*Spoilers May Follow*
Were you holding your breath? Be honest. Only days removed from the fifth episode of HBO’s tremendously popular Game of Thrones, the actor who played a Young Hodor in the flashback scenes has penned a touching tribute and ode to the character he played. 19 year old Sam Coleman, who played the younger incarnation of the show’s popular character Hodor (named, for Coleman’s role, as stableboy Wylis), has let loose the beautiful ballad Hold the Door in tribute to the character’s tragic experience related to the same.
Long a fan-favourite amongst the series, the fate of Hodor, the beloved caretaker of character Bran Stark, stunned and shocked the show’s fans worldwide, as the tragic origins of the character’s name and trademark word was revealed – connected to, you guessed it, ‘holding the door’. Without giving too much away in this text, the track is a beautiful ode and tribute to the character’s tragic history and subsequent devotion to the aforementioned Bran Stark.
As Coleman croons himself, ‘I only had one mission, a simple one, I knew I had to face, when I reached the time and place, hold the door!’, cueing the feels of GOT diehards across the globe. Listen below, and prepare to lose your mind.
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You can find James Schofield on Twitter and Instagram.
Photo Credit: Helen Sloan
Dutch trance legend Armin van Buuren has released an official remix of the Game of Thrones Theme, turning the iconic opener into a mixture of scintillating beats and pounding synthesisers.
Iranian-German composer Ramin Djawadi originally composed the theme, which has now become synonymous with the HBO fantasy series, now nearing the end of its fifth season.
The remix was first premiered at Ultra Music Festival in Miami in March and Van Buuren has been incorporating it into his live sets ever since.
The producer released it on his Armind imprint on Armada Music last week.
Van Buuren premiered the remix to the world on his weekly radio show A State of Trance radio show last week, saying “I’m a big fan of the Game of Thrones,” adding “[I’m] really honoured to be asked to do an official remix for their anthem.”
It’s certainly not the first time Game of Thrones have played around with music. not only have we spotted artists including Mastodon and Sigur Ros on screen, and they’ve also released two mixtapes (mostly comprised of hip hop and heavy metal.) Two GoT actors Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and Raleigh Ritchie (Grey Worm) also have fledgling careers as musicians!
Have a listen to the trance-infused offering below:
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There’s no arguing that the latest episode of Game of Thrones was one of best of the season, possibly the best, (I just can’t get over the ending!). But if you were in some way unsatisfied then they’ve gone a step further.
Heavy metal fans may have already picked it, but the episode actually featured members Bill Kelliher, Brent Hinds and Brann Dailor of Mastodon. The band members were extras as part of the Wildlings clan, so don’t be upset if you missed them, they fit in perfectly.
Brann Dailor talked of the awesome experience: (Don’t read this if you haven’t seen the episode!)
“It was such an incredible experience to be on set as extras for our collective favourite show Game of Thrones and to be wildlings murdered and then brought back to life by White Walkers was beyond amazing. I watched my best friends Brent and Bill, murdered right in front of me as I myself was stabbed in the stomach and had my throat slit multiple times, and I didn’t mind at all. It made me love being in Mastodon even more.”
As told to Pitchfork.com
Mastodon haven’t been the first to appear in Game of Thrones. Sigur Ros played the wedding band in an episode last season, delivering a stunning, ethereal version of the ever-ominous Rains of Castmere. Will Champion, drummer from Coldplay appeared (as a drummer) in a season three episode as well as Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody. If we want to look even deeper, Theon Greyjor is played by Alfie Allen, brother of none other than Lily Allen! I wonder if this will develop as the a new trend, spot the famous musician in Game of Thrones.
If you’re into Game of Thrones, rap and metal then this may be exactly what you’ve been waiting for. The second volume of the Catch the Throne mixtape has been released, featuring artists such as Snoop Dogg, Ty Dolla $ign, Mushroomhead and more. We can only assume that the name is a cheeky reference to Kanye West & Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne. Dragons in Paris, perhaps?
The mixtape is available for streaming and download on both SoundCloud and iTunes now, and features samples of music from Game of Thrones Season Four. Sweet!
Produced by Launch Point Records, Catch the Throne: The Mixtape Vol. 2 boasts a diverse range of artists, many of which have written songs specifically for the show. It’s rap, hip-hop and heavy metal game, however, is by far the strongest. Rappers such as Talib Kweli, Method Man, and Kap G, are all thrown in there alongside Mastodon and eighties thrash metal group Anthrax.
Game of Thrones is clever to release the mixtape for free, less than a month before the premier of their fifth season. Being the most pirated TV series of 2012, 2013 and 2014, they are hugely successful at generating online hype around their show. They’ve also released a 26-minute documentary about the making of the latest season, including insights from producers Chris Newman, Peter Welter Soler and Duncan Muggoch.
With all this we can only assume that Season Five is going to be more popular than ever.