Story
🎵 Behind the scenes I’ve always been drawn to Bear McCreary’s dark fantasy soundscapes, and I wanted to dive deep into that territory with “Realms of the Veil.” The music of Middle Earth (particularly Rings of Power) and the exotic flavors of Game of Thrones’ Dorne served as inspiration points, but my real goal was to explore dark fantasy on my own terms.
Here’s the thing about my composing process: I rarely know where a track is going when I start. This one began with a single musical idea and just kept growing. What started as one or two landscapes eventually evolved into five distinct realms, each demanding its own musical identity. I just kept adding more lands as the piece developed.
One of my main goals with this track was to work with instruments I’d never used before: dulcimers, viola da gambas, and lutes. These dark fantasy staples gave me a whole new palette to work with, but I had to learn how to make them sound believable in the way they’re played both by themselves as well as with each other. They’re woven throughout, giving that authentic folk-meets-orchestral texture.
What surprised me most was how much choir I ended up using. I don’t normally lean on vocals this heavily, but for this track it felt right. I went with a medium-sized choir, not the massive, wall-of-sound epic choir, but something more intimate and musical. Each realm got its own choral treatment. I suppose in retrospect that became one of the unifying threads that tied everything together.
I realized while writing this that Bear McCreary’s influence shows up most in the quieter, more ethereal moments. It’s not just about the epic bombast; it’s about that vibe, that atmosphere he creates in his more intimate passages. I can’t point to specific tracks that were in my head, but I could feel his music’s “aura?” guiding me. I have no idea what that means but its the best I can explain it with words :)
At 4:30, this is the longest track I’ve written in recent years. I wanted it to be epic in scope, not necessarily in intensity, but in the breadth of the journey. Five realms, each with its own character, but flowing together into something cohesive.
I wrote this about a year ago when I was still learning how to harness the full strength of the orchestra, particularly with crescendos and builds. Looking back now, I can hear my growth as a composer, but I’m genuinely proud of how this one turned out. It represents a moment where I was pushing myself into new territory: new instruments, new textures, longer form storytelling.
I created this video video for the track because at the end of the day, my music is about storytelling, and sometimes the story needs to be seen as well as heard.
“Realms of the Veil” may have started without a clear destination, but it ended up being exactly what I wanted: a journey through dark fantasy that challenged me and expanded my compositional toolkit.