ReMix: Wizards & Warriors 'Sweet Plum Aspara'

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Wizards & Warriors

Israfel's Soul Blazer mix still stands as one of the most impressive and dynamic pieces on the site, with a little bit of everything thrown in and an excellent ear for beats and acoustic/electronic integration. This Wizards & Warriors shows some of the same skills, though in this case Israfel had help and released under the name of Dead Lovers' Consort. Following one of the more memorable intros I've heard recently, reminiscent of the beginning of Beetlejuice, DLC bring in some very tasty breakbeat work, ominous strings, and oscillating synths, and continue with the great choir samples. Choral shouts add even more menace to the beginning, which truly does evoke an oppressive and evil atmosphere. After a little break section at 1'34", the drums fade out a bit, then there's a flanged synth and some dissonant strings hits at 1'55", after which the strings take the lead with breaks still doin' their thang in the background. Things end much as they began, which brings us full circle. Again, the symbiotic relationship between electronic and organic textures is handled professionally and adds a lot. These are some of the best choral samples I've heard, period, and add a whole other dimension as well. Really slick stuff - very creative, yet not at the expense of the original melody, which is still quite present. Much of W&W's music is very much in the vein of a classical etude, and while I can't say this sort of adaptation would have occurred to me, I'm certainly glad someone got the idea. Another impressive, enjoyable, and unique winner from Israfel / Dead Lovers' Consort. Highly recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more love via reviews. It is one of the more standout older mixes on the site.
As has been mentioned, it isn't Israfel's best work, but considering generally the other mixes around this time period, it stood out. I did love his take on this though, as it's definitely unique.

- Bahamut on September 30, 2009
Reminds me of a bunch of warrior druids on psyching themselves for the hunt. You do [U]not[/U] want to be on these guys' bad side.
Deeply dark and darkly sinister; a very good Halloween anthem.
A very good remix, but I wouldn't recommend downloading until late October.

- 42 on December 14, 2008
Choir sounds really good. Samples are amazing for that.
Overall, this is a good mix, but it's just not grasping my attention. Good combination of styles, and everything is used effectively; I just can't keep interest. Sorry.

- DragonAvenger on September 29, 2008
After hearing a lot of old school and cheap midi mixes, the high quality samples in this one are pretty striking. The choir and string sections mesh very well with the drums and oscillating synth, and the only issue has been mentioned, that later on, when the main theme comes in strong, the attack on the strings is a bit weak, and needs a bit more bite.
The choir sounds fantastic, though the attack on them is a bit slow as well. Regardless, a very good mix, and one I recommend.

- OA on December 28, 2006
This is a great song that has stood the test of time, and definitely deserves more attention.
Some have commented on the randomness of the drum beat, but I don't really feel that it's too random. There's some bad drumwork over at 1:08, but that's nothing that removes the greatness of the rest of the track.
I really enjoy the subdued string melody, and the awesome fusion of electronic and romantic music. The arpeggios are great and the comeback to the melody at 2:26 has a determined, march-like feel to it. The interesting textures invoke so many different images - a hero, perhaps, preparing for war, on his march to the battlefield... the place where he experiences his last joy, his ironic place he calls home, before death.
Excellent music that has stood the test of time - it's been three years after its acceptance, and it's still great.
Israfel is definitely one of the most underrated remixers in the scene. He's done some great work here, and has improved dramatically since, but when one can make something like this and still have people enjoy it, it just screams, "Instant classic".
Listen to this!

- Arcana on May 22, 2005
Arcana wrote:
GrayLightning wrote: It's surprising this hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Chalk up another great one to Israfel.

That's because no one recognizes "Dead Lover's Consort". :)

Yeah, it should be linked to his Israfel mixer ID soon. Edit: Fixed.

- GrayLightning on May 20, 2005
GrayLightning wrote: It's surprising this hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Chalk up another great one to Israfel.

That's because no one recognizes "Dead Lover's Consort". :) I found this song on VGMix and never realised it was ever an OCRemix.

- Arcana on May 19, 2005
This is one of my favorite game tracks from my childhood. Not Israfel's best my any means, but still pretty darn amazing. My single complaint is that I'd like the melody (strings) to be much louder. The samples are like Israfel's other mixes, top notch and he knows how to use them. The arranging is very creative. The new additions included are so seamless that most probably could not detect all the new things added. My favorite part comes past halfway when the meat of the mix emerges. Sweet genre blending too. It's surprising this hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Chalk up another great one to Israfel.

- GrayLightning on February 17, 2003
Awesome song overall. I especially love the vocal samples used.
I've two gripes. The drum beat sounds extremely random to the point where it hurts the song more than helps it. It just seems very out of place and messy. The part near the end where it changes and gets a little more organized and less hyper is much better.
My other gripe is that the main vocal parts could've been louder and more towards the front. They're a little too quiet and too far in the backround.
Aside from that, awesome tunage.

- Fygee on August 5, 2002
I dunno, this one just seemed more random than anything. The oscillating appregios just seemed out of place. Same with this clearly more renaissance type music being mixed with electronic music. And the melody just didn't seem to go anywhere to me.

- Ryan8bit on August 4, 2002
Ok... this is... yeah. Ok, really neat.
Nothing really "wrong" with the notation or instrumentation here. Just solid work really. The only thing I might have changed was the attack on the strings. A lot of times they seemed to be behind the beat (maybe the intention, though I can't imagine why), especially the strings with slow attack, and then the staccato (not to be confused with pizzicato) strings seemed to be just a tad behind, which might be fixed by simply moving the notes back a fraction of a step. But anyway, other than that and the fact that it didn't seem loud enough (could be my speakers), this was one solid piece of work. Nice mix of orchestral and electronic elements and to be quite honest, it reminded me of the music from "The Saint" a bit. Anyway, don't miss this one. It's a keeper (like one of those wives that you don't want to cheat on... do those exist?).
DC

- Disco Dan on August 4, 2002

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