return to the wild

Modern society is fractured and divided in many ways, which is why it’s a nice feeling to have everybody playing the exact same game at the exact same time. If there was ever a good time to release a Zelda tribute album based around Breath of the Wild, it would be now, when everyone’s engrossed in the sequel. Arranger Ro Panuganti published a tribute album back in 2017, soon after BOTW’s release, and it’s appropriate to release a follow-up, Return To The Wild, in the shadow of Tears of the Kingdom. “Return to the Wild is a comprehensive album, focusing on the diversity of the source game’s soundtrack instead of just working with the upbeat tracks one might associate with metal,” says Panuganti. “The original 2017 EP The Wild was made in 12 days with limited guests and instrumentation, so expanding on that to show the growth of my music and the fan album scene was also important. You can hear incredibly low-tuned guitars in ‘Molduga’ tributing modern metal, snappier