ReMix: Super Castlevania IV 'Deforestation'

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Game: Super Castlevania IV (Konami, 1991, SNES)
ReMixer(s): Thunder Thouin
Composer(s): Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudou
Song(s): 'Forest of Evil Spirits (Stage 2 BGM)'
Posted: 2012-01-21, evaluated by the judges

This ReMix made my day; like newcomer Thunder Thouin (Yan Thouin), I'm a huge fan of the soundtrack to Super Castlevania IV, personally holding it as my favorite Castlevania OST and one of the top SNES soundtracks of all time. That our last posted mix was back in 2007 both disappoints & confuses me - there's gold in them thar' hills, and I wish more artists would give it the attention it deserves. Yan's done a drop-dead gorgeous job of doing so himself, and this makes him my personal hero, at least for the week. His orchestral arrangement also beautifully incorporates vocalizing & ethnic drums, resulting in a Zimmeresque, Gladiator-meets-Castlevania mix that makes for a fantastic OCR debut - this is one I'll be coming back to. A lot. He writes:

"I always wanted to cover a title from this game because it completely blew my mind when it came out in '91. I think the soundtrack was original and atmospheric, the composers had a lot more freedom than usual while writing this and it showed. Ranging from classical to jazzy, it conveyed a level of maturity to the whole game and in my opinion, blended perfectly with the mood of the series.

I decided to choose this one because it was overlooked by many and it had a dual quality which I liked. It felt like there were 2 parts to this one... a creepy and spooky first half and a more epic and engaging theme when the main melody kicks in. So after playing Lord of Shadows, I was inspired to give this one a symphonic treatement. I used a lot of East/West stuff and a few others to give it more of an orchestral vibe. The only thing I regret with this approach is that I had to get rid of the awesome bassline of the original, it just didn't work with this. I know I emphasized a bit on the 'hero theme' for the better part of the arrangement (climax, ending segment). For some reason, I was always drawn back to it. I guess I liked the melody. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to review it, and I hope you guys will like it."

Like it? Love it. Yan & I are completely on the same page regarding this game's soundtrack - I was similarly blown away at the time, and in retrospect it's probably one of the dozen or so game soundtracks that were directly influential in my starting OCR in the first place, up there with Revenge of Shinobi. In removing the bassline, TT's arrangement of the source in question makes it a little harder to identify, but facilitates an overall change to the nature of the piece that completely works. OA writes:

"Who would have thought that removing that bass line would make it so hard for me to wrap my head around the arrangement. :O After a lot of listens, I figured it out eventually, and i've come to the conclusion that this is a pretty great arrangement. Some of the brass is a little stiff, but the atmosphere is excellent, and the vocal stuff is a nice touch. I dig it."

Vinnie adds:

"I agree with halc that the balance was a little off, in favor of the low notes instead of the melody, but I also agree with him that this was a great arrangement and made good use of the full range of the orchestra. Loved the section starting at 2:19 where the flute gave this a suddenly buoyant tone. Not much to say, this was classy and well-done, and an underremixed source from the game, no less."

Really great & memorable debut from Thunder Thouin; I'm really hoping it doesn't take another five years for us to see a Super Castlevania IV ReMix of this caliber, and I'm certainly looking forward to his next submission!

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.

That brass in the beginning....damn, dude! Such a terrific lead-in with some suspense and lurking terror, but on a grand scale. Makes the first part deliciously dark with some light undertones. Then to flip the script and basically go to a more adventurous orchestration before touching back on the darker feel was a brilliant move. I really like the back and forth from dark to light in this one. The vocals were a nice touch, but the screams didn't do anything for me because of the abruptness of them. Pretty good all around though.

- Crulex on December 11, 2012

This mix is quite impressive. I'm not super familiar with the Castlevania music aside from the usual songs, so I can't comment on the majesty of arrangement, but I do know that this is a great listen regardless. It has a great atmosphere to it and a vastness to it.

- Bahamut on October 17, 2012

This is definitely a good mix and the talent of Thunder Thouin is definitely evident. I recognized it because I always use when the strings start on that stage to gauge how well I am doing in the game. If I am not out of the little cave and back out into the trees by the time the strings start, I am going too slow. However with all of the videogames in this most recent generations that have been trying their hardest to sound as much like movies as possible, I have lost my taste for many symphonic works. Also, who is the female voice that pops up from time to time? Was that the remixer or was it stolen from something Lisa Gerrard did? Nobody else is credited on the remix and the remixer is referred to as a "he" so I have to assume the latter. I feel it would have been better without it because it seems to go past an homage into blatantly copying the style.
Castlevania IV does have an amazing soundtrack, though. It and ActRaiser make some of the best use of that SNES fake-orchestra sound in any game on the system.

- Joe Redifer on February 11, 2012

Very nice to see a mix of a less popular Castlvevania song, I always liked the original, though when I heard the bassline was being taken out I couldn't help but wonder if it was going to feel like the same song. Well, the feeling is still there, just in a different, very well done orchestral style, and I dig it!

- ZealPath on January 26, 2012

this is freaking amazing! its one of my favorite songs too. I seriously say there needs to be a SCIV remix album...THERE HAS TO BE

- Damarul on January 26, 2012

Great job. :-D Yeah, the scream thing at the end does seem a bit off, but overall, this is awesome. :nicework:

- GravitySuitCollector on January 26, 2012

Thanks a lot guys... I'm really glad to be a part the overclocked community from now on :) This was my first attempt with my EWQL stuff but I was blown away by what you can do with it.. I'll definitely try my hands at another one soon because It's just too much fun. Anyways.. thanks again!

- Thunder Thouin on January 23, 2012

I.... Um....... Thunder Thouin, what have you created? I don't even know what to say. It's.....I've got to listen to it again and share it with everyone I know because this is really out of this world.

- Thin Crust on January 22, 2012

Wow, what a remix! I loved just about every bit of this.

- KnightOfTheRound on January 22, 2012

I like the dark atmosphere of this mix. The strings are very cool, and the percussion does well to bring out the epicness of the strings, and I like how the percussion doesn't overwhelm the strings. The vocal bits were pretty cool as well. I think the mix doesn't seem to develop, kinda staying the same throughout, and the screams at the end were kinda odd. Other than that, a very cool mix, and congrats to Thunder Thouin on an OCR debut!

- uhhh6677 on January 22, 2012

I agree, this remix speaks of awesomeness! You did a fantastic job with this track!

- Loning on January 22, 2012

I simply can't believe this is a debut mix! It's great! Epic, is only half of it. It's not just bombastic, it's interesting. This is better than much of what I'v ever heard, OCRemix or not. Great job!

- jordanrooben on January 21, 2012

Wow, what a ReMix. I listened to it four times in a row and all I could think of for an improvement is that the higher-pitched brass bits come out a little... artificial, synthesized. And I dunno about those screams for an ending. But really, the whole thing is too good to care about such trifles!

- Nobbynob Littlun on January 21, 2012

FINALLY. I'd mention that I myself tried to rectify the gap in SCIV subs with my very first submission, but the J's are supposed to forget about that piece of shit... Anyway, this one's awesome. Would've liked to have seen the melody given some more love, but it feels suitable to build the piece and then give the melody more attention at the end. I'm jealous of the orchestral sample power, for sure

- Phonetic Hero on January 21, 2012

This guy's got some killer studio chops for sure!

- KyleJCrb on January 21, 2012