sh*t fcked me up as child when I watched my big brother play it :S


I have just no idea how, but the composer for Diablo really found the fixation for true insane/crazy/evil music...







The other songs are from when you're in the "real" phase of the game, down in the crypts and catacombs. This is more of a scary approach of music I think, and it works VERY good :)

YouTube - Diablo catacombs music

YouTube - Diablo Hells theme

YouTube - Diablo dungeon music

YouTube - Diablo Hells theme

YouTube - Diablo caves music

EPIC music indeed ;)