"Dear Humanity... We regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"
@@HedonesInk The drop-in riff that first plays, with the screaming pickups and chunky guitar from 0:25 to 0:38 You can find it in it's original form here th-cam.com/video/p61VBqnc8n8/w-d-xo.html around 9 minutes in.
@@HedonesInk there's a video of him doing his first recording for Halo 2, and he improvised the opening, and about half of what would be the final version of the song on his first try.
This still brings chills...ill never forget that reveal. Someone at Bungie really walked in the office one day and dropped a "hear me out...Steve Vai"... And arguably the single most iconic and epic piece of gaming music in history was born.
I remembered leaving the menu on once and my dad (Who hates all video games but is a musician) is like... Is that Steve Vai? So I googled it and found this, and now have to come back and listen to it again.
Bungie: Hey Steve, we want you to play a rendition of the main theme! Steve: k Bungie; you don't have to play the song exactly, just kinda follow the beat and stay with a rhythm. Steve: I can do that
Dragonspartax that video brought me here... I actually never knew Steve Vai played this until just a couple of minutes ago and frankly, i'm disappointed in myself lmao.
Back in 2005 I remember my guitar teacher asked me if I heard this intro and when I said 'yes' he basically broke it down note by note and made me learn it. The reason was this is a good intro to Vai's playing style and I had just bought a used 2002 Ibanez RG550
Theghostanihalater jackal snipers was your problem? Mines was them suicide grunts and the darn jackals teamkilling suicide grunts to get em to detonate, intelligent bastards
I was like 8 years old when my dad first introduced me to gaming he pulled his Xbox out of the room put Halo 2 in and I haven’t looked back since. Greatest game and greatest soundtrack to ever exist.
everybody surprised it's Steve Vai even after all these years, but I knew after the riff at 3:28 the first time I heard it. Can't mistake those arpeggios for anyone!
I remember reading somewhere before Halo 2 came out that Steve was going to do the main theme for that game. I'm surprised a lot of people didn't know it was Steve Vai.
Martin O'Donnell just posted a vid of some of the recording session for this track like a week or two ago. Steve did most of the solo in his FIRST TAKE! It's crazy highly recommend that you watch it
@@rabisingh1524 Steve is ridiculously consistent, the Frank Zappa transcription story and him being four days into a personal fast to record "For the Love of God" are my personal favorite stories, I've seen him live twice and he's always such a professional
Halo 2 is hands down the best game of all time. Before I never even considered it when ranking my personal list, but coming back to this I can remember all of the genius that went into this game.
I never even knew this was Steve Vai until the other day when I was listening to the halo 2 soundtrack. Then, out of curiosity, I googled "Halo 2 soundtrack guitarist" and my mind was blown.
one of the many reasons why i loved playing through halo 2. its a fucking awesome game with a theme track played by one of my favourite guitarists of all time!
You guys have to understand. The way the main theme starts normally and then the guitar kicks in with a first note warning you something is different and then throwing that divebomb was something else. Before you realize it you're listening yo the theme you already knew but this time it's like Metallica just got on stage and took over. At least that's how the first time felt like, the track literally evolves and sounds so different yet you know how exactly is going to sound
Fun fact : this is the first and only take Steve did : he literally came into the studio sat on a chair, plugged his guitar, played this art piece, unplugged his guitar and left
Always thought this was a brilliant guitar arrangement from Martin, but as a guitar player, I'm so glad to discover it was the genius of Vai behind this track
THE definition of nostalgia! My whole childhood explained in one song... This is still epic AF even after 14 years!! Steve Vai making love to his guitar as usual.
Primero jugué halo y ame la canción, años despues escuche a Steve y ame sus canciones y su sonido tan unico, después volví a jugar halo y fue cuando me di cuenta que indudablemente esa guitarra tan unica era Steve
Why isn't this in every halo game? its clearly the best song associated with the brand, and sounds good whenever you're doing anything "halo". Probably a stupid licensing thing or something.
+James Johnson the person who made it "marty" got laid off andthe company 343 wanted to use his music without being paid, greedy corporate assholes ruining it for everyone as always
The first good online console game. I made a friends list with this game on Xbox filled with 100 people, back before Xbox had its own list, some of who are still friends 10+ years later. Good stuf good song.
I’m not afraid to admit that listening to this made me cry like a baby, not only because it’s beyond amazing but also just the amount of memories associated with this game that bum rushed me all at once hit me like a bulldozer
All these years I had no idea who this was i must have heard this over a billion times. I now play guitar listen to Steve Vai and own Marshall amps its like my ears been tuned to this.
Theres a video somewhere on McDonnells channel or something of the recorded live video of Steve playing this, absolutely stunning to see the literal birth of the solo and riff in studio completely improvised.
