Michael Johnson of Monsters At Play has written a review of Halo's Original Soundtrack. It was one of the elements of the game he enjoyed the most. He felt it deserved a review of its own; and quite a positive review it is:

As fans undoubtedly already know, Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori are the audio gurus responsible for the fabulous music in Halo. They've created a unique and complex score that blends orchestral arrangements and ambient synthesizers with pseudo-Gregorian chants. This style captures the tone of the game much better than the teeny-bopper pop fluff or looping cheese-rock riffs you'd find in many B-grade sci-fi games, an observation which becomes increasingly evident throughout the game. There is a wide range of musical diversity present in the 26 tracks, so the listening experience remains quite fresh for the duration. From the pseudo-spiritual chanting on Under Cover of Night , to the digital blip-bleeps on Alien Corridors , to the screaming guitars on Rock Anthem For Saving The World , the Halo soundtrack is chock full of high-quality compositions that always heighten the emotional impact of key moments in the game.

In fact, Johnson's only complaint is that listening to the soundtrack CD in stereo doesn't offer quite the same impact as playing the game in 5.1 Dolby surround. Here's the solution, though, Mike: play more Halo.

Thanks to Louis Wu at HBO for pointing this one out.