Things got pretty intense on this one. While writing this track I imagined a siege of a city (somewhat similar to the Witcher universe). 

I used Vital for additional bass or as pads, it's quiet, but I can assure you, it is still quite......... VITAL to the track.

Enjoy!

Enemy at the Gates

This is a melodic ambient piece written for the competition by Daniel James. This one turned out to be one of the most melancholic tracks I've ever written, so prepare your tissues and enjoy!

P.S. Those whispers in the middle of the track are a few lines from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, which is one of my favourite poems, and that I thought would fit the atmosphere of the track.


Photo by: Rene Asmussen

Lament for the Days of Yore

Here is my soundtrack for the game "The Rise of Dracula" made in one week during the Godot Game Jam. This was quite a challenge, but I am very happy with how it turned out! 
This video only features the menu theme and boss fight music, ambient tracks will be uploaded separately. 
Enjoy!

You can download the game here or play it online: https://dunkelgrau.itch.io/the-rise-of-dracula

Music composed, recorded and mixed by: Nikita Malko
Game & Arts by: DunkelGrau

LINKS:
Bandcamp: https://nikitamalko.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: @nikitamalkomusic

The Executioner

Main Menu Theme

Here is my new track "To the Shores in Mist Concealed", mostly written on my live stream. This is an atmospheric orchestral track that might give you a feeling of being on a ship, watching as waves crash against the cliffs on a shore of an unknown land. Enjoy!

Music composed, recorded and mixed by: Nikita Malko
Artwork made with Artbreeder
Libraries used: Audio Imperia Nucleus, Audio Imperia SOLO, Pianobook Steinway, Westwood Instruments Percussion Untamed, Sospiro Strings, Spitfire Cinematic Percussion (Cymbals)

To The Shores In Mist Concealed

Here is my entry for the #FullContactCompetition by Orchestral Tools and Tom Holkenborg. The brief was to imagine the distant future where the only way of communication is playing drums. In our entries we had to show a conversation of two tribes.
When writing "Words Unspoken" I imagined two tribes having miscommunication that might lead them to some dreadful consequences. One of the tribes was represented by higher wooden percussion, whereas the other one - by lower drums. 
Enjoy!

Libraries used: Full Contact Competition percussion, 8Dio New Epic Dhol, Westwood Percussion Untamed, Orchestral Tools Arbos, Audio Imperia Nucleus, Zero-G Intimate Vocals, Cinesamples Tina Guo, Vol.2.

Words Unspoken | #FullContactCompetition

Here is my rather spontaneous entry for a new competition by Daniel James. On "Thurisaz" I decided to go with some kind of viking atmosphere while also adding electronic elements. Enjoy!

Thurisaz

Nordic dark neo-folk music like Wardruna, Danheim, Myrkur, and Forndom has always fascinated me with its unique atmosphere. If nature had a soundtrack, it would probably sound like that. With "Skald" I wanted to make my own ambient track in this style, and as a result it turned to be just that - an atmospheric melancholic track with some influences from fantasy. It is something I would listen to on my long forest walks, and I hope it will be a good companion for you, too :) Enjoy!

Composed, recorded, mixed & mastered by Nikita Malko
Cover art made with Artbreeder

LINKS:
Instagram: @nikitamalkomusic 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6IjohhRM6YzyP9lV1qTWwO?si=Q5gnR4yrTmKh-DMnmP0aDg&nd=1 ("Skald" will be uploaded there a week after the Youtube release)
Bandcamp: https://nikitamalko.bandcamp.com/

Skald

One soundtrack that I have been listening to a lot recently is the one of the "Frostpunk" game. Piotr Musial has beautifully captured the atmosphere of a frozen world and portrayed it with incredible (mainly) string arrangements. On "Memories of a Frozen City" I wanted to try and put my vision of this dark "frozen" atmosphere into music. I hope you enjoy the track! Let me know in the comments what you think! 

Composed, recorded, mixed & mastered by Nikita Malko
Cover art made with Artbreeder

Libraries used:
Audio Ollie - Nashville Scoring Strings 
Performance Samples - Pacific Percussion
Spitfire Audio - Cinemtatic Percussion (cymbals)

Memories Of A Frozen City

Out of all the orchestral tracks I have officially released so far, "Rise of a Hero" is probably my favourite. Originally, I intended to write it for the new Daniel James competition, which required us to write a track with a "royal" feeling and use of majestic horns, but I think it turned out to be more of an epic fantasy track rather than a "royal" one :) I hope you enjoy it, let me know in the comments what you think! 


Composed, recorded, mixed & mastered by Nikita Malko
Cover art made with Artbreeder

Libraries used:
Audio Ollie - Nashville Scoring Strings 
Audio Imperia - Nucleus (Brass)
Audio Imperia - SOLO (Solo Woodwinds)
Soundiron - Olympus Elements Choir
Performance Samples - Pacific Percussion
Spitfire Audio - Cinemtatic Percussion (Cymbals)
Spitfire Audio - Solstice (Mallets)
Westwood Instruments - Alt Piano
HybridTwo - Project Chaos

Rise Of A Hero

As you know, I really like implementing folk elements in my music. I did that a lot over the past few months, especially with influences from Scandinavian folk music. On ”剑客“ I decided to try out something different and went in the direction of Chinese folk music, combining it with epic orchestral arrangements and some of the usual elements of my music. I hope you enjoy this little experiment!