I do wish that every game had this + to it. Because there are many games out there that the base of their overall success is their music. COD itself is a game, and whether ppl like it or not is unrelated to it having good music or not. Halo however is a game which prides itself on having epic music! lock and load!
![Halo 3 Warthog Run OST [HQ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t-T6lEYJHm8/mqdefault.jpg)
All these years I had no idea steve did the guitar for this song
SAME MAN IM JUST FINDING OUT NOW
The best for the best
Well you guys are pretty late.....
Bach Hiechman I found out two minutes ago lmao I’m late
classic noob
Everyone remembers their first Scarab encounter when this played.
that was my favorite level
"Dear Humanity... We regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"
"OOH-RAH!"
Wait, you ain’t Ozwald!!! YOUR OLGIERD VON EVEREC!!
So... wanna meet O’Dimm again?
Yes
The fact that Steve Vai improvised the riff in a single take... 🤤
Bruh i feel like no one ever talks about it that lmao
@Trevor Smith I feel like you should be impressed just not surprised
which riff?
@@HedonesInk The drop-in riff that first plays, with the screaming pickups and chunky guitar from 0:25 to 0:38
You can find it in it's original form here th-cam.com/video/p61VBqnc8n8/w-d-xo.html around 9 minutes in.
@@HedonesInk there's a video of him doing his first recording for Halo 2, and he improvised the opening, and about half of what would be the final version of the song on his first try.
Man, as a guitar player, Steve Vai’s playing really does make you shed a tear.
Because beauty AND jealousy x)
SHRED a tear? ha get it?
@@tk7977 shed a tear on this th-cam.com/video/YhA_OZNt3-4/w-d-xo.html
Vai makes his guitar speak to the soul
i watched him
play for the love of god at gearfest 2019 and i cried. wanted to see him for long time
This still brings chills...ill never forget that reveal. Someone at Bungie really walked in the office one day and dropped a "hear me out...Steve Vai"...
And arguably the single most iconic and epic piece of gaming music in history was born.
Steve Vai + Halo theme = Eargasm.
best comment ive seen in a minute lmao
@@donovanjohnson3791 haha thanks!
I remembered leaving the menu on once and my dad (Who hates all video games but is a musician) is like...
Is that Steve Vai?
So I googled it and found this, and now have to come back and listen to it again.
It’s cool he could tell just by listening
Good ear
Did he stop hating videogames after that?
Lol did he like halo afterwards?
Pretty sure he would appreciate Halo's ost
Every Halo should make this unlockable if you finish it on legendary.
You could not have been more correct my friend! =D
Kevin S ..IN Legendary with only a pistol. work for it: "DEAD MAN RUNNING"...2:42 MINUTES😆
All skulls on of course if your that guy
Bungie: Hey Steve, we want you to play a rendition of the main theme!
Steve: k
Bungie; you don't have to play the song exactly, just kinda follow the beat and stay with a rhythm.
Steve: I can do that
Pretty much, th-cam.com/video/RUUa112HA78/w-d-xo.html
Dragonspartax that video brought me here... I actually never knew Steve Vai played this until just a couple of minutes ago and frankly, i'm disappointed in myself lmao.
same here!! haha
LOL it's cool guys. Also yeah I came to this video from that one lol. I just wanted to see if there was anymore footage of him playing it.
ahaha, glad to know i'm not alone!
This is the quintessential Halo song. When I think of Halo I think of this very song. It's like it casts a spell on you that never lets you forget it.
+Logan Gibson Nah fam Unyielding.
That's the magic of Vai's guitar
I would like but were at 343 likes
@@theEWDSDSsome dick ruined it
Back in 2005 I remember my guitar teacher asked me if I heard this intro and when I said 'yes' he basically broke it down note by note and made me learn it. The reason was this is a good intro to Vai's playing style and I had just bought a used 2002 Ibanez RG550
Nice
Nice
Nice
Nice
Nice
Oh god the feels. Back in high school again...
FUCKIN JACKAL SNIPERS
Theghostanihalater jackal snipers was your problem?
Mines was them suicide grunts and the darn jackals teamkilling suicide grunts to get em to detonate, intelligent bastards
orchestra + rock music should have been a genre on its own ....
It does! It's commonly referred to as "Symphonic metal".
no it's not lmao
search "apocalyptica", you're welcome
symphonic rock/metal, neoclassical metal, etc
@@user-ge2vc3rl1n the fuck are you talking about haha
Rhapsody of Fire, Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, Kamelot to name a few.
This gave me massive goosebumps. Haven't heard this for so long. Got my adrenaline pumping to kill some covenant goons \m/
Yep! I get massive nostalgia goosebumps, bought the first Halo for pc 8-9 years ago when I was 15 or something ;D
I was like 8 years old when my dad first introduced me to gaming he pulled his Xbox out of the room put Halo 2 in and I haven’t looked back since. Greatest game and greatest soundtrack to ever exist.
