ReMix:Lost Odyssey "A Mighty Enemy on the Battlefield" 4:30

By The Dual Dragons

Arranging the music of 2 songs...

"A Mighty Enemy Appears!", "Battlefield"

Primary Game: Lost Odyssey (Microsoft , 2007, XB360), music by Hiroyuki Nakayama (I), Nobuo Uematsu, Satoshi Henmi

Posted 2009-11-13, evaluated by the judges panel


AnSo & Skryp gave us our first 360 mix with their own arrangement from Lost Odyssey back in August, and now brothers Dan & Frank Johansen - also known as The Dual Dragons - give us some more! While Mattias and Andrew had an electronica thing goin' on for this source material, the DD are bringin' the metal:

"We thought the tunes had great potential of being made into Hard Rock. And since no one else had made it into a metal track, we thought it was a cool and original thing to do."

This is their OCR debut, but the Double D have been rockin' out for a good, long time with some excellent rock/metal arrangements, so after you check this joint out do be sure to visit their homepage. For those keeping track of ReMixer trivia, this actually isn't the first brother-brother duo to get mix postage - the Marsland Brotherhood paved the way back in 2003. Word. Floating, delayed guitar lead soars over a metal background that still incorporates some orchestral elements - harp, choir, strings, and more - and later on there's even some synth soloin'. But the shreddage is definitely the emphasis, and it is fierce and manly - plenty of runs, riffs, and spiralling noodles of fire. At 4'29", the mix actually seems longer (in a good way) due to the extensive soloing, dynamic transitions, and the sheer number of notes. One issue... the orchestra hit ending? Not so much - the whole mix has this huge, badass, metal sound going on, and I thought the orch hit conclusion sorta paled in comparison. But, that's as much of a criticism of the ending as it is a compliment of the rest of the track.

Now that I go back and read the decisions in full, OA basically said everything I just said... so he's my person-of-the-day, and I shall quote him verbatim:

"Excellent guitar playing and tone- as well as great textures throughout. As the previous judges mentioned, things could stand to be spatially separated a little bit better, but I know how much of a pain it can be to get the right balance with this style of track. It's not completely pristine, but it's better than a lot of arrange albums I've heard; definitely over the bar.

Arrangement is sweet, and really, the transitions between themes is super smooth. If I wasn't as familiar with the source, I don't think i'd have noticed that it was 2 songs. Great variation on textures and instrumentation, and switching the guitar from leads to rhythms throughout was well handled. Samples were great, and there was even some killer synthing near the end. This kind of stuff is my favorite.

The only thing that struck me as weaksauce was the ending. It sounded way tacked on. Nothing to cry about, after having the stuffing rocked out of me for the past 5 minutes. Awesome work, gents!"

My thoughts exactly. We'll be hearing more from Dan & Frank in the future, but they've already made a lot of great stuff, so after you're finished putting your (melted) face back on, check out www.thedualdragons.com for more!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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MOONFLOW
on 2015-11-15 15:23:02

Such an amazing game. Sorely under-rated. Wonderful job with the Remix!

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Crulex
on 2012-04-13 12:53:23

Metal from the Dual Dragons, I already knew this was going to be a beast of a ReMix, and I was right. A little bit tamed in speed and power compared to the other stuff I've heard from them, but just as good. Those guitars hit hard and the drumming work is wonderful. Everyone else has mentioned the ending, so I don't think I need to, but other than that, an ace performance, fellas.

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yosefu
on 2010-01-05 07:41:35

Great stuff guys, i really enjoyed this mix.

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42
on 2009-12-30 16:41:19

The more I listen to this, the more I like it. This mix puts the "heavy" in heavy metal. That feeling of slow weightiness permeating the mix really helps create a dire tense atmosphere.

I also like the textures going on here, each with their own feel and syncing up at just the right moments. Also, this welcomely feels more melody driven than some other metal tracks I'm familiar with (which seems more propelled by sheer volume than anything else). This is a really, really cool mix that shouldn't be missed.

