Review Summary: Pure bliss...
Far Cry 5's soundtrack situation is a complicated one. In total, nine albums related to Far Cry 5 exist and each one presents a different experience. While one could make a comment about the quality and budget of the game itself, none could make such an accusation of it's soundtrack, which is by and large one of the biggest collections of music for one single game in the history of the industry (although there are most likely bigger ones). To sum things up in the best way possible; The game has four main soundtracks, one for the main game, and one for each DLC released. It then has two minor soundtracks for other parts of the game like the Far Cry 5 short film and Far Cry 5 Arcade. The final three albums are a collection of the same ten songs but each of the albums jumble the song order and the songs are in an entirely different genre depending on which of the three albums you listen to. Of those three albums
We Will Rise Again changes the ten songs in a Post-Rock/Ambient collection composed by Hammock.
In Far Cry 5, it is necessary for the cult's in-game music to reflect their religious extremism in a palatable way that explains their attractiveness.
We Will Rise Again is a representation of one of main villain Joseph Seed's three acolytes, Faith. In the game, Faith controls the distribution of the cults mind altering drug known as "bliss". With it she can control the minds of believers and anybody else her followers capture. Hammock's reinterpretation of the ten radio tunes reflects the drug-addled state of the "peggies" (P.E.G.=Project Eden's Gate) through it's ambient and echo induced choirs and synthesizers.
The most common type of track the album contains is Hammock's usual post-rock styling. These tracks will be instrumental and contain background chorus and a minor guitar focus. Tracks like
Oh John contain slow piano ballads and guitar plucking, as a background chorus is played to give an ethereal presence to the whole track.
Oh the Bliss is probably the most digital heavy track on the album, with flowing synths and overdubbed male and female vocals. There are other tracks that have heavy vocals. Songs like
The World Is Gonna End Tonight and
Let the Water Wash Away Your Sins capture a dreary yet beautiful atmosphere with their slow and soft vocal delivery combining with meshed instrumentals. The albums slow and melodic production allows the listener to relax and lower their guard, a trait that appeals to the game as it makes the cult seem more appealing to otherwise skeptical people.
By far the best track is
Keep Your Rifle by Your Side. Hammock goes all out here; with an introductory chorus, followed by a slow and melodic guitar plucking. Soon the vocals and instrumentals get louder in volume until all of the song's pieces form a universal whole. It's the type of easily digestible post-rock that bands like Mono would kill to achieve. Notably, this tune is the intro music played when Far Cry 5 is launched and it does establish the theme of the game very well. A relaxing song that leaves behind a menacing message, a cult that preaches things it does not practice.
The truth of the matter is
We Will Rise does nothing to advance the genre of Post-Rock. It doesn't experiment and it certainly doesn't try to surprise or subvert the listener in any way. For die hard PR aficionados, this is an immediate deal breaker. It can be argued, however, that this album still contains a great deal of depth. Hammock's goal here was to create a record that would appeal on a more mainstream scale, to lure listeners into it's grasp. And one cannot help but enjoy the album's attempt to drive the genre to it's most basic and primal foundations.
We Will Rise is an exploration into Post-Rocks simple definitions; a blissful concoction that helps establish the atmosphere of Far Cry 5's world, while also being a damn good album of sweet and melodic tunes. It is, to sum it up; pure bliss.
