Kingdom Eighties Summer of Greed – Original Score by Andreas Hald Vinyl Review 💿📀 #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

I do enjoy diving into a soundtrack for a game that I have no context for, having covered Raw Fury’s previous OST Cassette Beasts – a game I was very familiar with – Kingdom Eighties is a game that I was aware of, but hadn’t yet played.

Written and performed by Denmark-based composer Andreas Hald, This soundtrack hurtled at me out of nowhere to become a real favourite due to the world conjured up by the rich production, emotive compositions and powerful melodies. There’s so much to take in here, with echoes of some of my favourite albums through the years from the wonderful, alien oddities of Chase Bethea’s work on Aground, through the wide-eyed synth innocence of Salvinsky’s Narita Boy, the cyberpunk expanse of Encodya, to name a few that come to mind – all popping with the expertise mastering at the hands of Adam Ayan at gateway Mastering Studios, a huge high-five especially in this regard as the album is so clear and bright, it makes for a glorious listening experience and completely brings the music to life.

Of course, as saucy as the album is, this is a physical release – and the presentation is also top-notch. The double album comes in a glossy gatefold sleeve, with artwork featuring our protagonists parked up on BMX’s (obvs) as shadowy figures lurk in the darkness behind them, the rear of the album shows the same four characters rocking out with instruments – a keytar among them, natch – with the forty-song track listing surrounding them.

It’s a very sleek and stylish album cover with the glossy sheen really making it stand out. Inside the gatefold a comic panel shows a character overhearing his parents arguing before leaving home on his bike for some air, it’s a great and simple scene-setting idea – one that makes us feel like we are riding with him, listening to the soundtrack of his night ride. Each of the two neon pink records are ensconced in sleeves that feature in-game, extremely detailed pixel artwork. There is also a fold-out full colour poster of the album artwork included, as well as a full-size, four-page booklet that contains words from the game director Gordon Van Dyke, as well as comments from composer Andreas Hald. I always appreciate these inclusions, as the commentary from those involved often adds nuance and context to the listening experience, enriching it.

I have to say that so far, Raw Fury have an incredible knack of releasing great soundtracks that are packaged and presented in an extremely high-quality way. As a physical product, this is faultless, and the visuals and extras all add up to a vinyl OST that emboldens the music that is the heart of the release.

The soundtrack itself consists of forty tracks split over four sides, with 10 featured on each side, and what a soundtrack it is! Andreas Hald manages to take us on an incredible aural journey that seamlessly weaves from wide-eyed teenaged innocence through epic jams, zoned-out ambient works and tension-fuelled passages, all in a harmony that feels well-balanced, never leaning too far one way at the cost of the other. As I listened, I was always entranced by the tracks and never felt that some were out of place, there aren’t any crazy boss themes or tawdry ballads (the album is purely instrumental), what we are treated to here are well-honed tracks that feel perfected and crafted, capturing many aspects of the emotional spectrum, but never in an overbearing or signposted fashion. Some tracks had a keening sense of loss or hope about them whilst others were energetic celebrations, but these slot in just as well with more contemplative, ambient moments, or cool cyberpunk jams with glassy, laser-like synth. In essence, it captures that romanticised view of the ‘80s that so many have, without feeling churlish or sentimental.

SUMMARY

This is a fantastic package, and a soundtrack that revels in an easy coolness that is crafted with pure skill from composer Andreas Hald that delivers incredibly emotional moments wordlessly and seemingly effortlessly - a highlight of the year for us here at GF!

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From the Music on Vinyl website:

• 180 gram audiophile vinyl

• Gatefold sleeve with gloss laminate finish

• Includes two printed innersleeves, videogame poster and 4-page booklet with liner notes by the composer and game director

• Soundtrack to the latest, 80s inspired videogame instalment in the Award-winning Kingdom franchise by Raw Fury

• Score produced by Andreas Hald & mastered by Grammy Award-winner Adam Ayan

• Limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on translucent magenta coloured vinyl

Kingdom Eighties is the latest videogame instalment in the award-winning Kingdom series by gaming studio Raw Fury. It's a single-player adventure game of micro-strategy and base building, heavily inspired by the memories and references of Eighties Americana. You play as The Leader, a young camp counsellor who will have to defend their town and family from the relentless attack of the mysterious Greed. Kingdom Eighties provides a minimalist feel with a beautiful, handcrafted modern pixel art aesthetic, combined with the neon lights of the Eighties and an Eighties inspired synthwave soundtrack.

The score is composed by Andreas Hald, a Copenhagen-based film and media composer who has written scores for movies and television. For Kingdom Eighties, Andreas used the exact same instruments that music producers were utilizing in the Eighties, using nothing but analogue gear and tools to create a signature, authentic Eighties sound. To top it off, the soundtrack was mastered for vinyl by Grammy Award-winner Adam Ayan at the Gateway Mastering Studios. The master audio went through multiple iterations to make sure the highest quality sound was obtained for this specific vinyl release.

Kingdom Eighties is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on translucent magenta coloured vinyl. This 2LP set includes a poster of the game and a 4-page booklet with liner notes by the composer and game director. Additionally, it includes two full colour printed innersleeves and is housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with gloss laminate finish.

SIDE A

1. NEW LANDS MALL

2. CAMP KINGDOM

3. OPAQUE

4. EVOQUE

5. IT'S OUT THERE

6. HERO

7. TANGERINE FANTASY

8. SUBURBIA

9. AUGURY

10. MARBLES

SIDE B

1. WARP

2. THE CAVE

3. SUMMER '86

4. FLOURISH

5. THEY'RE COMING

6. BACK TO THE '80S

7. HOMEGROWN

8. INFESTED

9. SURVIVAL

10. WE DID IT

SIDE C

1. MAIN STREET

2. RED HAZE

3. MULLET

4. AURORA

5. BUZZING

6. BLOOD MOON

7. RECOVERY

8. THE TEEN VAN

9. (K)NIGHTTIME

10. PROPHECY

SIDE D

1. SUMMER OF GREED

2. BLOOM

3. THE DRAWBRIDGE

4. OUT OF BOUNDS

5. THE FOREST

6. SUMMER OF LOVE

7. VOYAGE

8. POLYBIUS

9. AMERICANA

10. FINAL SIEGE

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