Music of the Metal Gear series

The Metal Gear video games consist of 17 different albums, totaling over 940 hours of music within the 11 games. There were four different music labels used for the albums in different games. These include Sony Entertainment, Konami Digital Entertainment, Phantom Studios, Sumthing Else Music Works, and King Records (Japan). The most used record labels were Konami Digital Entertainment and King Records. Konami was used for "Metal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Music Collection, Original Soundtrack, Original Soundtrack," and the "Metal Gear 25th Anniversary: Metal Gear Music Collection, ." King Records was used for "Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Original Soundtrack, Metal Gear Solid Original Game Soundtrack, Metal Gear/ Solid Snake: Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima / Red Dis, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Original Soundtrack," and "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Soundtrack 2: The Other Side." Several different producers were used for different games. These include Konami, Masahiro Hinami, Noriakio Kamura, Norikiko Hibino, Tojima, Harry Gregson-Williams. Konami producing 6 out of the 11 "Metal Gear games." The games used many different genres of music throughout the games. They are as follows: breakbeat, classical, drum and bass, electronic, hip hop, jazz, ambient, acoustic, Latin American, electronic rock, industrial metal, alternative metal, hard rock, power metal, neoclassical (music), romantic music, lounge, and rock and roll.
Albums.
"Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack to Konami's 1990 MSX2 video game "". The original music was composed by the Konami Kukeiha Club and the CD was released on April 5, 1991.
The soundtrack was re-released on September 23, 1998 as part of the 2-CD bundle titled "Konami MSX Super Best Antiques", which also included the "" and "Space Manbow" albums.
Arranged music based on "Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake" were used for the VR Training disc in ' (which was released in North America as '). Additionally, "Integral" features two hidden tunes based on "Metal Gear 2" available via a secret codec frequency in the main game. One is an arranged version of the "Theme of Solid Snake", while the other is an arrangement of "Zanzibar Breeze." "Theme of Solid Snake" made an appearance in Nintendo's crossover fighting game "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" on the Shadow Moses Island stage.
"Metal Gear Solid Original Game Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid Original Game Soundtrack is the official soundtrack to Konami's 1998 stealth game "Metal Gear Solid". Most of the original music was composed and performed by the Konami Computer Entertainment (KCE) Sound Team Japan (comprising Takanari Ishiyama, Gigi Meroni, Kazuki Muraoka, Lee Jeon Myung and Hiroyuki Togo), with the exception of the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme", composed by TAPPY, and "The Best Is Yet to Come", composed by Rika Muranaka and performed by Aoife Ní Fhearraigh. The CD was released on September 23, 1998 – three weeks after the Japanese release of the game.
A total of three versions of the soundtrack were released, with the "Metal Gear Solid Control Mix" track missing from the earliest version. Limited print editions of the Japanese copy and the standard European copy have cardboard sleeves accompanied with the discs jewel case. The final edition of the Japanese print does not come with the cardboard sleeve.
Music played in-game has a synthetic feel with increased pace and introduction of strings during tense moments, with a looping style endemic to video games. Overtly cinematic music, with stronger orchestral and choral elements, appears in cutscenes. The soundtrack was released on September 23, 1998, under the King Records label.
"The Best Is Yet to Come".
"The Best Is Yet to Come" was written in Japanese by Rika Muranaka and translated into Irish by Bláthnaid Ní Chufaigh. The song was recorded at Beech Park Studio, Ireland, engineered by Philip Begley and produced by Muranaka.
"Metal Gear / Solid Snake: Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima / Red Disc".
 is a soundtrack album featuring remixed music based on the MSX2 video games "Metal Gear" and '. It is the companion album to "Black Disc", which featured similarly remixed music based on "Snatcher" and "Policenauts". Like "Black Disc", it contains a mix of new and previously published content, although only three tracks in "Red Disc" were actually recycled from a previous album (namely the ' original soundtrack album). The composers for "Red Disc" include Hikaru Nanase, Kanichiroo Kubo, Konami Kukeiha Club, Motoaki Furukawa and Yoshiyuki Itoo.
"Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack to Konami's 2001 stealth game "".
