ReMix: Castlevania II: Simon's Quest 'Bloody Tears Inspired'
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- Game: Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Konami, 1988, NES)
- ReMixer(s): Alexander Prievert
- Composer(s): Kenichi Matsubara, S. Terashima
- Song(s): 'Bloody Tears (Street-day time-Stage BGM)'
- Posted: 2000-09-16, evaluated by djpretzel
Alexander Prievert, responsible for the great Castlevania 64 ReMix recently added, also sent me this excellent 'Bloody Tears' inspired piece from Castlevania II. His style tends towards a great sonic density that makes things sound very processed and polished. He also uses a Kawai K5000S quite alot, which is cool to me because I have a K5000W myself, which I picked up on ebay a few months back. I must say, he knows how to use it a bit better than me at this point :) . . . Just listen to the insane bassline, the great guitarish sounds, the MOTION in this ReMix - it's quite amazing, and as I said, professional-sounding. Kudos to Alexander for another great one.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the "Inspired" is right. The source tune was only used from :10-:30
& 1:08-2:10. Not nearly enough Castlevania in
here, not even 27%. I would have loved to have heard a lot more CV
here, but whachagonnado.
- Liontamer on February 16, 2010
- Liontamer on February 16, 2010
To reiterate what Polo said: For what enjoyment this may re-kindle
in the longtime listeners of this great Remix: when I listen to
this, I get a very "running-through-the-jungle" feeling, and I
imagine, of course, various undead baddies assaulting me. I might
add that this becomes especially-sharp when the awesome part around
2:10-2:40 chimes in. Whatever those sounds are, to me it really has
a
"surrounded-by-the-fell-legions-of-Dracula-as-I-hurry-along-to-vanquish-this-fatal-curse"
feel to it. Well done : )
- bjnartowt on August 23, 2009
- bjnartowt on August 23, 2009
I've always loved the raw, gradual buildup in this piece. I imagine
Simon Belmont marching through the daylit woods, skeletons aprowl,
tension building all the while as Dracula's curse slowly takes over
everything. 2:22: love those creepy, fluttery, acrophobia-inducing
synths. 2:43+ is interpretive gold. And 4:27 until the end - wow.
It's like every demonic force in Transylvania is crying out for
fresh blood, and Simon's time is running out.
- Polo on April 3, 2009
- Polo on April 3, 2009
Woah, mid-90's dance-O-rock-O-tron here! I can appreciate that.
:-)
Time for the Belmont training montage!
Some drum fills would really help the transitions, and overall the production needs to be a lot punchier, but for the date, this is killer stuff. Synth programming is nice, and the synth guitar actually sounds pretty good.
This is a great mix that has been slowed by age a little, but still brings it.
Nice work. :-)
- OA on April 2, 2008
Time for the Belmont training montage!
Some drum fills would really help the transitions, and overall the production needs to be a lot punchier, but for the date, this is killer stuff. Synth programming is nice, and the synth guitar actually sounds pretty good.
This is a great mix that has been slowed by age a little, but still brings it.
Nice work. :-)
- OA on April 2, 2008
There are some texbook things that make this song 2000, so I won't
touch on those. But let me just say if this was redone and revamped
in terms of production...then damn.
What is here already I really like and is def worth listening too. The compisition is the strongest point. Alot of the extended arpegs are awesome. There are lots of little things playing of each other that make for some really good ear candy. 3:35b was easily my favorite part. A great time to change things up. A lil unexpected but it was executed really well, which in turn made for an awesome transition. Def make for some good driving music.
- avaris on December 15, 2007
What is here already I really like and is def worth listening too. The compisition is the strongest point. Alot of the extended arpegs are awesome. There are lots of little things playing of each other that make for some really good ear candy. 3:35b was easily my favorite part. A great time to change things up. A lil unexpected but it was executed really well, which in turn made for an awesome transition. Def make for some good driving music.
- avaris on December 15, 2007
This song is amazing. Just raise the volume in Audacity and you're
ready to go.
The sound quality for some reason, while not being what you'd standardly hear in a song, sounds way better in certain ways indescribably. No one I show this to seems to like it, but perhaps only due to the volume.
Speaking of raising volume...
Here's a version with the volume raised. I went in Audacity and used the pencil tool to get rid of some of the higher volume peaks, and then raised the volume of the whole song. PM me if you're interested in a FLAC version. It does go in the red zone occasionally, barely, but I don't notice degredation in quality; I just notice how much better it sounds when louder! Useful when you just have an on-board sound card.
