Sophia Michaels
After an excruciating four-year wait, Ragnarök is nearly upon us. Releasing for PlayStation 4 and 5 on Nov. 9, the latest entry of the God of War franchise sees the return of demigod Kratos and his son Atreus (a.k.a. the half-giant Loki). Following the events of 2018’s God of War — something of a soft reboot for the series — the duo find themselves braving the colds of Fimbulwinter on a mission to prevent Ragnarök, the prophesied end of days at which they find themselves the center. Along the way, they face opposition from a pantheon of angry Norse gods like Thor and Odin. You may have heard of them.
The game’s narrative promises to be a sweeping fantasy epic and much of that will be depend on a powerhouse orchestral score. That’s where award-winning composer Bear McCreary enters the fray. McCreary is no stranger to scoring fantasy epics; his work can be heard on Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as well as Hollywood monster-flick colossi 10 Cloverfield Lane and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. He broke onto the big with an iconic score for Ronald D. Moore’s reimagining of Battlestar Galactica (so say we all) and even crafted the theme for the unkillable cultural behemoth that is AMC’s The Walking Dead.
McCreary composed the score for God of War (2018), for which he earned massive acclaim as well as both BAFTA and D.I.C.E. awards. But scoring this game was no small task — Ragnarök isn’t just an epic, it’s billed as the conclusion to the “Norse saga” for the series (following the original “Greek saga”) and everyone knows that a finale this big is going to require both bombastic and heart-wrenching symphonies.
And symphonies there are. During a live interview on our Twitch channel, McCreary himself premiered two of the biggest tracks from the upcoming soundtrack. Check out both tracks and the details below.
“God of War Ragnarök” – Bear McCreary
The first track, “God of War Ragnarök,” is the main theme for the game. Beginning with a heavy Gregorian chant and erupting in a swell, it evokes much from the 2018 theme as a fitting kick off for the end of days.
“Svartalfheim” – Bear McCreary ft. Eivør
The second track, “Svartalheim,” is from a region new to the game. Previously teased in the 2018 title, it’s one of the Nine Realms and home to the dwarves, who may play an essential role in the story this time around. Notably, this marks the reunion of McCreary and Faroese singer Eivør, with whom he collaborated on the first game’s score in some of its most haunting tracks.
To watch the full interview with composer Bear McCreary, check out our Twitch channel. Follow us to be part of the chat and participate in live Q&As, gaming events, and more. Tune-in weekdays from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. for all things music news, gaming coverage, and more. And to keep the conversation going 24/7, join the Discord.
