Volume 1 - Selections - December 7th, 2007
Volume 2 - Calling of Fate - February 2nd, 2008
Volume 3 - The Few Who Cross a World - April 3rd, 2008
Volume 4 - A Lost Dream - June 4th, 2008

The Spirit Engine 2 – Premonitions album is a collection of music that was created shortly after “The Spirit Engine” intended for the sequel. The music was created using Modplug Tracker, much like its predecessor. After roughly two hours of music was completed, the decision was made to ‘up’ the sound quality and go with streaming media.

The music included on this album is not music that will be heard in “The Spirit Engine 2,” but music that was once intended for it. That being said, much of the melodic and musical content that is present on this album will be featured in the original soundtrack. In fact, several of the tracks on this album were simply rewritten in the newer format, while other tracks simply aren’t present. Also, bear in mind that this is not the entirety of music that was intended to be created for the game. Listeners will find that there are a much smaller number of “battle” tracks compared to what was seen in the first game’s soundtrack. This music was intended to be written later in the development stage.

The purpose of releasing this album was to give praise to the massive collection of music that would otherwise be lost. This includes 1 hour, 52 minutes, and 18 seconds of music spanning 92 tracks! Much of the music is very similar to what was heard in “The Spirit Engine’s” soundtrack, as they contain similar motifs, samples, and creation methodology. The intention is that this album will be released in parts over a period of time leading up to the release of “The Spirit Engine 2.” Consider it a teaser, or premonition, of what’s to come.

The album is split up into four volumes, each with a specific theme. The first volume, “Selections,” contains 27 minutes and 59 seconds of music spanning 19 tracks. This contains tracks that I thought to be a better representation of the soundtrack as a whole. Many of the tracks in this album have been directly rewritten into the original soundtrack, so listeners can expect to hear many of these pieces again. The release date for this volume is December 7th, 2007.

The second volume, “Calling of Fate,” features music that has a darker or more serious tone and contains 28 minutes and 37 seconds of music spanning 27 tracks. Much of the music in this volume was intended to be cutscene music or dark location themes. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this theme that can be heard. The release date for this volume is February 2nd, 2008.

The third volume, “The Few Who Cross a World,” includes more upbeat and ‘happy’ music. This volume contains 29 minutes and 41 seconds of music spanning 29 tracks. Many of the tracks in this volume were intended to be location themes of towns, shops, and other various character themes. There are a handful of more serious tracks that lead into the fourth volume. The release date for this volume is April 3rd, 2008.

The fourth volume, “A Lost Dream,” contains the remaining music from the original set, a total of 26 minutes and one second of music spanning 17 tracks. This volume contains a couple of longer tracks, and is mostly cutscene and small ‘que’ music. This also contains the first draft of the game’s theme, “A Lost Dream.” The release date for this volume is June 4th, 2008.

As stated previously, this music was created shortly after the first game was completed according to rough sketches and early drafts of the game’s script. While many of the motifs were carried over, the sound quality of this album does not at all represent the quality that will be found in the original soundtrack. Most of this music was written in the year 2004 (that’s almost 4 years ago today!).

Lastly, I want to thank you for exploring this massive collection of music. While many of the tracks are shorter in length, they represent a melodic style and sound that I greatly enjoy, and I sincerely hope that you will too. Perhaps, if you close your eyes while listening, you can see the game right in front of you. Again, thank you, and enjoy the music!

Thanks,
Josh Whelchel