We’re four months away from the release of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but Lakeshore Records in partnership with Ubisoft has released Assassin’s Creed Valhalla — Out of the North, a seven-track EP of original music taken from the forthcoming official soundtrack.
Featuring music from Jesper Kyd (Assassin’s Creed, Ezio Trilogy), American composer Sarah Schachner (Assassin’s Creed Origins), and original songs by Norwegian musician Einar Selvik of Wardruna, the music is cinematic, emotional, and haunting.
Kyd stated:
For Valhalla, I worked on bringing out a sense of Viking DNA in all the music, full of spirituality and atmosphere. Regardless of where we journey with the Vikings, the music reminds the player where they come from. There’s a deep sense of community and family within the score, those bonds being a key part of this story.
Schachner wanted to portray the different cultures of Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, a sound that evolved as the former invade, conquer, and eventually integrate in Anglo-Scandinavian society. “On ‘The Sceptered Isle’ I wanted to blend both cultures to foreshadow that history. The lyrics are from an old Norse runestone inscription sung over an anglicized religious harmony,” Schachner explained.
“My score for Valhalla portrays the different cultures of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons but also merges the two together, reflecting the Vikings’ evolution as they invade and conquer, then integrate into Anglo-Scandinavian society and even convert to Christianity. On ‘The Sceptered Isle’ I wanted to blend both cultures to foreshadow that history. The lyrics are from an old Norse runestone inscription sung over an anglicized religious harmony.”
Slevik continued with:
It´s a great honor for me to be welcomed into this massive Assassins Creed entity and long-time pillars of historical storytelling in games! I have been tasked by Ubisoft to create music that displays and builds upon authentic Norse historical musicality. Through historical instruments, their inherent tonalities, oral poetic traditions and language, I have aimed to make creations that could potentially bring the player closer to the theme and era of the game. It feels great to finally be able share the first piece of music with you all!
In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, players can take advantage of new features inspired by the Viking Culture, including raids, assaults, growing their settlement, building their power and expanding their influence. Players must carve out a new future for their clan, reliving the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a renewed combat system that includes the ability to dual-wield weapons against a greater variety of enemies than ever before.
The EP is releasing digitally by Lakeshore Records today.
Check out the soundtrack in the video above and the check out the tracklist below.
- Jesper Kyd – Out Of The North
- Sarah Schachner – The Sceptred Isle
- Einar Selvik (Wardruna) – The Words Of The Raven (Hrafnsmál)
- Jesper Kyd – Holmgang
- Jesper Kyd – Kingdom of Wessex
- Sarah Schachner – The Guardian
- Sarah Schachner – Tree of Life
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla releases on November 17 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store on PC, as well as UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service, and Stadia.
