The Mystery Of The Subliminal Message In Halo 2's Soundtrack that may Influence Halo Infinte

While going through the mission High Charity in Halo 2, you might have noticed the strange and unnerving chanting going on in the background music. But did you know if the track is played in reverse, you get very interesting results?

After the success of Combat Evolved , a sequel was expected and highly anticipated. Halo 2 released on November 9th 2004, and ever since has been one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed games of all time, as well as being the highest selling on the original XBox, with over 8 million copies. We don’t need to tell how much the game has been a influence for all future games, or how it marked the beginning for games to become much more cinematic and be treated as a form of blockbuster media.

 One of the biggest changes that was brought into the game was the world-building of the Covenant. It showcased the motivation of the Covenant and gave insight into their socio-political and military affairs, and how they live in a mobile star ship city named High Charity. While the idea of multiple alien species organized together in a such a complex system is a neat idea in itself, nothing would build the atmosphere of the game as much as the music.

High Charity, as viewed from Installation 05

 We at the DXR Script have always loved Halo’s music across the many games, and we are certainly not the first to tell you how amazing and iconic Halo’s music is. ( See the best Halo tracks here.) 

 Martin O’ Donnell did a phenomenal job with all of Halo 2’s soundtrack, but today we are looking a very specific soundtrack. It is one called “Destroyer’s Invocation” and is part of the Mausoleum Suite. This is the one we are talking about:

 

It sounds like a low growl, with the instrumental beat complimenting the voice. It is distinctly unique in its form, and captures the feeling of being on an alien mega city. (What player can forget how beautiful High Charity looked in Halo 2?) It plays twice in the game as far as we can tell, once in the beginning of the game, when Thel 'Vadam is brought to the Prophet of Truth and Prophet of Mercy by Tartarus, and once again when the player’s character, Master Chief John-117 is in High Charity, rushing to stop the Prophet of Truth, and is thrown in the middle of the Great Schism, otherwise known as the Covenant Civil War between the Sangheili( Elites) and the Jiralhanae (Brutes). It does play nicely into the atmosphere of both scenarios.

The Great Schism

 

Most players would just leave the soundtrack at that, thinking it is quite cool, and it is what we did. However, when we thought about finding out if the growls/chanting meant anything, we came across a very interesting result. If the track is played in reverse, and sped up to about 150%, this is what one hears:

(Credit to Veronica O for uploading this.)

 Here are the lines spoken:

 “I have walked among men and angels for 3,000 years.

Time has no end, no beginning, no purpose.

I wandered the earth seeking forgiveness for my horrible crimes against God and man.

I live to see death and destruction.

Evil over the light, but the light cannot be extinguished.

I live in a prison of my own demise. I am lost in time.”

Quite Strange it seems, doesn't it? 

And here we encounter the mystery: Whose speaks these words, and why? Why are the words played backwards? Why are they only heard on High Charity? Who are these “angels”? What “horrible crimes” is being referred to? 

032 Mendicant Bias

On the next post about Halo on the DXR Script, we will be looking at more soundtracks that have such messages, and discuss at just how unique this piece is, and attempt at solving it, delving straight into Halo’s fascinating lore and even our own history to see if we can solve this. Halo’s Universe is known for its mysteries, and it plays a vital part into into its appeal. It is important that the fans have a healthy amount of speculation about these mysteries, as it only adds to the franchise’s charm and lengthens the lifespan of the games.

 

Some players say it is The Gravemind, some say it is a Prophet or perhaps an past Arbiter. Some even say it might be 032 Mendicant Bias, the Ancient Forerunner AI. It is also to be noted that who speaks these lines in real life is unknown as well. It is one mystery not many people have given attention to, and quite a piece of forgotten lore perhaps.

 To keep it in perspective, it has been nearly 16 years since Halo 2 released, and we are yet to know anything about this from the official sources, and with Halo Infinite releasing this year, perhaps it will play a part?

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