This product is an MP3 audio file of a song called Lonesome October Nights. According to the information accompanying the download, it was originally part of a CD soundtrack for an independent Call of Cthulhu-inspired film entitled The Charnal Gospel. The original CD has apparently sold out, and the company has decided to release individual tracks for download via RPGNow. For a roleplaying gamer, these songs are meant to be used as genre specific background music, helping to set the atmosphere for a roleplaying game session.
Lonesome October Nights is 1 minute and 30 seconds long. It begins with an ominous rumble, accompanied by a rapid, insectoid screeching. As the screeching fades and the rumble builds, a soft chiming rhythm begins. It is reminiscent of the Tubular Bells theme from the Exorcist, only slower, quieter, and more suppressed. As the song progresses to the end, the sounds grow in volume and begin to blend together, rising in volume until finally fading out at the end.
Whew! I now know why I'm not a staff reviewer on an independent music website. Music may be a universal language, but it sure is hard to describe. To put things into less abstract terms, Lonesome October Nights is good background music. What little recognizable tune it has is very brief and highly muted. That's a good thing, as you don't want your players humming along with the music while they're battling the minions of Hastur. Background music should stay firmly in the background.
Lonesome October Nights is also creepy, which is the whole point of the composition. Relating it to Call of Cthulhu, it immediately reminded me of the Insects from Shaggai. The industrial buzzing, building to a noisy crescendo, brought to mind a number of other creepy images as well. Which leads me to the other use of RPG background music: gamemaster inspiration. There are certain songs that I like to listen to when I'm writing up a new adventure. They help get me in the mindset to imagine scenes of great cinematic action, or crawling shadowy dread, or whatever is appropriate to the genre I'm working in. Cthulhu-like horror music is a little harder to find, which makes a product like this one a welcome addition to any RPG soundtrack.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Lonesome October Nights is a good addition to any horror themed music library. It is very mood setting and well produced, and subdued enough that it stays in the background. If you use music in your games, or you'd like to begin amassing a collection, this is a nice piece to grab.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: At only a minute and a half, I thought the song was a bit short. It also doesn't really loop very well, as the end of the song clashes a bit with the beginning. Background music needs to play continuously in the background, and Lonesome October Nights barely lasts long enough for a few rounds of an encounter. I'm afraid that, by the time the GM begins setting the scene, the CD will have moved on to the next track. If the track looped with itself and was longer, I think it would better serve its purpose.
That said, it's a nice little piece of ambient horror music, and I'm interested to hear the rest of the CD.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>
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