1:39 the background singers. Man. Still to this day it gives me chills. Hand me a rifle I’m ready to die for earth.
everybody surprised it's Steve Vai even after all these years, but I knew after the riff at 3:28 the first time I heard it. Can't mistake those arpeggios for anyone!
The first few seconds he plays are a dead giveaway.
Lol that divebomb at the start alone is enough to give it away
@@dngrouscrgo that divebomb is so good
I remember reading somewhere before Halo 2 came out that Steve was going to do the main theme for that game. I'm surprised a lot of people didn't know it was Steve Vai.
One of the greatest pieces of music ever wrote for a game. This statement is as close to a fact as you can get.
The good old days booting up halo 2 on my original Xbox to see like 100.000+ people playing the game Omg the nostalgia);;
Martin O'Donnell just posted a vid of some of the recording session for this track like a week or two ago. Steve did most of the solo in his FIRST TAKE! It's crazy highly recommend that you watch it
Martin deleted the video so -> th-cam.com/video/YhA_OZNt3-4/w-d-xo.html
That tells you how good his teacher was...
Steve doing Steve things.
@@rabisingh1524 Steve is ridiculously consistent, the Frank Zappa transcription story and him being four days into a personal fast to record "For the Love of God" are my personal favorite stories, I've seen him live twice and he's always such a professional
Anybody here in 2019 rockin the f out?
Rezo Nate I's here...😁 🤘. Have you came across the Game of Thrones theme collaboration by Fender yet?
@@jennrat513 I mean I am human and i have morals so yes, yes i have🤩
Always bro
2020 now baby
@@carlosduarte6876 2020 :v
Idk how, but when I first heard this; I just knew it was Steve Vai!
***** that liquidy whammy bar use no doubt
jakethreesixty Steve Vai has that style where you know it's him by the first note lol.
Me too!
Its because it sounds exactly like Steve vai lol
Goosebumps.
Sólo con escucharlo me dan ganas de volver a jugar Halo*-*
Halo 2 is hands down the best game of all time. Before I never even considered it when ranking my personal list, but coming back to this I can remember all of the genius that went into this game.
I never even knew this was Steve Vai until the other day when I was listening to the halo 2 soundtrack. Then, out of curiosity, I googled "Halo 2 soundtrack guitarist" and my mind was blown.
Blasting this in 2019 reminiscing about highschool :) thinking how cool the guys at Bungie must have been back at this time to get this track done
There's a clip from the recording studio when this iconic riff was born :)
one of the many reasons why i loved playing through halo 2. its a fucking awesome game with a theme track played by one of my favourite guitarists of all time!
Whenever this song plays, I feel like suddenly I have the power to take on every last Scarab the Covenant has.
Still gotta be one of the most iconic sound tracks for a game ever
eternally GOATed
Seeing every minute of this video was worth it.
Great guitarist for a great game
Gives me tears listening to this in surround sound. My childhood in a soundtrack! Incredible.
You guys have to understand. The way the main theme starts normally and then the guitar kicks in with a first note warning you something is different and then throwing that divebomb was something else. Before you realize it you're listening yo the theme you already knew but this time it's like Metallica just got on stage and took over. At least that's how the first time felt like, the track literally evolves and sounds so different yet you know how exactly is going to sound
Wow, amo ese theme. Halo 2 es de mis videojuegos favoritos y escucharlo de nuevo… que nostalgia
Fun fact : this is the first and only take Steve did : he literally came into the studio sat on a chair, plugged his guitar, played this art piece, unplugged his guitar and left
Mostly, there are some parts written later like 2:54 and the main backing riff.
Holy shit. This makes me nostalgic for a game I’ve never even played
Always thought this was a brilliant guitar arrangement from Martin, but as a guitar player, I'm so glad to discover it was the genius of Vai behind this track
Amazing playing.
And I remember when this music kicks on in the game. Made you feel so badass!
16 years later, still LOVE this theme.
THE definition of nostalgia! My whole childhood explained in one song... This is still epic AF even after 14 years!! Steve Vai making love to his guitar as usual.
Even after 16 years!
Meaning this game came out close to my birthdate...
lucky me
@@MasterHall117halo 3's 16 now
@@axolotl09 … stop it…
@@MasterHall117 it's old enough to drive a car now lol
@@axolotl09 amen
It's been 11 years since I first heard this song... its epicness still makes me wanna cry :v
I remember hearing this for the first time thinking, this has got to be Steve Vai lol. He's touch is truly unique
I started playing guitar just because of this solo... 7 years had to pass by till i realised steve vai was the man behind it :D
To think that half of this was a one-take on the spot improvisation from Steve Vai... Epic!!
