The popular HBO television series based on the books of George R.R. Martin will begin anew come April 1^st. With this rapid approach of the season 2 premier of Game of Thrones, we can watch online as marketing gears up for the upcoming coming war.

No, not the war depicted in the storyline, but the war for our consumerist souls. HBO at this point expects a huge viewership turnout for the season premiere, but it wants more. AMC’s The Walking Dead broke cable rating records simply with a mid-season premiere. From what I can tell, the success of this was based on the infectious nature caused by the season 1 fanbase, trailers, teasers, stills, and rocking posters, exactly like what a movie production does. So HBO’s marketing team must have noticed this because it’s seems to have revved up their campaign as of last month.

Since December, we’ve seen multiple production trailers shot at exotic locations; anywhere beyond the city or town you live in is exotic really. Lots of behind the scenes talking to the cast either enjoying their lovely stay in tropical where ever, or freezing their butts off in depressive Iceland.

Then after The Walking Dead did it’s thing on television in February, we got hit with Game of Throne teaser posters, tag lines “War is Coming!”, stills and the release of the first full trailer for season 2, which they call Power and Grace. Yes, they even named their trailers.

Of course, there’s a reason for going to all this trouble. It’s because HBO stands to make a lot more merchandising. There’s the HBO branding and their affiliated products; like online players; DVDs, props; I’m sick of seeing these GoT swords everywhere. The new hot button item that’s going to come out are the two new GoT video games. One of them which is a massive multiplayer online role playing game. Sure it’s free to play now, but how much would a hardcore GoT fan pay for their own dire wolf? A dollar? Ten? How about a hundred?

Not to be outdone by The Walking Dead, HBO’s marketing team has gone a step further and released two new trailers, more hip and cool than the last. One trailer is called The More You Love, which examines the theme of love and how all characters entwined to it seem to walk a path of death and agony in the GoT. It’s loaded with imagery combined with intense words and phrases, like the image of a shadowy Arya Starks simply stating, “Anyone can be killed.” The trailer ends with a jaded viewpoint, “The more people you love, the weaker you are.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if the HBO marketing team was split into two and pitted against each other. Their task, to create a better trailer, because the second trailer takes an entirely different path in drawing attention.

The second trailer is called Seven Devils, and like really good trailers for movies, has a really cool song attached to it. It’s exactly like an Apple commercial at this point. It has lodged an annoying catchy songs in my head and I can’t stop hitting repeat on my music player. The song is also called Seven Devils and it’s by an English indie pop band called Florence + The Machine. So there isn’t a mainstream saturation of this song; yet. If this band wasn’t popular before, I would not be surprised if this trailer puts the band on the map or on the charts.

The sound of this song has the biorhythm beats like early Sarah McLachlan, vocals like Annie Lennox, mixed with the primal sound of a shaman’s drum. It’s the the touch of Celtic that makes the entire trailer and actually makes me excited to watch the Game of Thrones for once.

Check out the latest Game of Thrones trailers below and judge for yourself.

Trailer #2: Seven Devils

Trailer #3: The More you Love.