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“…It is not often that a composer is able to reshape the listener’s esoteric view of a story and with an unabashed, beautiful clarity using simple but staggering melodies. Remedy Entertainment better know how lucky they are to have made this choice because Petri Alanko has certainly backed them up.” – Gideon Dabi

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“…While its restraint and patience may bother those who are unused to subtlety in game scoring, ALAN WAKE is one of the most tasteful and stirring offerings in recent memory and merits every bit of the attention it’s been getting.”

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“If you’re privileged to listen Petri Alanko’s finest music, with a proper audio system and your window blinders shut, prepare yourself with a handkerchief or a pill of nitro. I have never met a person so dedicated to his work through his emotion. The emotion can be heard when listening to any of his beautiful tracks, which, I might add, make you cry tears of joy or sorrow every single time.”

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Alan Wake Soundtrack album review by G4TV.com (Rick Damigella)

“Much like Alan Wake is very different from most everything else currently spinning in game consoles, the same holds true for Petri Alanko’s score for the game. The soundtrack album for the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 title is now available and The Feed invites you to join us for a listen.

First time game soundtrack composer Petri Alanko proves he is more than capable of propelling and supporting the on-screen action of Alan Wake through his compositions. There must be something in the air in his native Finland which inspires composers to create fresh listening experiences out of well-worn music genres. Fans of the symphonic metal scene of Finland know what I’m talking about.

The over-arching mood of the score ranges from nightmare-mysterious to psychological thriller in tone, without ever straying into stereotypical sounds that you’ve heard a million times before. Most prevalent are the melancholic piano lines throughout the album, which play with a subtle beauty despite the creepy visuals they were created for.

Prior to first listen, my initial thought on this soundtrack was that it would primarily be for fans of the game only. This turns out not to be the case at all. Alanko has struck a superb balance with his compositions, which translate well into a linear listening experience away from the game’s visuals.

Much like the game, Alan Wake’s music has a very TV/cinematic feel, so traditional film score fans are definitely going to want to give this a listen. Even if you haven’t joined Mr. Wake in Bright Falls yet yourself, Alanko’s score is an eminently worthy listening experience for videogame music aficionados. If anything, experiencing Alan Wake’s score could drive you to trying your hand at this unique game, if you haven’t already.

Based on one of Alanko’s answers in The Feed’s recent interview with him, indicating an interest in a collaborative composition with a fellow composer, it could be interesting to hear what he and fellow-Finn and Nightwish mastermind Tuomas Holopainen could potentially co-create together. Especially since they both have creative styles which could sound interesting when combined.

The original score for Alan Wake is available now both digitally and physically from Amazon, iTunes and directly from the Sumthing Else Music Works record label.”