All these years later and this shit still pumps me up so much
Og halo trilogy was way ahead of it's time . Great story , awesome gameplay and badass Master Chief. A Masterpiece !!!!
Primero jugué halo y ame la canción, años despues escuche a Steve y ame sus canciones y su sonido tan unico, después volví a jugar halo y fue cuando me di cuenta que indudablemente esa guitarra tan unica era Steve
There aren't too many song that can make me cry but, this one definitely did it.
Steve vai making his guitar just absolutely WEEP in that first few seconds already gets me
As if on queue, during the beginning of the solo, lightning struck near me and knocked the power out for a few seconds. No joke. Damn what a song
God decided to be extra epic that day and make music with Steve
Hardest divebomb in gaming history
Y el mismísimo Dios bajó del cielo a componer la mejor banda sonora para el mejor juego del maldito universo entero...!!!
Obvio soy un dios
@@df-dn9gt lol
Never played Halo, but love Steve Vai and had no idea about this until now. His tone is instantly recognizable here.
Can’t believe that this was all improv.
Steve did a great job.
Why isn't this in every halo game? its clearly the best song associated with the brand, and sounds good whenever you're doing anything "halo". Probably a stupid licensing thing or something.
+James Johnson the person who made it "marty" got laid off andthe company 343 wanted to use his music without being paid, greedy corporate assholes ruining it for everyone as always
inigo destiny wasnt shit, destiny 2 is
The first good online console game. I made a friends list with this game on Xbox filled with 100 people, back before Xbox had its own list, some of who are still friends 10+ years later. Good stuf good song.
Still f-ing RIPS in 2024
I’m not afraid to admit that listening to this made me cry like a baby, not only because it’s beyond amazing but also just the amount of memories associated with this game that bum rushed me all at once hit me like a bulldozer
There is a reason why Vai is one of my guitar inspirations
I didn't know it was from Steve Vai... That's why it was so epic
3:13 and onwards to the end, I fucking ascended. Full body chills.
All these years I had no idea who this was i must have heard this over a billion times. I now play guitar listen to Steve Vai and own Marshall amps its like my ears been tuned to this.
How can you not like this??
No matter what changes in my life or how much, this will never not make me smile.
“I need a weapon.”
Nile rodgers, hey steve shred to this.....Okay, watch this and a fucking legend theme was born
I still can't believe that dive bomb at the intro was his first sesh just fucking around and he made one of the most iconic dive bombs in history
Single handedly the best dive bomb (if not the only) in gaming history
When I played this game I was already a fan of Steve and when I heard this soundtrack I knew it was him.
Theres a video somewhere on McDonnells channel or something of the recorded live video of Steve playing this, absolutely stunning to see the literal birth of the solo and riff in studio completely improvised.
I just adore the absolute legendary, almost religious in undertone, savage music landscape of Halo
i had no clue steve vai made this, this is just mind blowing....
Wow, I had no idea it was Vai who did this solo. AWESOME!!! For some odd reason it makes me love halo that much more.
Legendary game, legendary guitarist. Doesn’t get much better!
I don’t think there’s another video game theme that kicks this much ass
Still absolutely awesome 😭
Goddamn Steve vai just knocked it out of the park with this! halo and sick metal guitar riffs go so fuckin well together!
I do wish that every game had this + to it. Because there are many games out there that the base of their overall success is their music. COD itself is a game, and whether ppl like it or not is unrelated to it having good music or not. Halo however is a game which prides itself on having epic music! lock and load!
Boy, this brings back memories!
even 10 years later this is still a top tier song
The song that launched halo into legend
My childhood was awesome
When the aliens come, we're playing this in the choppers full blast.
At 2007, when i played halo 2 for the first time, I kind of presume that it was Steve Vai, that day I goggled it, yeah, it was Vai. :3
One of the best..... sick!!
Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen. Legends. Rip evh
Gives me chills every time
I only hope Steve Downs and Kieth David were in the room when this was recorded know that this was about to be the hottest game to drop that year
Still get chills when i hear this. 2024
some of steves finest work
The cry of a JEM is unmatched
2020 like..... I need this song in my life again.
my fave guitarist and my fave game.
Was listening to steve vai, made me think of halo 2 theme, and sure enough he is the one who made it lol
you know it's a great song when the guitar sounds like something else
If you weren't already by now, this song welcomes you to the Spartans
HALO uno de los mejores juegos que an marcado mi vida :)
That divebomb at the beginning!!!!!!
The weird thing is That halo is my favourite game and Steve is one of my favourite guitarist s!
This is the first time I hear this theme, is so beautiful...