Nothing perks up a Friday like some wholesome battle-to-the-death music. Here’s some Mideastern-styled combat score from Empire Earth 3. This cue features hand percussion, snarling brass, and a few “extras” for color. (The cello routed through a guitar amplifier is not, strictly speaking, traditional Mideastern instrumentation.)

This week’s selection is a marimba-driven blend of percussion instruments, some real and some more fanciful.

The week’s cue is a bit of adventurous derring-do from the WW2 aerial combat game Jane’s Attack Squadron.

The bassoon is a lyrical and versatile instrument, but many times is relegated to music with a comedic or clownish character. This cue is one of those times.

This choral/orchestral piece accompanies a cutscene in the game Empire Earth 2 wherein the historical Knights Templar are cast in an ominous light. The lyrics are a twisted take on the familiar Kyrie Eleison: while the chorus starts with the conventional words, the basses and tenors switch to Ohi Eleison, meaning “No Mercy”.

One fun thing film composers get to do is use instrumentation to give a signature sound to a colorful character. The 2006 feature film Siren was your classic let’s-make-a-band type movie. When I set out to write a theme for the laid back, smooth-talking bass player, I picked instrumentation that fit his personality: slide guitar, finger snaps, and two electric basses. Fun ensued.

(Slide guitar and bass performances courtesy of the inimitable Tom Strahle.)