ReMix: Super Castlevania IV 'Into the Corridor of Shadows'

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Super Castlevania IV

VERY cool ReMix from Nigel - takes a theme from Castlevania 4 that's seldom covered but happens to be a personal favorite and really trumps it up, evoking at times the soundtrack to Ghibli films like Spirited Away (viva la Joe Hisaishi), and bringing in bits of other tracks from the game's juggernaut soundtrack as leitmotifs. Actually, they're probably not technically leitmotifs. I just wanted to use the word "leitmotifs" in a ReMix write-up. At 0'32" he turns the very mellow melody into a fanfare of considerable pomp, using bombastic, exaggerated brass to great effect, and following that up with lighter fare. This mix has several moods - grandiose, understated, light, introspective - and is quite successful at utilizing all of them to form a compelling whole. Were I to envision an orchestral arrangement of the theme in question, it's the type of mix that, if I couldn't put together myself, I would nevertheless construct mentally. I used to play the cave stage over and over just to hear the original, and now I've got this :) Gray was perhaps the most positive judge:

"Nigel has finally done it. This is the work I knew you could do. Very fluid medley of cave and library theme. Amazing orchestration, instrumentation and production. Usage of articulations like trills are a nice touch. Great arrangement too. Easily some of the finest orchestration we've heard submitted. Extremely impressive and authentic."

I think Nigel's got a lot to be proud of as well - it's a short arrangement, but it says a lot, and most importantly it remains absolutely identifiable while taking the original and in a sense amplifying the melodies, giving them new life as more dramatic refrains in a richer variety of contexts. Great work, very expressive - a good idea, well-executed.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
This reminds me quite a bit of Michael Kamen's better work as far as arrangement. Excellent string beds and very emotive woodwinds, and a very relaxing yet mysterious atmosphere draw attention to it.
Though the original track was heavy on the atmosphere and light on the melody, this emphasizes both in a way that makes it far superior to the already good original.
Samples are used very well and the transitions are pretty nice. Very good work.

- OA on February 7, 2008
Truly an epic piece here. And so few reviews.
For the first time I can't really find anything wrong with remix or something that could be changed.
Ok, I lied. Around 1:48 and 1:56 the flute plays a high note heavily that kinda sticks out a bit. But that's really picky.
Just download it and you will witness the awesomeness.

- Deductive Dave on May 21, 2007
Man...the things you find randomly skipping around those songs in your OCRemix folder, hoping you find that one gem. This was it today. I'm so glad I found it, this is an awesome remix, definitely brightened my mood and satiated my want for some Castlevania remixage that isn't driven by electric guitar.

- Wicked on July 14, 2006
I can't believe I've not listened to this song before.
It's an amazing song; great samples, great arrangement, and the orchestral sound is really polished. I love how the bassoon is being used here, and I *definitely* hear some resemblance to Jeremy Soule's work on Morrowind III : The Elder Scrolls. This work is THAT impressive. I've played Brass for 7 years for a symphonic band and I've listened to quite a few orchestral/symphonic songs and I have to say that some parts are almost indistinguishable from a real orchestra. The Bassoon/Flute samples are particularly impressive; although the strings are still synth-y, everything blends together really well.
I love it. Perfect.

- arias on January 9, 2005
I agree with Millman. This is cinematic in quality; a pure pleasure for the Castlevania fan.
I disagree with Millman about being removed from the Castlevania aura. I personally found myself thinking about the creature of chaos that is the castle, and how the lost souls who call it home continue to roam the halls, perhaps unaware of their true nature and unable to let go of the force that kept them vibrant in life. I sense great sadness in this piece; regret for a time long since past and haunting of a ancient space for want of it.
10/10

- Devonai on December 13, 2004
This is what you'd call the quintessential perfect remix, at least in my opinion. Nothing drastically different from the original in terms of notes and stuff, just perfectly pulled off with fantastic sound quality and structure. I have to admit, I highly admire this remix and it gets regular play on my pc. Very good stuff, it really would be a nice thing to hear a Castlevania remix project sometime....:)

- OchreJelly on December 1, 2004
Really cool. I always liked the Pillared Corridor theme. Nice job melding it with the Caves theme. Man, it would be awesome if they released an orchestrated album for CV4 sometime for every song...

- Oruroku on July 20, 2004
it's an awesome piece.....simply incredible....

- Raziellink on July 19, 2004
:D

- Nigel Simmons on July 14, 2004
I usually don't like so much orchestral remix.
But the quality of this one is really amazing.

- Coucou on July 13, 2004
Man...this is amazing. If Castlevania were ever a movie franchise, this would definitely be on Castlevania IV's Motion Picture Soundtrack. It's like the overture of Castlevania IV. Really, really nice. I love the mood transitions and the sound samples of everything. Nigel, you did a great job with this one. The only reason I'm giving it anything short of 10/10 is because it becomes so moving it sometimes sweeps you away from the Castlevania aura. And that's not something you usually want to lose hold of in a ReMix. Regardless, this piece rocks. Highly recommended, 8/10.

- Millman on July 11, 2004
Sounds very professional, like this could be put into a war movie or something..good work Nigel 8O

- RimFrost the Tourianist on July 9, 2004
gosh what can we say.. amazing piece. Sounds like it should be the overture to a "castlevania" play. ya know, the song that the orchestra plays before the curtains open. The flute at the beginning has an almost perfect vibrato. :54 is probably the best part of this song. The flute duet that lasts only about 5 seconds is absolutly stunning. the theme repeats around 1:45 and with the oboe sounding instrument in the back, shows the remixer's versatility. the pause around 2:40 was the only thing i didn't like, i would've wanted a smoother transition into the fadeaway. however it still sounded okay. good work, definately one of the best orchestrated pieces on here (we've been getting a lot of those recently eh?)

- CykoticZZ on July 9, 2004
I really like this arrangement. It sounds very well realized for the ensemble used (some nice emphasis on the winds) and has a concise structure with lots of neat rhythms. Good stuff!

- Sil on July 8, 2004
What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

- djpretzel on July 8, 2004

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