World of Warcraft: WOTLK - Totems of The Grizzlemaw | Reacting To Video Game Music!

[@JessesAuditorium]

Song mentioned in this video; Mystic Moods Orchestra - Rain kzbin.info/www/bejne/bICvl2d4ZZJmr9U

[@dacsus]

especially Vanilla soundtrack is great - check out Shaping of the world for example.

[@TheEternalElir]

This was probably the best compliment a musician could get. Especially when it's strictly about music. You described the imagery of Grizzly Hills perfectly without even seeing it ✨️

[@jasonseiler569]

4:40 was the highlight of my musical career. Playing that Bassoon solo in Totems of the Grizzlemaw was the one major recording work I ever did.

[@Jeddek08]

Grizzly Hills will forever be in my memory. I played WoW for so long, and even though it became a game I no longer wanted to associate with, those fond memories still stick with me over a decade later.

[@jstraziante]

My time with WoW was long and now it's long gone, but I will always treasure the memories and the music. Severely underrated OST.

[@vanyadolly]

Same. The game's behind me now but in a way nothing can compare to the memories I have of just flying (or running) around Azeroth, experiencing the music and the grandness of it all. Ashenvale, Grizzly Hills, even the sheer loneliness of flying around Icecrown at night.

[@SkurtavusGrodolfus]

Aye. If you played WoW back in the day, it’s in your soul.

[@ComputingCode]

Azeroth will always be a second home to us. We lived in that world.....

[@SuperBlackoutmaster]

Cheers to you dear friend. I do feel the same here. I played the game since beta until Dragonflight. Just isn't for me anymore. 😊

[@Darkholow]

WoW's art and music teams have always been top notch regardless of what expansion and that's a fact.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

the dev team however

[@kristiant96]

Very true i love wow's music.

[@DayleDiamond]

Wrath had some of the best music WoW's ever had. This and the Howling Fjord are my favorites.

[@ikanasd810]

WOTLK, what a time to be alive... Grizzly Hills and The Storm Peaks are something if we talk about music, specially when you're inside Ulduar, that changes everything 🤯 Listen to Invencible song or some stuff from Mist of Pandaria got amazing tracks too.

[@jhill7009]

Definitely. I will say that TBC had some bangers too like Black Temple, Sunwell, Magister's Terrace, and Eversong woods. I played up until Shadowlands and despite how horribly downhill the game went, the music stayed good.

[@Ram2rol]

The main instrument used is the Norwegian Hardingfele. Or fiddle. And this specific track and zone is inspired by Norwegian fjords, mountain and folk music.

[@Ram2rol]

I just realized I could be lying about this. Hardingfele and the Swedish Nyckelharpa sounds very similar, and it is just as likely that Nyckelharpa is what is used, because it is on a lower frequency than the Hardingfele. For all I know they may have been used in conjunction with each other. If anyone have any backstory of the making of this music, I'd love to hear it.

[@Devo_not_the_band]

@@Ram2rol pretty sure the instrument starting at 3:00 is the hurdy-gurdy, mostly 'cause of the clicking of the buttons you can sometimes hear on the instrument.

[@Ram2rol]

@@Devo_not_the_band The Nyckelharpa uses keys like the Hurdy-Gurdy does, which is likely what you hear. Nyckelharpa translate to "Key harp" :P

[@Devo_not_the_band]

@@Ram2rol Oh I thought Hurdy-gurdy was just the english word for nyckelharpa, lol. My b.

[@Ram2rol]

@@Devo_not_the_band They share some elements, while the Hurdy-Gurdy uses the wheel to vibrate the strings, the Key harp uses a bow like a Violin.

[@zephytime8196]

WotLK absolutely nailed the Northern Ocean wistfulness, beauty and melancholy. It isn't just nostalgia, it hit you in the gut all those years ago, too. Something about the lone fiddle in the mists, the aurora in the night sky over the frozen ocean, the pines towering. If you dig this instrumentation and tone, highly recommend checking out The Fields of Ard Skellig from The Witcher 3. That song claws at my dreams of a place I've never been, yet always known.