This is more 80's rock than techno. The drums do get a little monotonous after awhile, and with the right touches more power *could* be put into this without it losing its appeal. I have to say, after raising the volume, I noticed the pitch-raising synth near the end is the most powerful section in the whole song; a certain point after it, though, it goes back to normal power, which is a little disappointing. I tried to alleviate that in the above version.
- Audity on November 21, 2007
The sound quality for some reason, while not being what you'd standardly hear in a song, sounds way better in certain ways indescribably. No one I show this to seems to like it, but perhaps only due to the volume.
Speaking of raising volume...
Here's a version with the volume raised. I went in Audacity and used the pencil tool to get rid of some of the higher volume peaks, and then raised the volume of the whole song. PM me if you're interested in a FLAC version. It does go in the red zone occasionally, barely, but I don't notice degredation in quality; I just notice how much better it sounds when louder! Useful when you just have an on-board sound card.
This is more 80's rock than techno. The drums do get a little monotonous after awhile, and with the right touches more power *could* be put into this without it losing its appeal. I have to say, after raising the volume, I noticed the pitch-raising synth near the end is the most powerful section in the whole song; a certain point after it, though, it goes back to normal power, which is a little disappointing. I tried to alleviate that in the above version.
- Audity on November 21, 2007
Excellent work on this mix. Usually im a little wary of techno as,
for me, i find it a rather trite form. This mix, however, was very
dynamic. The guitar at 0:31 is integrated flawlessly and adds a
rockin element into the piece. The drums are simple, but aggressive
sounding along with the rest of the arrangement. 2:10 to 3:33 is a
great build up/transition period to my personal favorite part of
the mix. My biggest complaint is that the ending cut off abruptly,
which i didnt like but the rest of the song makes up for it. 8.5/10
as i like the orchestral version better.
- theskornd1 on July 26, 2006
- theskornd1 on July 26, 2006
Agreed. The best Castlevania mix I've heard so far. The original
castlevania music in general is outstanding (symphony of the Night,
Dawn of Sorrow, Curse of Darkness, Battle I, II) and this emphasis
this all the more. Well done on a great remix, a remix to be held
within the great Castlevania walls.
Sorry, I got carried away.. :D
- Hillsy on June 5, 2006
Sorry, I got carried away.. :D
- Hillsy on June 5, 2006
The beatwork kind of dragged on after a while, plus the overall
power should have been greater. Right now the volume is too subdued
for this type of music. A bit rigid in the performance, but a very
solid arrangement for its time.
- Liontamer on May 4, 2006
- Liontamer on May 4, 2006
First off, I must say that this is an awesome remix. However, It
also left something to be desired. While the guitar sound was an
excellent addition, I would have to say this remix is a pale shadow
to the orchestral version of the song. In the original, you have an
organ soaring through the notes at near inhuman speed, the sound of
the orchestra is so powerful, forceful... Just far more cool in
general. In other words, while this is a great remix, it scores an
eight while the original scores a twelve. Nothing can beat an
extremely skilled professional pumping out riffs on a full organ.
However, your mix was still worth the Evil Fingers. :twisted:
- Baruch, Vampire Lord on August 24, 2005
- Baruch, Vampire Lord on August 24, 2005
AP pulls together a wall of sound quite literally unheard of in the
world of eight bit games. I think it would be increadible if you
overwrote the original soundrack of an Eight bit emulator with the
works of AP and other remixers.
- DragonFireKai on August 18, 2004
- DragonFireKai on August 18, 2004
For some reason this remix reminds me of the kind of music I'd hear
listening to a Ninja Turtles movie. Not that I mind, because I love
those movies and I really like this Remix. Well done.
- STS on February 20, 2004
- STS on February 20, 2004
Werid, this song has me hooked. I really can't stop listening to it
for some reason. I just enjoy it a lot. Great job on it.
- OmegaWeapon2k on January 3, 2004
- OmegaWeapon2k on January 3, 2004
I dunno, this just seems kinda flat to me, reminds me too much of
simpler/older original game music. I don't think it's bad but don't
think it's that great, either.
- Isk on October 2, 2003
- Isk on October 2, 2003
This is one of my favorite remixes I've ever found on oc remix, and
definately one of the best from castlevania. The intro is cool with
the reversed melody, and then the simple but effective drums. I
really love the background synths that kick in. The speed and the
just plain sound of them are great. My favorite part of this song
though is the large buildup at the ending, and then those few notes
on the guitar right before it drops off. Gives me tingles everytime
I hear it. Great piece, from one of my favorite remixers. =D
- illuminated donkey on September 29, 2003
- illuminated donkey on September 29, 2003
