Sins of a Solar Empire Soundtrack
Genre	Space Opera
Tracks	23
Length	57 minutes
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For those out of the know, Sins of a Solar Empire ("Sins" for short) is a space-based real-time 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) game. Imagine Civilization except in real-time and with giant spaceships blowing each other out of the sky, and you've more or less got it. It was developed by Ironclad, a Canadian developer known for producing expansions to Homeworld. It didn't get much recognition because of the little-known dev, but it turned out to be a great game with an epic scale and astoundingly deep gameplay.

The game is one thing, but the soundtrack is another. The Collector's Edition of Sins of a Solar Empire comes with a soundtrack CD (among other things). The disc features 23 tracks by Paul Schuegraf, a Canadian musician known for, well, the score of Sins of a Solar Empire.

Because of the nature of the game, the music is not broken up by level or pre-scripted event. Rather, as different situations arise in-game, the music changes to suit the circumstance. I find that this yields a better listening experience outside of gameplay, because the listener does not need to know context; the music is its own context.

Stylistically, the music of Sins is pure space opera. To say it was inspired by John Williams' Star Wars score would be putting it lightly. At times, it borders on derivative. The good news is, Star Wars music isn't exactly the worst out there, and Mr. Schuegraf does let some of his own personality show through.

The 57-minute soundtrack does not contain every piece from the game. I know this because I was playing the game and heard music that was not on the soundtrack. It also does not contain any jingles, 'item-get' music or anything like that. I can't recall offhand if the game has anything like that, but either way, it's not on the soundtrack.

There's is no special packaging for this soundtrack; it comes in the game box. The disc art is the same as the game disc except for one small change, and the copyright info and such. The art is also marred by the phrase: "Do not lend or make illegal copies of this disc."

The music itself is grand and I find it to be a great listen. Notable tracks include:

The Opening Theme. This piece lives up to expectations, providing a dramatic choral entrance followed by a melody that I often find myself humming. You can almost hear the story.

Peace and Prosperity. This violin-and-flute arrangement has a Celtic feel, which is a nice change of pace.

Arrival. This piece has some unusual musical effects, which gives it a very alien feel.

Counter-attack. This is the most "John Williams" piece. You might have to think twice to remember whether or not you're listening to the soundtrack of Return of the Jedi.

Collecting of Will. This sounds the most like traditional video game music. I could imagine hearing this in a JRPG.

Although some of the tracks are better than others, they all strike their target. This soundtrack has been a pleasant surprise, as I did not expect a game of this genre to put much thought into its music. I'm used to seeing soundtracks for JRPGs and such, but a Canadian 4X game? The game feature great music, and I'm glad they included the official soundtrack with the Collector's Edition.