[@VerinVerdandi]

I'm so happy you enjoyed that! Out of all the Warcraft music, I'm glad this was your first. It's one that has just stuck with me throughout the years and always manages to just make me think of better times, of happy and sad moments, that sense of nostalgia, and everything in between. Some context! This is background music that plays in a zone called Grizzly Hills, it's a massive forest with a river flowing through so that's the water sound you get. It also plays in a day/night cycle so that's the reason for the shift in style and why there are hour long vids of the different cycles lol Anytime I had downtime I would have my character chill out in Grizzly Hills simply for this music. Oh and that instrument you couldnt place is called a Nyckleharpa, you can actually hear the clicking/crackling when it plays

[@ChronosTachyon]

Copying my Patreon comment: It's been ages since I played WoW, but yes, Wrath of the Lich King was an expansion. Specifically, the second expansion and the peak of the game's popularity. The ambient music has an incredible variety, depending on which location you're in. They have music for cities, music for mystical woods, music for oceanside fishing villages, music for pirate taverns. This song is from the Grizzly Hills, a woodsy area on the edge of the sea which was a favorite zone for a lot of people across the entire history of the game (in terms of mood, aesthetic, and ambiance). The Grizzlemaw are a peaceful tribe of furbolgs (bear people) who live there in a rustic village. Grizzly Hills is a zone in Northrend, a continent that is mostly frozen tundra, but Grizzly Hills is one of the few places warm enough to see vibrant green. Addendum: Oh! I don't know if he did this particular song or not (doesn't sound like him), but David Arkenstone did a lot of WoW's music and he's probably the most well-known musician whose talents they've used.

[@josiahferrell5022]

This was Russell Brower, who has done work on the OSTs from Burning Crusade through to Legion.

[@3XPBonus]

World of Warcraft is all about the sweeping orchestras and ambience for their soundtracks. The game is ALWAYS playing music. Expansions have different themes and this themed music too Look at mists of pandaria for some good ones

[@abbysol5812]

this hits me right in the nostalgia way too hard

[@IceRuler]

Incidentally, a few months ago, I actually played through this area, Grizzly Hills, for the first time and it turned out to be so beautiful, music included. It's no wonder Wrath of the Lich King is considered to be the best WoW expansion ever.

[@catnipthedragqueen8885]

My brother and cousin listening to this when my mom died

[@MangaManifaction]

Just found this video today. Absolutely love that track. When I need to calm down and feel a bit more at peace, I put on that music. It's so lovely

[@nc9008py]

For me, the soundtrack of Wrath of the Litch King was the best of the WOW universe until the Battle For Azeroth expansion.

[@hoozentroger]

Songs like "Arthas, my son" "Nightsong" are something else. But its really hard to pick out certain songs because all are good

[@HappyBell92]

WoW has some of my favourite music. Russell Brower is the king of zone music, all of his songs for WoW really hit the nail on the feeling of all of the different zones. It's sad WoW has turned to shit now even Russell does not want to remember any of the things he did for WoW.

[@SuperBlackoutmaster]

The Statement "i have so much imagery in my head" left me with a sense of happiness. Because this is exactly what i was thinking when i first came in this area while playing

[@Hadesillo]

Warcraft has a legacy of more than 20 years of great music, some of the best tracks in the videogame story. And I say Warcraft because Warcraft III soundtrack is already one of the best you can find, and it continued through WoW until recently (I can't really think of any memorable track in Shadowlands, BFA still had some good music).

[@mariomarques775]

Grizzly Hills is far more important than most ppl realise it is where one of the world trees was planted.

[@TheVnom]

WoW truly excels at ambient osts. Rarely do they stand out like this one does. But for that one time they decided to make the ost stand out in the forefront of the music design, they nailed it.

[@strictlyunreal]

I had forgotten just how beautiful the music from Grizzly Hills is! The music from this game was always its strongest point. I'm remembering the one from Storm Peaks, when the chorus starts singing. Chills!

[@M0oseTacular]

If you talk to any old warcraft player they will criticise the game in a million different ways. They will never criticise the music, world building or immersion. The warcraft art team are a master class in gaming.