Composed, recorded, mixed & mastered by Nikita Malko
Cover art made with Art breeder

LIBRARIES USED:
Audio Ollie - Nashville Scoring Strings
Audio Imperia - Nucleus (Flutes, Oboes, Choir Staccato)
Performance Samples - Angry Brass Pro
Strezov Sampling - Xiao Freebie
Soundiron - Olympus Elements Choir
Native Instruments - Yangqin
Performance Samples - Pacific Percussion (Toms, Bass Drums, Tenor Drums)
Spitfire Audio - Cinematic Percussion (Cymbals, High Percussion)
Spitfire Audio - Solstice (Mallets, Strings Evo, Visitor Percussion)
Westwood Instruments - Alt Piano
Hybrid Two - Project Chaos

剑客 (Swordsman)

This is a very special and personal release for me. It's been two months since the beginning of pointless bloodshed in Ukraine. Russia has criminalized calling it a war instead of a "special operation", but I think it's not the time to stay silent. Here is some information on how you can help Ukraine: inform yourself about the topic from trusted sources and be cautious of propaganda, volunteer or help professionally, send humanitarian supplies, protest in your city, if you are an employee - hire Ukrainians, talk to your local authorities. If you want to donate to help refugees, here is one of the possibilities -https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ua/donate/~my-donation?_cv=1

Freedom Shall Prevail

Here is my new track "The One to Follow".  This one has a fantasy vibe and is more on the peaceful and melodic side, although it still has some epic parts. I am very proud of how this track turned out, and I hope you will enjoy it, too! :)

LIBRARIES USED:
Audio Ollie - Nashville Scoring Strings 
Performance Samples - Angry Brass Pro
Orchestral Tools - Arbos (Natural Percussion)
Orchestral Tools - Umbra (Solo Flute, Gong Drum)
Audio Imperia - SOLO (Solo Woodwinds, Solo Vocals) 
Audio Imperia - Nucleus (Flutes)
Performance Samples - Pacific Percussion (Toms, Bass Drums, Tenor Drums)
Performance Samples - Pacific Solo Cello
Spitfire Audio - Cinemtatic Percussion (Cymbals)
Spitfire Audio - Solstice (Mallets, Hosts Choir, Strings Evo, Ensemble Short Strings)
Spitfire Audio - BBC Discover (Tubular Bells)

The One To Follow

Inspirational Box - Dramatic Fantasy, Vol. 1

Here is a little demo I made using the new Spitfire Audio library Originals Epic Choir. After playing just a few notes, I immediately thought of the sound of Fable: The Lost Chapters, which has one of my favourite scores of all time. I assume the game had the same singers as this library, so that made me very happy. Originals Epic Choir has incredible longs, especially considering the price. I love the sound of shorts, yet I feel like the attack time is way too short and samples seem cut off from time to time, this problem is especially noticeable on the tenors & bass section. However, for just $29 it is an incredible library, which I'm definitely going to be using more of in the future. Enjoy the new composition and let me know what you think in the comments :)

LIBRARIES USED:
Spitfire Audio - Originals Epic Choir
Audio Ollie - Nashville Scoring Strings 
Sonokinetic - Sordino Strings
Spitfire Audio - Cinemtatic Percussion (Cymbals)
Audio Imperia - SOLO (Solo English Horn)

Voices of Albion

Voices Of Albion

Sampling has always interested me a lot, but I never really got around to actually doing it myself. Now that I got Covid I had an entire week just for myself and my music, and I decided to take my time and try something new. So, I took my old steel tongue drum and made it into Steel Tongue Transmissions, a sample library combining traditional playing articulations and sound design. The first version of the library is now available on Pianobook for free (https://www.pianobook.co.uk/packs/steel-tongue-transmissions/) and will later be turned into a bigger library. Enjoy :)

Steel Tongue Transmissions (Pianobook Library Demo)

I proudly present to you my new track "Eyes of Solitude". This is a rather unusual piece for me, as it is very minimalistic and was meant to capture the emotions of the moment the track was composed in. I hope you will like the track! Enjoy!

Bandcamp: https://nikitamalko.bandcamp.com/releases
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikitamalkomusic/

Eyes Of Solitude

I proudly present you my new track "Sorrow for the Fallen", which was written for a competition by Daniel James. The competition has a concept that follows a story of two kings: a medieval and a cyberpunk one, who are somehow connected through time and space. The part of the story that I've written this peace for is about the consequences of the viking invasion on the medieval kingdom - with help of the cyberpunk king the enemy was defeated, but at what cost? Countless warriors stayed on that battlefield never to see day's light again, eternally fighting or feasting together in the realm of death.
Enjoy!

Cover art by Deppy (@mostlymetalm on Instagram)

Sorrow for the Fallen

The field is covered in bodies of the fallen warriors. Mothers are weeping for their children. The king is in despair, the victory seems meaningless. But there is someone approaching through the thick clouds, letting the rays of Sun break through and shine upon the blood-soaked battlefield... Cyber Angus heard the call of the king and came to resurrect the entire Brostinato Army! 
(someone, please nerf Cyber Angus, or he might overthrow our king)
Enjoy!

Nikita Malko

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