Posted 2009-03-27, evaluated by djpretzel


And now for something completely different... if you're into dark textures, nightmarish soundscapes, distortion, tension, and a generally stark, post-apocalyptic mentality to music production, you're probably a fan of Children of the Monkey Machine, aka Matthew Newman, or should be. I was talking with Matt (CotMM-68030) on IRC recently and confessed that I'm personally more of a melody-centric guy, but I dig what he's been able to do with taking game music - even from Barbie Super Model - and turning it into something recognizable but dramatically mangled, with some of the most interesting sound production techniques I've heard. Matt mentioned Sunn O))) and Nadja as artists with similar approaches - apparently "ambient drone metal" is the genre. But what's this? Do I see Beatdrop's name attached to this mix as well? Hmmm... and it's a vocal mix, to boot, with Dain rockin' the mic. Matt writes:

"Beatdrop and I have been working on this for a while and have come up with perhaps the most sinister, abrasive, harsh sounding creation that has ever been submitted to OC ReMix, other than Bad Tuna (I kid). Seriously though, I think it's a fun little track, with fresh original 'gothy' lyrics and sort of a Stabbing Westward meets Skinny Puppy sort of vibe. Hope you love it! (Or at least don't hate it so much you don't want to post it)."

This is some absolutely twisted, evil stuff, and instantly becomes one of my favorites from CotMM due to its possessing a bit more structure & melodic content, plus vocals. Dain adds a lot here, singing digitally-tortured genre-appropriate lyrics with excellent delivery. Things intro with an industrial beat, over which we get a talking-head-scientist sample clip followed by a brilliant clipping fx intro into heavier beats. It doesn't seem like there's an olfactory form of synesthesia (a shame - think of the possibilities!), but if there were, this would definitely conjure the smell of burning, grinding metal, as that's what a good deal of the fx sound like. The entire soundscape is alive with the ripped, disturbed & shredded exorcism of aural machinery, and the vocals fit into the whole nightmare like a demonic narrator or modernized Phlegyas, ferrying terrified passengers across a 21st-century Styx.

What's especially cool is that through Matt's collaboration with Beatdrop, the end result is less ambient in form and takes on more of a traditional song structure. It's still pretty damn far from AABA, but it's relatively narrative and has discrete sections. It would have fit in perfectly on the Black Box album that dominated my 8th grade playlists way back when, and is completely believable as an original industrial track which just happens to be a pretty damn inventive CV3 ReMix. Kudos to both these guys for pulling off something truly original and creating a rather epic industrial mix that should really hit home with fans of the genre, CV3, and anyone looking for an enjoyable descent into a beautifully-constructed, well-executed digital hell.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Necrox
on 2015-12-09 00:30:41

This one just sounds evil; it trades subtlety for nightmare fuel. The vocal processing is sick. the whole mix is almost like a giant robot's intricate inner workings gone berserk. Nasty, in the best way possible.

avatar
Bahamut
on 2010-01-15 00:56:50

Hm, this isn't something you see every day around here. Crazy experimental here, and I guess we wouldn't have it any other way from CotMM with the help of Beatdrop.

What I see here is that the low end combined with the quirky lead melodies really building the foundation for the strangeness. There are lots of other little elements here and there that really help build on this as well, like the robotic sounding voice (not like metallic robot voice, but unnatural for normal speech type of voice) towards the end of the track.

Definitely good work by this duo here!

avatar
Legion303
on 2009-10-17 01:52:58

I don't know how I managed to miss this one until tonight, but god damn. You guys sound like the aborted love child of Optimum Wound Profile and Diatribe (in a good way!). More collabs, please. I want an album of this awesome shit.

-steve

avatar
yosefu
on 2009-05-09 08:47:57

My favourite castlevania mix. its atmosphere is really spot on to what i get from playing the game. I found hearing some of the lyrics hard but i still really enjoyed the mix. great job.:-P

avatar
Deathtank
on 2009-05-02 07:36:21

Great, great stuff! I love it! Best mix in years, very original. :wink:

avatar
m68030
on 2009-04-15 08:26:49

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I'm glad you've enjoyed it!

This track wouldn't be what it is without the synth lines Beatdrop provided,

along with his original lyrics and vocal lines.

As a special treat here are some MP3 renders produced along and along as this track came together:

http://brahmsbbs.servebbs.org/ocr/demon_seed/

Also included is a FLAC lossess copy of the track and a (partial, zoomed out) out screenshot of the final multitrack layout.

avatar
Martin Penwald
on 2009-04-13 09:50:39

Never thought I'd see another CotMM remix on the front page.

