Amon Tobin - Chaos Theory

It's hard to know what to expect from a video game soundtrack consisting of original music. The standard game soundtrack usually features a compilation of existing music from marquee names. Whereas, original scores are hit or miss; the score either works as a unique vision, reinforcing of the subject matter and visuals, or just serves as meaningless but aurally pleasing background sounds. Chaos Theory, the soundtrack to the latest version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series, features ten original compositions explicitly for the game. Tobin's layered soundscapes naturally evoke cinematic visuals. Despite the usual downfalls that usually mar original scores, Tobin's music has been waiting for such a use. Throughout Chaos Theory, Tobin weaves jazzy breaks and orchestral layering to achieve a dark, nightmarish backdrop for the various segments of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. From the opener, "The Lighthouse," to the "The Clean Up," Tobin showcases trademark arrangements of organic elements, from flute to mellotron and everything in between. As with any Tobin composition, the beats are frantic, ebbing and flowing through waves of cut-up sampling and sonic washes of noise. Without experiencing Chaos Theory cranked through a Dolby 5.1 surround sound system while playing the game of the same name, it is hard to imagine the full effect of the soundtrack. Nevertheless, Amon Tobin not only composed a video game score, he also created a set of songs that can stand alone as an album. [www.amontobin.com]