I am out of work at the moment, so I thought I would return to blogging briefly whilst I wait for a job to pop up in the void that is mid Wales. 

The first thing I'd like to blog about is a new musical compilation that has been released by orchestral gaming veterans Eminence. These guys have done the music to a wide array of games and have become fairly prominent in Asia for this very act. Sadly, it takes a while for good ideas to take off in the West. Eventually however, good things come to those who wait.

Featuring an array of musical pieces from games spanning right across Blizzards' three top franchises, Echoes of War is what can only be described as a long awaited classic to add to your CD collection. I picked this up thinking that we were dealing with yet another game soundtrack but I was sorely mistaken. Echoes of War delivers the classic Blizzard music from the classic Blizzard games in a new and interesting way.

For the most part, the tracks have not changed much in their basic layout. We'll still hear those bits that stood out whilst we were playing Diablo, StarCraft or Warcraft games and they should bring a little nostalgia to your life, which is always pleasant. Added to that basic formula is a new level of passion that previously was unattainable. When you put a large group of talented people behind instruments, with some of the top composers in the world at the head and give them tracks that had previously been performed by sophisticated computer software and small groups of musicians, there is bound to be a whole new level of passion to the music and that is just what Eminence delivers. The best example of this is the rendition of The Eternal Conflict from Diablo. Those of you who remember the Tristram theme will surely want to listen to this new rendition, which delivers so much more than the original ever could, despite the fact that the original was a classic piece of gaming music.

The voices behind this brilliant work of fiction deserve to earn from this, so I think it is only right that you head on over to the Echoes of War website to check out the three preview tracks they have on the site.

If Echoes of War succeeds, we may well see some other classic game music being put forward in this new way - from the music of Neverwinter Nights to Warhammer Online. I can only hope that this picks up.