This is Epic Music: Vol 1 features the cream of the crop of Epic Music artists including X-Ray Dog Music, Immediate, Really Slow Motion, Jo Blankenburg, Aleksandar Dimitrijevic as well as other trailblazing artists in the genre...

The world of modern Epic Music has its origins in the soundtracks of blockbuster movie trailers. Featuring big, emotional, powerfully melodic productions, many of which mix orchestra, choir, large percussion and synth elements, this genre of music enjoys a huge and loyal following on YouTube. Dedicated Epic Music channels have millions of subscribers and streams per day.

Tracks on this compilation have been featured in multiple blockbuster trailers for major Hollywood motion pictures, such as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; The Amazing Spider-Man; Iron Man 3; Captain America: Winter Soldier; 300: Rise of an Empire; How to Train Your Dragon and Argo.

Epic Music is a subgenre that you'll either love or hate - there is no middle ground... and even if you're a fan, you'll have to admit that its offers a pretty limited sound; there's very little variety to the overall tracks. They were designed to create excitement, heighten action and generally pump up movie trailers. So listening to this collection is a lot like hearing many variations on a theme. The scene has been growing in recent years, with Imperativa Records' Trailerhead series (including Trailerhead: Triumph).

Over the course of this album's 20 tracks (47 min, 51 sec), highlights include 'Dawning Promises' (which originally appeared on the label's 2013 Dawning Promises, as does 'A Legacy Uncovered'); 'Aeorian'; 'Spirit of Darkness' (which, when it opened, reminded me of Olivier Deriviere's score for the game Remember Me); and 'Acts Of Courage'.

Every single track has something to offer and the album, as a whole, works wonderfully as background music while you play RPG games or as you just chill out.

Track listing:

01 - 'Imperatrix Mundi' - Jo Blankenburg
02 - 'Dawning Promises' - ICON
03 - 'Satellite Debris' - Aleksandar Dimitrijevic
04 - 'Choose Your Destiny' - X-Ray Dog Music
05 - 'Preliator' - Globus
06 - 'Aeorion' - Really Slow Motion
07 - 'Spirit of Darkness' - Music Junkies
08 - 'Rebirth' - Hi-Finesse (featuring Natacha Atlas)
09 - 'Serenata Immortale' - Immediate
10 - 'Ultraviolence' - Cliff Lin
11 - 'Dream Chasers' - Armen Hambar (Future World Music)
12 - 'Legion' - Brand X Music
13 - 'In A Moment of Greatness' - Larry Groupé
14 - 'Aurora' - PostHaste Music
15 - 'Iron Poetry' - Really Slow Motion
16 - 'A Thousand Deaths' (Instrumental) - Globus
17 - 'The Day Is At Hand' - Immediate
18 - 'Carpe Noctum' - Mark Petrie
19 - 'Icarus Rising' - Aleksandar Dimitrijevic
20 - 'Acts of Courage' - X-Ray Dog Music
21 - 'Garador's Flight' - Jo Blankenburg
22 - 'A Legacy Uncovered' - ICON

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Darren Rea