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Sinewav
on 2009-12-14 02:02:00

Like others have said before me, the orchestra hit was a poor teen life decision. Not a big fan of the fake choirs that start the song off either, but I got used to them as they fell into the background.

Can't complain about anything else though. Guitar work is top-notch, and the drums and synth accompany it well. Good arrangement, and good mix overall.

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Level 99
on 2009-12-08 12:23:56

Very, very rocking mix. I have yet to flesh out the entire Lost Odyssey soundtrack in-full but it's mixes like this that make me need to find the time to listen to all of the sources. I really enjoy the tone you used, as it delivers the guitar-wankery straight through being powerful and crisp.

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Sir_Downunder
on 2009-12-02 01:05:55

Mmm-mmm... shred-tastic

The opening of this hits hard, and when the synth comes in, it's a punch to the gut... a mighty punch to the gut :tomatoface:

The orchestral stabs at the end were a bit weak, but it doesn't kill the mix entirely. Regardless, it's good to see this on the site. Good work!

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-11-27 13:08:42

Good guitar playing, and the synth around 2:00/3:30 is pretty badass. I agree that the orchestral ending is weak, but that's pretty much the only real gripe I have with this remix.

Nice work.

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-11-23 20:28:33

Love the guitar work in this one guys! I like the orchestral elements mixed in with some of that face shredding guitar playing. Hopefully we will hear more from you guys down the road :)

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Bahamut
on 2009-11-20 11:30:53

Whoa.

So one of the things that grabs me here is the individual sections - lots of nice individual ones. On the other hand, I'm mixed with how the song shifts between these sections. The flow from the transition is fine, but my problem is more with the jarring shifts in its pacing from the slower sections to the more faster ones. The song goes all over the place, and for fighting a mighty enemy as the title suggests, it does fit.

So while I'm not a huge fan of how it panned out in some ways, it definitely does what it sets out to do and does it extremely well. It is an enjoyable listen that will assuredly go on my ipod.

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-11-20 07:39:07

This is really sweet. Good see this up on the site.

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Emunator
on 2009-11-15 20:23:40

This is one of the best metal mixes we've had posted recently... Really, this holds no punches and really just goes crazy for 4 and a half minutes, which is exactly what I like to hear :-)

Great playing, great arrangement and electronic embellishments... overall great track! :-D

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-11-14 15:33:27

I'm impressed by the guitar playing throughout the track. Not only does it shred quite well, but the tone works just right in the mix. The harp usage was also a nice subtle touch that I wouldn't have imagined working as well as it did, great job. Overall this entire song has a good exciting feel to it that makes it pretty enjoyable to listen to.

I do have to agree with everyone on the orchestral hits, they seem very out of place in the track, and really is somewhat of a letdown as the ending. Doesn't kill the mix, but not the best of choices either. Other than that, great stuff!

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OA
on 2009-11-14 14:08:45

These guys definitely know how to rock- a totally badass track. Those triplets in the rhythm guitar at 1:33 are so great. Definitely a \m/ moment. I hope a lot of people check out this track despite it not being FF or Chrono. It Uematsu, so it might get the attention it deserves.

Either way, way to pwn, guys, totally excellent track. Mighty indeed.

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Skummel Maske
on 2009-11-14 05:21:15

From the very moment I saw this track in the submissions queue, I knew it'd be posted. There's no doubt that this is my favourite metal VG arrangement. Great playing, sound, arrangement and mixing.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Lost Odyssey (Microsoft , 2007, XB360)
Music by Hiroyuki Nakayama (I),Nobuo Uematsu,Satoshi Henmi
Songs:
"A Mighty Enemy Appears!"
"Battlefield"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Lost_Odyssey_A_Mighty_Enemy_on_the_Battlefield_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,482,493 bytes
MD5:
4f39c9b9938272f91c1c22c33bcdcd86
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:30

 

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