Everyone loves a good movie, videogame, TV show or book. Everyone loves music to some extent too! Miracle Of Sound, the project of mastermind Gavin Dunne, combines music with everything to do with entertainment. His diverse music has been streamed millions and millions of times, but his time has now come, as his record label debut is here, and it is a celebration of the genius that is Gavin Dunne through a best-of record that spans 13 years.

Materia starts off with the biggest Miracle Of Sound song yet with 105 million views on youtube, it is none other than ‘Valhalla Calling’. An enchanting and powerful Viking sounding track with pounding, rhythmic tribal drums which are at the forefront of the song throughout, with the chant-like vocals matching the atmosphere of the drums, with the guitars, and actual drums in the background, making this a very unique song.

‘Skal’ is a rhythmic powerhouse. The tribal drums and keys emit a pirate atmosphere with a touch of melancholy. The chorus is easily memorable and encourages chanting. Just like what a group of people such as pirates or Vikings would have done.

‘Road Rage’ is what follows. Transporting the listener into the word of Mad Max, has some of the softest vocals on the album throughout the verses, but the chorus explodes. With the vocals in the chorus taking over, it is hard to notice the other instruments, which is a shame because the keys and guitars should be part of the wall of sound in the chorus but get overshadowed by the powerful vocals.

There are a couple of faster metal songs included in this collection. ‘Between Heaven and Hell’ is the better of the two. Featuring flawless double bass work and blast beats, wailing guitars and choirs, this is Miracle Of Sound in one song. It proves what Dunne is capable of, but is experimental at the same time, both vocally and musically.

‘Wake The White Wolf’ is a song gamers should be very familiar with, as it was featured in the soundtrack for The Witcher 3, the third entry in The Witcher videogame series. Vocally, Dunne is fantastic here. The song is once again very simplistic, but the additional of mountain vocals and more aboriginal sounding instruments helps it stand out from others on this record.

The song that follows is the heaviest and is the second fast song included. The chorus is huge, incredibly catchy, and has some of the most musically challenging drum parts. The synths in this song really give it a different sound, as it they sound slightly electronic. The bridge features a short synth solo as well as fantastic vocals from Dunne once again, proving why this song belongs on this album.

‘All as one’ gives an acoustic first impression but gets louder as it develops. It includes a rare guitar solo, and another trademark Miracle Of Sound chorus, filled with catchy, poppy sounding melodies. The song ends with a heavy riff, and with the synths, it sounds very melancholic.

Album closer ‘Sirona’ is folky at heart, but is a heavy, slow guitar driven beast of a song. The bridge features a breakdown which is just as beautiful as it is heavy. The drums add a lot to the second half of this song, as the main riff gets repeated with what is a near blast beat. This is another stand out moment on an album filled with these stand out moments.

With an album like this, a best of album, the listener can expect the best of an artist. Even though this is most definitely the case here, there are too many folky songs, and not enough of the heavier, uplifting tracks making the 11 tracks seem unbalanced. The two fastest songs are the best here, and these types of songs should have been included more often on this record.

Overall, this is the ultimate Miracle Of Sound experience. 11 of the very best Gavin Dunne has released in his career so far. A record like this should not be seen as just a record. It should be seen as a celebration. Not only of what has been released, and what he will release in the future.

Miracle of Sound: Materia Best of 2011-2024 – Out 8 November 2024 (Napalm Records)

CALLING by Miracle Of Sound – ORIGINAL VERSION (Viking/Nordic-inspired Dark Folk Music)