This is the third, and final, soundtrack to the Record Of Lodoss War OVA series. The rest of the tracks from the anime are included on here... most of them. When I saw the OVA again, I discovered that there are a couple of tracks that the album producers didn't include on the album. I guess they must have felt that they would not be an appropriate listening experience. Don't let this make you think that Record Of Lodoss War Original Soundtrack III is an album to skip though, there is more than enough music on this album to please Lodoss fans and soundtrack collectors.

You can call this album the "grand finale" to the Lodoss series, in that it features most of the music that plays during the climactic scenes. Some of these tracks are darker and less uplifting but this is not a negative. "Magical Power Of Evil Warlock Wagnard" is a very furious, intense battle piece that shakes the speakers with terror, and "Scorching Decisive Battle!" and "Marmo's Monster Army" really reach out to the extreme level of excitement.

Aside from the battle tracks, we've also got "Grief Of Leylia", "Resurrection Ceremony Of Evil Goddess Kardis", "Death Of Pirotas", and "Shrine Of Kardis", all of which are depressing, yet one can distinguish each from the other in terms of mood. "Resurrection Of Evil Goddess Kardis", "Shrine Of Kardis", and "Death Of Pirotas" are on the dark side, while "Grief Of Leylia" reaches for the light.

We've also got more vocal tracks. My favorite of the three on this album is "Eternity", an English version of the lovely "Now And Fortune" song. In other words, the instrumental track is the same as the one on the original Record Of Lodoss War soundtrack, but the lyrics this time around are in English - and romantic as ever. Akino Nii, who wrote this catchy tune, lends her captivating voice to perform the vocals. Her English accent is well done, despite sounding somewhat Japanese on some of the words. "Knight Of Lodoss ~Song Of Wind~" brings Takeshi Kusao (the voice of Parn) back for another delightful vocal performance, and "Wind, Birds, And Sky ~Reincarnation~" is a really beautiful (and tearjerking) ballad sung with heavenly beauty by Akino Nii. This song, interestingly, is hinted only briefly in the thrilling climax of the Lodoss series, so it was not possible to hear a full version. But on the album, we have an extended version of this lovely song.

As a bonus, the album producers included instrumental versions of "Odyssey" and "Rain Of Stars", the two image songs from Record Of Lodoss War Original Soundtrack II. They contain the orchestral accompaniment only, with a solo instrument playing the "vocal part". I almost wonder if they were included to get people to make their own version of the songs, because whenever I hear them, I feel tempted to sing along.

And then, there's the finale that brings the music to Record Of Lodoss War to a close - "Epilogue". It is a very uplifting, triumphant song that provides a wonderful contrast to the "Prologue" on the first Lodoss soundtrack. It plays victoriously as it starts to build to a final chord, but before we can have a "grand finale" (all instruments holding with a drumroll), "Parn's Intention" from Record Of Lodoss War Original Soundtrack II is hinted, and the song ends quietly, although still heroically. The way the song ends may not match everyone's expectation, but it is done so well that hardly anybody will complain.

Record Of Lodoss War Original Soundtrack III is not a soundtrack you can afford to miss, especially if you're a fan of the series.