Most of the original music was composed and arranged by Harry Gregson-Williams, with the exceptions of "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme", composed by Tappi Iwase and arranged by Harry Gregson-Williams, "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday", written by Rika Muranaka and performed by the Felix Farrar Orchestra and (in the full version) Carla White, and "Fortune" and "Who Am I Really?", composed by Norihiko Hibino. "Opening Infiltration", "RAY Escapes", "The World Needs Only One Big Boss!" and "Arsenal Is Going to Take Off!" were co-composed by Gregson-Williams and Hibino.
The CD was released on November 29, 2001 – the same day as the Japanese release of the game. A second soundtrack to "Sons of Liberty", "", was released in 2002.
"Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Soundtrack 2: The Other Side".
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Soundtrack 2: Other Side is the second official soundtrack to Konami's 2001 stealth game "". All of the original music was composed by Norihiko Hibino. The CD was released on January 26, 2002 – two months after the Japanese release of the game.
"Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Original Soundtrack Ultimate Sorter Edition".
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Original Soundtrack Ultimate Sorter Edition is a soundtrack included with special edition sorter for "". All tracks are composed by Harry Gregson-Williams & Norihiko Hibino.
"Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Limited Soundtrack Ultimate Sorter Edition".
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Limited Soundtrack Ultimate Sorter Edition is a soundtrack that came packaged with a special edition sorter of "". Music is composed by: Norihiko Hibino & TAPPY.
"Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album of Konami's PlayStation 2 video game ' and was released by Japanese music label, Phantom, on December 17, 2004 under the catalog number KOLA-089/090. The soundtrack consists of two discs and features music from various artists and composers such as Harry Gregson-Williams, Norihiko Hibino, Cynthia Harrell, TAPPY, and Starsailor. The soundtrack also included a "Special Camouflage Key Disc" which allowed players who owned a copy of ' for the PlayStation 2 to obtain additional camouflage uniforms for Naked Snake by selecting "Special Camouflage Key" under the menu titled "Special" once it's prompted to appear in the game.
Track listing.
Disc one 71:45.
Special camouflage key disc.
"Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – The First Bite".
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – The First Bite is a CD that was only released in Japan in November 2004. The CD includes promotional materials, such as songs, screensaver and a Snake Eater music video. Music is composed by Norihiko Hibino.
"Metal Gear Acid 1 & 2 Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Acid 1 & 2 Original Soundtrack is a double CD album released on December 21, 2005. The first disc includes music from "Metal Gear Acid", composed by Akihiro Honda, Nobuko Toda and Shuichi Kobori. The second disc contains music from "Metal Gear Acid 2", and is composed by Akihiro Honda, Hiroshi Tanabe, Nobuko Toda and Shuichi Kobori. The album comes with an 18-page booklet featuring track listings and artwork by Hiroshi Banno and Junko Kolke.
"Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack for "", released for Sony's PlayStation Portable. The soundtrack contains 44 tracks composed by: Akihiro Honda, Kazuma Jinnouchi, Nobuko Toda, Takahiro Izutani, Norihiko Hibino & Yoshitaka Suzuki. The soundtrack was released on December 20, 2006.
"Metal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Music Collection".
Metal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Music Collection is a compilation album released for the video game series "Metal Gear" on July 18, 2007. The album contains songs from various games in the series, as well as a new song titled "Metal Gear 20 Years History — Past, Present, Future —", a medley spanning the whole series. The album was produced by Norihiko Hibino, who also composed three of the album's songs and co-arranged two tracks.
"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the , composed primarily by Nobuko Toda, Shuichi Kobori, Kazuma Jinnouchi, and Harry Gregson-Williams. The official soundtrack was released on May 28, 2008 by Konami Digital Entertainment under the catalog number GFCA-98/9. A soundtrack album was also packaged with "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" Limited Edition, but featured fewer songs.
While only fifteen minutes of music from the GEM Impact team (Yoshitaka Suzuki, Takahiro Izutani, and Norihiko Hibino) was featured on the official soundtrack, Norihiko Hibino later confirmed in an interview that the team in fact provided close to 90 minutes of music for the game's cutscenes.
The album packaged with the Limited Edition release of "" is not the complete soundtrack. It possesses only track numbers 1-3, 5, 9-11, 13, 16, and 19 of CD1 and numbers 1, 10, 12, and 15-17 of CD2 (all of which are songs written by Harry Gregson-Williams), with none of the in-game tracks.
"Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album of Konami's PlayStation Portable video game "", primarily composed by Kojima Productions' Kazuma Jinnouchi and Nobuko Toda, while Akihiro Honda provides the orchestral theme and the theme songs, "Heavens Divide" (performed in English by Donna Burke) and "Koi no Yokushiryoku (Love Deterrence)" (performed in Japanese by Nana Mizuki). GEM Impact's Norihiko Hibino, Yoshitaka Suzuki and Takahiro Izutani as well as Soundelux Design Music Group's Todd Haberman and Jeremy Soule also provide compositions to the soundtrack.
The game also features music from other "Metal Gear" games, such as ""s "Calling to The Night", which can be played in the game's Walkman. The Carpenters ballad "Sing" is sung by Cindy Asada on a taped recording and by the Boss AI as Peace Walker sinks under Lago Cocibolca.
"Metal Gear 25th Anniversary: Metal Gear Music Collection".
Metal Gear 25th Anniversary: Metal Gear Music Collection is a compilation album celebrating the 25th anniversary of the "Metal Gear" franchise, released on August 22, 2012. The album was revealed on KONAMISTYLE, Konami's webstore, and was released on August 22, 2012 (although it was originally targeting a July 25, 2012 release).
It is similar to a previous album, the ', in that it collects tracks that span the "Metal Gear" series. The source games used for this soundtrack were ', "Metal Gear Online" and "".
"Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Vocal Tracks".
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Vocal Tracks is the first official soundtrack used in the video game "".
The game's score was composed by Jamie Christopherson, with additional music by Graeme Cornies, Brian Pickett, James Chapple, and David Kelly, and directed by Naoto Tanaka. As a result of the game being focused on action rather than stealth like the previous "Metal Gear" games, the music has a different style. Director Kenji Saito proposed the idea of heavy and fast music featuring lyrics to Kojima Productions. When the studio accepted Saito's idea, the two developers started working together to make the music. Christopherson also contributed by writing thirteen vocal songs which includes electronic music. The soundtrack features vocals by artists including John Bush, Tyson Yen, Free Dominguez, Jason C. Miller and Jimmy Gnecco with contributions by Logan Mader, former member of Machine Head, Electronic Rock Musicians/Remixers The Maniac Agenda, and Ferry Corsten. A soundtrack featuring themes from the game was featured in the limited edition. Another soundtrack, titled "Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Vocal Tracks", featuring 29 tracks, was released on February 20, 2013.
The album was released on CD and vinyl, as well as digital services such as iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Amazon. Since October 2016, the album is no longer available on Spotify.
"Metal Gear Solid V Original Soundtrack".
Metal Gear Solid V Original Soundtrack is the official soundtrack for the video games ' and '.
Development.
The soundtrack was produced by Harry Gregson-Williams, making it his fourth "Metal Gear" title. However, unlike previous titles, his involvement during the composing process was minimal, with him ultimately only composing two tracks for "Ground Zeroes". In July 2015, Rika Muranaka told "Fragged Nation" in an interview that over 30 commissioned songs were never used, thus playing part in Konami's budget concerns over the "Metal Gear Solid V" project.
In an interview with lead composer Ludvig Forssell, it was revealed that there were over eight different versions of "Sins of the Father" made just for the trailer, on top of the various previous renditions. Forssell himself provided the vocals during development. The song supposedly is a metaphor not only for "The Phantom Pain", but the entire "Metal Gear" Saga: "For this game we have a couple of keywords: race and revenge, and… unfortunately I cannot at this point tell you everything, but there’s a lot of metaphors in the lyrics that have to do with the game, and the whole Metal Gear Saga, pretty much." Forssell said.
Recording took place in Los Angeles, Nashville and Santa Barbara.
A second volume of the game's score was released exclusively on iTunes on December 24, 2015, titled "Metal Gear Solid V Extended Soundtrack." The album contains over 5 hours and 45 minutes of previously unreleased music. The extended soundtrack also contains music from "Ground Zeroes".
Release.
The album was released on CD, as well as iTunes and Amazon.com. However, because of licensing issues, the soundtracks' licensed songs are missing from the digital versions. Along with it, a separate album titled "Metal Gear Vocal Tracks" was released on the same day. It featured the tracks "Sins of the Father" and "Quiet's Theme" from "The Phantom Pain", as well as various new renditions of tracks from previous games redone in the style of "The Phantom Pain". These were done by series veteran Donna Burke.