Avalon - Prologue OST
Concept Creation
When I first began conceptualizing this album, I first needed to know what I wanted to do with it. I decided to go for a video game soundtrack for a fantasy RPG (role-playing game).
Already I knew where I wanted to take this, so I started looking at music albums - not just the actual music itself but also the art covers, from bands like Dio, Judas Priest and Testament. Naturally, this led itself into a dark undertone - with themes of good fighting against evil.
Initial Images for the Concept Board; the last three on the bottom would end up cut from the final version
As I was making up this concept board, I realized I was focusing too much on music. Besides, I was making a game soundtrack, so I thought about what games I could pull from. What would it play like? What would the story be like? What would the world in that game be like?
Already, more specifics were starting to come into play: the world and story (a world overtaken by an ancient evil, and a lone-standing bastion amidst a world of chaos and darkness), themes of hope amidst unfathomable evil, etc. I also imagined how the music would come into play; weaving between calm and frantic melodies as fights came and went, lullabies and soft jingles for the calmer story moments.
From Left to Right: Final Fantasy VI, Shining Force, Blasphemous, Elderborn
(On Left): Initial Concept Board
(On Right): Final Concept Board, with a more fleshed out concept
This also led me to the idea for my album cover art; a still-standing fortress amidst the darkness, a beacon of hope in a deep-seated world. While the world around it would be filled with dark browns and black, the fortress itself would be filled with bright greens and blues amidst old, ancient stone grays.
Initial drafts for the album cover
The second draft mostly focused on testing the text on the album cover, along with the artist name and logo. The final version would end up more detailed, with trees blocking the path forward, a break of sunlight in an otherwise bleak sky and so on.
Final Version of the Album Cover - including title/artist name
