Editing Belly of the Beast

{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Center|Not to be confused with [[Into the Belly of the Beast]].}}
{{Music infobox
 | name       = Belly of the Beast
 | yt      = D_Pj66g8aJ8
 | album      = ''[[Halo 4: Original Soundtrack]]''
 | composer   = [[Neil Davidge]]
 | length     = 2:40
 | last = [[Awakening (music)|Awakening]]
 | next       = [[Requiem (music)|Requiem]]
 }}

'''Belly of the Beast''' is the second track in ''[[Halo 4: Original Soundtrack]]''.

==Overview==
The track features a rhythmic melody by synth and piano, accompanied by heavy percussion. The melody becomes more intense and rises in pitch, creating a sense of urgency, eventually building up to a climatic ending.{{Ref/Site|Id=commentary|URL=https://www.gamereactor.eu/halo-4s-composer-commentary/|Site=Gamereactor|Page=Halo 4's Composer Commentary|D=8|M=9|Y=2021}}

==Appearances==
The track can be heard: 
*In the campaign level ''[[Dawn]]'', when [[John-117]] exits the airlock from {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}'s interior to its missile launchers.
*In [[Invasion (Spartan Ops)/Home Field|Episode 7, Chapter 2]] of ''[[Spartan Ops]]'', when [[Fireteam Crimson]] defends one of {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}'s hangar bay after the hangar doors failed to close. This version is somewhat lighter, only featuring the percussion and synth melody.
*In [[Expendable|Episode 8]] of ''Spartan Ops'', ''Expendable'', during the ''Halo: Infinity'' cinematic, when [[Gabriel Thorne]] and [[Gek 'Lhar]] fight each other, and the ''Infinity'' crew fight against the Promethean Knights.

==Production notes==
*The track was conceived as the background music in ''[[Awakening]]'', the [[2011]] ''[[Halo 4]]'' announcement [[trailer]]. Initially, composer [[Neil Davidge]] and fellow arranger/producer Andrew Morgan thought of multiple ideas, including a relentless rhythm building up in intensity, and a long rising bowed piano line with synth increasing in pitch. They eventually combined the two ideas to create the track.{{Ref/Reuse|commentary}}
*The name is based on the common phrase {{Plain|[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/belly_of_the_beast "belly of the beast"]}}, which was also the name of the seventh movement in the track ''[[Long Night of Solace (music)|Long Night of Solace]]'' in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''{{'}}s [[Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack|original soundtrack]]. Additionally, it was a part of the phrase "Into the Belly of the Beast", which was the second chapter title in the ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' campaign level ''[[The Truth and Reconciliation]]'', and later [[Into the Belly of the Beast|a soundtrack]] in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary Original Soundtrack]]''.

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Soundtrack|H4}}