[@017renegade]

It's funny you had these images in your head. That's exactly the journey the players would experience when entering that area where this music is played. You arrive with a ship at the steep coastal line of this northern continent. Then, settle in with the locals, gathering materials, before venturing into the mountains where the forests slowly progress into tundra and the glaciers. So yeah, there is a lot of water...

[@ReturnofMatt]

Wrath was the glory days of WoW for me, and Grizzly Hills music was always, always one of my favorites.

[@MichZilla90]

The place this track plays in is Grizzly Hills, a beloved zone by the community that represents the boreal forest, with its peaceful winds and pine scent, and powerful large pine trees and giant grizzly bears. My top 3 favorite zones in the game! (There are entire 5 planets in game so top 3 is an honor)

[@Malcontentus]

World of Warcraft has some pretty good music. The tavern music is pretty awesome as well.

[@krognak]

Oh man, this song makes me well up for so many reasons. I wish I could hear it for the first time again.

[@taldir5228]

From Wow i would 100% recommend Arthas theme from Wotlk and Nightsong :)

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

This never gets old, it just brings back so many memories like I wish I could experience fresh again, it just hits you, it was WoW in its peak

[@Dimumouto]

If you liked the sound of this track (for the zone Grizzly Hills), check out the music for the zone Howling Fjord. It's one of the two intro zones to the expansion and the opening minutes are akin to the sound of gospel music, it's absolutely great.

[@Kronos_88]

I personally think World of Warcraft has some really great ambient/background music. I do hope a few more WoW requests come through, there's definitely some pearls like this. It's amazing because even though I haven't visited the Grizzly Hills in years but I still remember a lot of the scenery in it; the massive broken tree, Ursoc's area, the connecting tunnel to Zul'Drak, the lighthouse in Venture Bay (I think?) and just the big forest in the area. It's a great area.

[@ausmac5287]

in my opinion, the most beautiful music ever written for a game. It soothes my heart every time I hear it. Yes, Wrath is arguably the game at its height. This is set in Grizzly Hills, which is a forest zone full of huge trees and mountains, snow and rivers. So the music is very fitting. If you would like to hear a superb orchestration of the Wrath music, I highly recommend the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's performance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoaYgamkhc5_baM

[@IVPixel]

I'd say you should listen to "Canticle of Sacrifice" but I'm not sure if you want to listen to something sung in a made up elven language (the bagpipes in it are fantastic though)

[@Kestrel029]

2:25 - 3:00 Cinematic scoring at it's finest

[@z8tr377]

woa woa woa world of warcraft???? holy crap I quit that game a year ago for FFXIV but I still have a ton of fond memories so cool to see you react to some of its ost if I could recommend other tracks my pick would definitely go to either one of the log in screen themes (Wrath of the lich king login screen music for example)or the iconic lich king's theme "invincible"

[@Bbqdinner]

The login screen for WOTLK is very memorable.

[@Maliya2313]

Thus is the majestic beauty that is Grizzly Hills

[@MichZilla90]

The barrens music, night song, a call to arms, the shaping of the world, and invincible all all great Warcraft tracks you should try.

[@cole_deatherage]

The full body chills I get when those violins really come in. My god

[@busshock]

My favorite zone, largely due to the music. And there is in fact a lighthouse in this zone!

[@Arksimon2k]

I don't play WoW anymore, but there's definitely a bunch of excellent tracks from the game and cinematics. Invincible WILL get requested.

[@PaganElements]

Your mention of Disney is apt, as the composer was a Disney Imagineer prior, creating the sorts of sounds needed to immerse people when they're going through Disney attractions. Unfortunately, he was eventually let go because hiring freelance was cheaper. One of the many missteps that slowly led to WoW's fall from grace.

[@michaelbeleut6480]

If you’re reacting to music, World of Warcraft has some of the best tracks I’ve ever heard in my life, period. You should definitely try out other WoW music from various zones as they really nailed the feeling of them all.

