Five Long Years (music)

Five Long Years is the third exclusive track in the Halo Wars: Original Soundtrack Bonus DVD.

Overview
The track opens with a low pitched piano beat, brass, then a trio of percussion and strings come in for a heavy melody. A choir starting with female then male the sing mournfully, ending with a series of synthesizer effects. A piano solo enters with the Spirit of Fire leitmotif, which repeats with a grander rendition, featuring strings, piano, and vocals. Strings, piano, and brass then play in ambiance before fading out. A second section plays, with synthesizers playing in ambiance before brass enter with a short cue before the instruments fade out.

Appearances
The track debut in the Five Long Years cinematic trailer, which is adapted from the "Intro" cinematic in the final game.

The track plays during "Intro" and "Labcoat Meet Metal", the two cinematics preceding the first Halo Wars campaign level Alpha Base.

Production notes
The name Five Long Years is derived from James Cutter's quote, "Five years, five long years. That's how long it took us to get Harvest back."