Giles Lamb Releases New Music

There’s always been a deep disconnect when it comes to video games and the public consciousness; even when games were simple pixels, barely discernible pictures on a hard-to-read screen, the medium had its protestors and naysayers. People would come out of the woodwork like clockwork with every flagpole release to talk about how much they detest video games, how video games make the youth into crazed lunatics, and how there’s simply no art in the gaming industry.

Those of us who grew up in the shadow of a gaming revolution with the evolution of the Gamecube, PlayStation, and Xbox know firsthand that all of these points are off-base and generally made out of a misunderstanding with the technology, and maybe out of a fear of change, but if there is no luck convincing people with words then maybe they’ll listen to the jaw-dropping scores that have been seeing releases with more and more prestige titles as the years progress.

In recent years, gaming has garnered more prestige than ever through the help of the musical community joining together to put their hearts and souls into gaming scores; just last year, Grammy-nominated indie darling Japanese Breakfast put out an entire score for the indie game Sable to critical acclaim, but they’re hardly the first to do it. Back in 2011, English musician Giles Lamb came to international attention for his work on the Dead Island trailer, as the score became viewed by millions in a very short timeframe. The trailer would go on to be cited by large groups of people as one of the most memorable moments in gaming trailer history for its console generation, and ten years later the fans remain.

Lamb seems aware of his hold on the fanbase as he’s come back with a video released to celebrate the decade anniversary; the new video, “Dead Island Theme, 10th Anniversary” saw its release on Lamb’s YouTube page and across the internet last fall. Showcasing a new recording of the iconic orchestral piece that moved millions in 2011, the video goes to show that there are still millions ready to be moved in 2022, too. The song remains the same, for the most part, but this fresh re-recording gives the composition a new touch that deserves just as much praise as the original garnered.

Giles Lamb is one among many that have brought a great deal of gravitas to the gaming industry’s side, and his work with Dead Island seems to be a piece of music that is well-regarded by all sides. There’s a particular affinity for the track within YouTube’s “relaxation music” subset, as the song has been posted in a variety of speeds and lengths to further experiment with the emotional beats of the piece, but anywhere you go concerning the first Dead Island game, you’ll read about how impactful that initial trailer was for an entire generation, greatly in part to Lamb’s composition. The re-release of a career-high for Giles Lamb is well-deserved and seeing so many people reconnect with the composition so easily and instantly is a great thing to encounter. 

Michael Rand

—