[@siverwrites]

It's funny when you mentioned your initial expectations and negative slant to them. I felt similarly when I saw it come up and I HAVE heard a song or two from WoW and I've played some Warcraft 3 (although admittedly I don't recall any of its music), so it was a very unfounded kind of meh reaction. Then it turned out this song is beautiful and right up my alley. Egg on my face... I suppose it's another lesson of sorts in don't judge by a book by its cover. Now I'm curious about whatever else may be thrown your way. And then just to defy my expectations even more it ended up reminding me somewhat of a song from the beautiful game, Unravel, called First Steps. Unravel is different in pretty much every respect, so it's a funny thread of connection there. Fingers crossed for some of its music to come up here too. It's gorgeous.

[@TheZombinator1]

Iron dwarf, storm peaks and the taunka music is amazing from this expansion

[@MichZilla90]

For more peaceful World of Warcraft sound tracks I suggest Elwynn forest and Westfall music, not as legendary as this song you listened to but still iconic.

[@Torenhire]

Prob one of the best tracks of all time in WoW. \o/ I still listen to it super frequently even though I havent played in years.

[@yunaito6399]

Try Anduin Theme and Nightsong Those song are one of the best song/theme of WoW

[@freshboy3968]

My only experience with WoW is my big bro letting me fish for him and later on letting me make my own character which I got to play with for one hour if even that.

[@jonathancarter4677]

"This game must have a lot of songs." "I wonder if I opened up a new floodgate..." And so it begins. This game is more than 17 years old now, still one of the most populous MMO's out there, and is brimming with amazing music. I definitely look forward to seeing you hear more of it. :)

[@Omegaroth666]

Yeah, less like a floodgate and more like a Blizzard.

[@mactassio21]

and yet surprisingly it doesn't have that many iconic music though. WoW is more about ambience.

[@Omegaroth666]

@@mactassio21 Warcraft 2 has some pretty iconic pieces, but they're still more focused on ambience.

[@Giovith13]

I miss these days of Warcraft

[@atomictoaster3393]

2:12 if wind really blowing his hair, i wish he do the that nicolas cage meme lol

[@miamianz]

Their music is amazing i actually play nighyekf music to sleep. Esp Azshara theme.

[@yanb91]

i hope a few more Warcraft requests come through, there's more pearls like this music

[@sindri1447]

What I get from this song: comfort

[@SkurtavusGrodolfus]

The instrument you're wondering about is called a Nyckelharpa (Key harp) it's a Swedish folk instrument.

[@ChuckS117]

Glad to see some wow content!

[@willofthemakers8625]

if there is one thing that wow is good at its art work, from soundtracks to cinematics

[@lothar3073]

The era WoW peaked. Been only downhill since then, but who was there at the time still remembers how glorious it was.

[@stereoslime]

WoW has so much amazing music

[@SeralyneYT]

How can someone request Wrath music without requesting Invincible and Arthas, My Son? (Both use the same leitmotif so they ideally should be done at the same time) Khadgar's Theme (Warlords of Draenor) and Jaina's theme (Battle for Azeroth) as well as Anduin's theme (Legion) should definitely also be listened to.

[@Zhanael]

I don't blame you for your misgivings. WoW's been around so long and yeah, frankly, it's had a lot done to it and the company. But... WotLK was one of the best, and this particular piece is my favorite piece from all of WoW. The zone it's from is a rustic mountain setting kinda like the PNW or the Rockies, that does back onto the ocean (so really, more the PNW). I have a great love for the mountains, so this zone was heaven for me.

[@makotheshark3365]

Storm, Earth & Fire, heed my call! :D

[@ThePolishValsion]

Even if WoW isn't as good as it used to be, one thing stays constant - it has amazing music in every expansion.

[@Graeldon]

Having never played WoW the music honestly caught me be surprise. Wonderfully evocative and creates some beautiful imagery. I have to say though... comparing this music to the toxic reputation that WoW players have these days I can't help but wonder where it went wrong. The juxtaposition of it is difficult to picture in my head.

[@lorospact]

This song is from the second expansion to World of Warcraft, and it's from back in the day where the Dev team... listened and interacted with the players. The music has also always been good - it tends to be more... ambient than FF14 music, but that's not always a bad thing.

[@TheVnom]

Songs like these are quite rare in the WoW ost, apart from the main title theme. When you enter the Grizzly Hills (the zone in which this plays), it truly takes you out of the experience and demands your attention, in a good way. Sadly, wow doesnt have two of these really impressive ost. Maybe the thousands needles track, maybe Invincible, but not much more.

