Icy Beats: Frozen Cortex Soundtrack (Review)

Frozen Cortex, formerly known as Frozen Endzone, is a game created by Mode 7 who also created Frozen Synapse.  OSV’s Patrick Gann reviewed that soundtrack in 2012. The music for both games was composed by Paul Kilduff-Taylor AKA nervous_pilot. Frozen Cortex is available now on Steam and is described as a strategy turn based game of future sport where the players are robots. I have not played the first game, or Frozen Cortex but I have spent some time with the soundtrack. The album is 15 tracks and just over 75 minutes of satisfying electronic music with some great ambient and trance elements.

If you’re stuck in a winter funk, I think I might have the treatment you need right here.  Here are my thoughts on an album I will be using to get me through the rest of the season.

“Decisions” is the first track on the album and begins with what sounds like something hit metal and bounced back. It then quickly  jumps into an aggressive beat that’s counter balanced with high pitched echoed tones that remind me of ice. As the track plays it quiets twice but returns back to a sweet beat, with an excellent harmonics.

About 15 seconds into the second track “Intercept” I am reminded of cool car commercials where you see bystanders turning their heads in slow motion as the car drives by.  I think this would be a great cruising track while driving at night.

“The Moment” track 8 is another great track that has a lot going on. About two minutes in I got a bit of an Orbital “Halcyon On and On” vibe –  and I had a little 90’s Mortal Kombat film flashback for a moment. There is also a lot of electronic sounds in the background that remind me of processing, or the transferring of data.

Track 9 “Menu” is where things slow down and get a bit ambient. There is some nice soft distant vocals, what sounds like a pebble being thrown into an echoing cave, and a pulsing almost heartbeat. I have been doing Yoga for about a year now, and this would be a great track to practice or meditate to.

My favorite track by far is track 12 “My Intuition (Highlight Mix)”. If you have a cardio workout, jogging, or trance playlist this needs to be on it. The melody sticks with you, and listening to track 13 “My Intuition (Club Mix) you will anticipate its return for three and half minutes of building up.

The tracks have staying power, which is important in a strategy game. You can listen to them for extended periods of play without tiring of them. I am a huge fan of dance, electronic and trance music. My favorite artists include BT, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Fluke. nervous_testpilot hit all of the right buttons for me with this album, and I recommend you experience this soundtrack for yourself.

The soundtrack to Frozen Cortex is available on Steam in the Soundtrack Edition of the game which is $35.

nervous_testpilot has a few more tracks from Frozen Cortex you can listen to on his Soundcloud page. “Office”, “Pushing” , “Engage”, and the original version of “My Intuition” which was not present in the copy of the soundtrack I reviewed. If you want to hear what I loved in the ” My Intuition (Highlight Mix)” wait until the track hits 2:33, you can’t unhear it.

nervous_testpilot’s music including the soundtrack to Frozen Synapse  is also available on his website.

Have you played Frozen Cortex and heard the music in the game? What did you think?