Arabia (Üsküdara) - 16
Canada (Vive la Canadienne; O Canada) - 9
China (Jasmine Flower) - 20
France (Tourdion: Quand je bois du vin clairet) - 11-3=8 - This is still here? I must have missed it somehow. Anyway, I think I'll postpone some of my downvotes to focus on this. The ancient and medieval version are brilliant, beautifully showing atmosphere of the times of jousting... And then, similarly to Korea, the industrial and atomic versions come. And industrial and atomic come. Not only are those two almost indistinguishable to my ear, they're also both incredibly and painfully forgettable. They just start, pass by, and end, having nothing interesting in them to draw any of my attention at all. Down with them.
Georgia (Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali) - 13
Greece (Epitaph of Seikilos) - 7
Hungary (Hej Dunáról fúj a szél; Cinege, Cinege) - 19
India (Vaishna Jana to tene) - 12
Indonesia (Rejang Dewa; Bapang Selisir) - 19
Japan (Itsuki Lullaby) - 23
Mali (Mali Sadjo; Masana Seesay) - 27
Mongolia (Pastoral Song; Urtin Duu) - 29
Nubia (Allah Musau) - 13
Ottomans (Yelkenler Biçilecek) - 16+1=17 - After hearing the themes of Gathering Storm for the first time from the revelations of their Civs, I was impressed with all of them (save for Phoenicia), and had hard time ranking them. A year after the announcement of the Gathering Storm and long time of listening to these themes, the Ottoman theme survived as the best theme of the Gathering Storm. Ancient and medieval version catch one's ear with their oriental instruments, and I have already expressed my love to these instruments earlier. Then the industrial version comes, and oh my, it's one of the, if not the most stunning piece in the game. Most of the themes start a bit slow and then, after getting a bit of build up, they properly begin. The Ottoman industrial theme checks the slow build up part out in the first two seconds and then launches the full music at you, and it greatly works. It simply teleports you in the middle of Constantinople in its full splendour during the peak era of the Ottoman Empire, and guides you energically through the city bustling with life. With this playing, it's incredibly simple to imagine the Grand Bazaar with all its bargaining merchants, smells, colours and people. It's easy to get lost in these bustling streets of the capital of the Ottoman juggernaut in the Mediterranean heats under evening orange sky and setting sun. A very powerful theme of its own. And when one wonders how can any even more powerful grand finale come to this already very grand theme, people move to the sides of the street, and before you even get to ask what are they doing, you see an orderly march of tens thousands of Janissaries and Sipahis and other Ottoman soldiers, marching through the city, and this march is accompanied with their powerful singing accompanied by orchestra, being the grand finale to end this grand theme. What is also great is the fact that the theme perfectly manages to keep both oriental instruments and generic orchestra for this and the atomic theme, while combining both with very powerful singing. Atomic version is easily distinguishable and uses drumming very well, and although it doesn't have the charm of th industrial version, it is still a very powerful piece of its own..
Persia (Kereshme + Reng-e Shalakhu) - 25
Phoenicia (Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, no. 6) - 18
Poland (Hej ide w las) - 19
Scythia (Traditional Melody) - 28
Spain (Recuerdos de la Alhambra) - 17
Sumeria (Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, no. 6) - 14
Sweden (Helan går; Polska efter Pelle Fors; Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle) - 14
Zulu (Uthe Ubhuti) - 21
Canada (Vive la Canadienne; O Canada) - 9
China (Jasmine Flower) - 20
France (Tourdion: Quand je bois du vin clairet) - 11-3=8 - This is still here? I must have missed it somehow. Anyway, I think I'll postpone some of my downvotes to focus on this. The ancient and medieval version are brilliant, beautifully showing atmosphere of the times of jousting... And then, similarly to Korea, the industrial and atomic versions come. And industrial and atomic come. Not only are those two almost indistinguishable to my ear, they're also both incredibly and painfully forgettable. They just start, pass by, and end, having nothing interesting in them to draw any of my attention at all. Down with them.
Georgia (Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali) - 13
Greece (Epitaph of Seikilos) - 7
Hungary (Hej Dunáról fúj a szél; Cinege, Cinege) - 19
India (Vaishna Jana to tene) - 12
Indonesia (Rejang Dewa; Bapang Selisir) - 19
Japan (Itsuki Lullaby) - 23
Mali (Mali Sadjo; Masana Seesay) - 27
Mongolia (Pastoral Song; Urtin Duu) - 29
Nubia (Allah Musau) - 13
Ottomans (Yelkenler Biçilecek) - 16+1=17 - After hearing the themes of Gathering Storm for the first time from the revelations of their Civs, I was impressed with all of them (save for Phoenicia), and had hard time ranking them. A year after the announcement of the Gathering Storm and long time of listening to these themes, the Ottoman theme survived as the best theme of the Gathering Storm. Ancient and medieval version catch one's ear with their oriental instruments, and I have already expressed my love to these instruments earlier. Then the industrial version comes, and oh my, it's one of the, if not the most stunning piece in the game. Most of the themes start a bit slow and then, after getting a bit of build up, they properly begin. The Ottoman industrial theme checks the slow build up part out in the first two seconds and then launches the full music at you, and it greatly works. It simply teleports you in the middle of Constantinople in its full splendour during the peak era of the Ottoman Empire, and guides you energically through the city bustling with life. With this playing, it's incredibly simple to imagine the Grand Bazaar with all its bargaining merchants, smells, colours and people. It's easy to get lost in these bustling streets of the capital of the Ottoman juggernaut in the Mediterranean heats under evening orange sky and setting sun. A very powerful theme of its own. And when one wonders how can any even more powerful grand finale come to this already very grand theme, people move to the sides of the street, and before you even get to ask what are they doing, you see an orderly march of tens thousands of Janissaries and Sipahis and other Ottoman soldiers, marching through the city, and this march is accompanied with their powerful singing accompanied by orchestra, being the grand finale to end this grand theme. What is also great is the fact that the theme perfectly manages to keep both oriental instruments and generic orchestra for this and the atomic theme, while combining both with very powerful singing. Atomic version is easily distinguishable and uses drumming very well, and although it doesn't have the charm of th industrial version, it is still a very powerful piece of its own..
Persia (Kereshme + Reng-e Shalakhu) - 25
Phoenicia (Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, no. 6) - 18
Poland (Hej ide w las) - 19
Scythia (Traditional Melody) - 28
Spain (Recuerdos de la Alhambra) - 17
Sumeria (Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, no. 6) - 14
Sweden (Helan går; Polska efter Pelle Fors; Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle) - 14
Zulu (Uthe Ubhuti) - 21