[@italian504]

World of Warcraft Music is ambiance and meant to be played on repeat since each piece has variants per-area of the zone. Many of them can be played when idly doing things and set a tone. Winterspring, Tanaris, Uldum, Icecrown, Most of the Pandaria zones, even in Battle for Azeroth with places like Zuldazar and Drustvar. you won't find a lack of great melodies to relax and think to within the game world itself from the Coldest Norths to the Warmest Souths. Orgrimmar and Stormwind. From feeling ready to go to war to chilling at the tavern with a pint. The login screen music is definitely something you have to listen to if you're big on lengthy orchestration pieces. My favorites are the Mists of Pandaria Login music (best one in my opinion that has a satisfying 'conclusion' to the track) , Shadowlands Login Music, Wrath of the Lich King Login and even Cataclysm but each bring an air about it. I hope more recommendations of these tracks pour in for you overtime. Totem of the Grizzlemaw is music for an area of Northrend (a very cold continent) that has lot of logging and grass despite the harsh cold of place and icy cap mountains.

[@kremil92]

Ah, the good ol' days...

[@Klorel92]

that 2:38 - always the point where my eyes get wet lol

[@arch4609]

People do sleep on the music of this game. WoW has so many locales and sets up so many different types of moods. It has quite ambience, epic orchestra and many styles in between.

[@SundraTanakoh]

wind in the pines....

[@keelhaulsthingsthatdontmatter]

Truthfully, yes, a lot of WoW's music is ambient. I like it though. What's really tragic though, is that WoW's music often gets downplayed because... well, the developers themselves don't really respect it? Certainly not in the way FF14 respects its own music with recurring motifs doing callbacks to story moments, etc. So for a lot of players the music is... forgettable? Every new expansion they pay for X amount of music and then just slot it in. They *rarely* carry over past motifs or try to utilize tracks in ways that pay homage to older zones/themes/stories. It's part of a bigger issue WoW has with hating its own past (my theory is that it's because of the turnover of developers, the new ones don't want to pay homage to things they didn't work on... I don't know *why* it's a thing, just that you can feel its effects in how the story, music, and lore are handled). Like in WoD, they introduced some incredibly epic Draenei themed tracks, but then in Legion (the next expansion) they did Draenei story moments... and just plugged in the same generic themes they'd used throughout the rest of the expansion. The more you know WoW, the more disappointing it is like that.

[@autumndidact6148]

These days I'm not much in the mood to give WoW an iota of my attention. They've burned every bridge imaginable. And yet, this one track, this one was able to pull me in. I recommend any music associated with the blood elves if you're wanting to hear more WoW music. Silvermoon City, Eversong Woods, Sunstrider Isle, and especially Lament of the Highborne.

[@VerinVerdandi]

I'm much the same, I've not played in so long now for multiple reasons but I really wanted to share this one song over everything else

[@ChronosTachyon]

My then-BF and I were so enamored with the Blood Elves when we started that our private guild was named "Shindu Belore" (Failing Light) in reference to Lament of the Highborne. Although most of my characters were cows. Tauren cat druid FTW.

[@tmcxd1165]

I don't know if you will read this comment, but I loved your gunbound BGM!!!

[@JessesAuditorium]

Gunbound rules

[@cerebralisk]

Oh yeah this is a goddamn good one.

[@azet521]

🥰🥰🥰

[@jdspencer60]

warcraft and diablo have the best music of all time

[@Perrydigm97]

I love your videos! Please do more NieR :D

[@willofthemakers8625]

react to invincible, nightsong and the gunship battle and you'll hear the true artworks of the blizzard

[@garethrogue]

Bro. This song is maybe the best BGM in video game history. Enjoy.

[@Nyrella]

arthas my son?

[@wytchblade]

it has such a sports movie about overcoming racism feel to it lmao

[@divinsinity4059]

world of warcrafts only good thing is the ost, and its nasty good !

[@Velacroix]

This sounds like a composer too afraid to create anything distinct or memorable.