As djp said in the write-up, this is a fairly melodic remix compared to CotMM's other stuff, but that is not a bad thing at all.

While I like the arrangement, I have to say that the vocals don't do it for me. At all. They're just grating and annoying, especially when listening to the song using headphones. They do fit in with the overall atmosphere, but I still don't like 'em.

avatar
Mtlbro
on 2009-04-12 08:45:53

Definitely. . . evil

Never played the game, but I assume with a name like DRACULA 2 it must be very creepy and subliminal, and those corrupted (-: synths/layers really catch the mood.

This gets my vote for pure ambient drone metal :)))

avatar
DragonAvenger
on 2009-04-07 15:55:08

This is some creepy stuff. Not usually a fan of this style of music (sorry CotMM, just not my stuff), but I can appreciate what has been done to really create a sinister atmosphere. I had to read the lyrics to figue out what was being sung, but having them almost undecipherable makes them fit in just fine.

Nice work, even if it's not my thing.

avatar
Sinewav
on 2009-03-31 03:31:35

A Beatdrop/CotMM collaboration?! ...can't say I ever saw that one coming.

These last few weeks have provided for some really great-yet-unorthodox remixes. This is definitely one of them.

It's hard to describe: it sounds different from CotMM's usual, and it sounds different from Beatdrop's usual... though I'd say it leans more toward CotMM's style. The man has some the most interesting... sonic experiments... I've ever heard. Like a lot of his stuff, this sounds just plain evil. The source tune is perfect for this sort of thing. It's like Dracula just finished installing his new cybernetics.

Of course, the lyrics just add to the sadistic quality of the song. I bet if you played it backward, you'd probably hear all about how he loves bunnies or something, because it seems all of the satanic subliminal messages are already there when you play it forward.

avatar
anosou
on 2009-03-30 09:05:40

A fantastic example of how to make a unique remix and make it work, especially in a style reminiscent of drone. Good combination of different elements and an admirable sense of mood, solid stuff.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2009-03-27 13:43:34

Castlevania's evil, and I'm feeling the evil here. Solid stuff and a unique take on "Demon Seed", which is one of my favorites from the best Castlevania soundtrack of all time.

avatar
SoulinEther
on 2009-03-27 12:51:13

I've given this piece a couple of listens so far... it's definitely not like most of what I listen to. Still, it's something I can get into.

The source is very obvious before the lyrics arrive, but I've given it a couple listens now on the way to school and I'm still finding the lyrical sections quite original - maybe I'm not catching something. But I like that, it's like a puzzle I'm trying to solve, to make the connections and stuff. As a remix, it'll be much more satisfying to me then, however as an individual work this is already pretty satisfying now.

Even if it's not your thing, you should still give this piece a complete listen. It's so ... dark, and grindy.

avatar
OA
on 2009-03-27 12:41:12

Definitely not something i'd normally listen to, but thus is the beauty of OCR. The vocals and beats keep this moving, and I thought the delicate backing synths and bells really were effective. The synth solo was also really cool. The atmosphere here is really the star, and damn, is it thick with all kinds of droning sludge. It took several listens to really get a handle on all the different textures, but it really is cohesive overall. I'd have liked to hear something breaking up the texture a little on the high end; maybe tambourine? If anyone can make tambourine sound evil, it'd be CotMM.

Overall an excellent collab where both mixers came together to create something that they couldn't have done alone. Beatdrop bringing the structure and vocals to this, and CotMM with the digital hell.

avatar
djpretzel
on 2009-03-27 10:12:01

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Konami , 1990, NES)
Music by Jun Funahashi,Yoshinori Sasaki,Yukie Morimoto
Songs:
"Demon Seed (Under Dracula Castle)"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Industrial
Mood:
Angry,Dark
Instrumentation:
Singing,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Usage > Halloween

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_3_Demon_Seed_(Corrupted_Infatuation)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,671,726 bytes
MD5:
c1469f707a513d90e258652c821aa07c
Bitrate:
126Kbps
Duration:
5:53

Motion ceases
Pulse goes faint
Vision blurs
Loss of restraint
I can't feel
It's numbed my head
The words, they echo
Time stops dead

This wicked charm
You've given to me
Glowing red harm
Of austerity
Suppressive within
Corrupted without
Descended of sin
Bring me unto rout

No more words
No more thoughts
Actions splintered
Damage wrought
Won't go alone
I'll drag you down
It's time to atone
Cast aside your crown

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes