ReMix:Super Castlevania IV "Deadly Furniture" 4:31

Fresh off Vampire Variations: Volume III comes Slimy, making his OCR debut with a stirring orchestral arrangement of one of my favorite sources from the SCIV OST, "Chandeliers," aka "Banquet Hall" - love this piece, so darn sinister but also very energetic. The artist captures much of that with his ReMix; VV album series director Chernabogue writes:

"Slimy jumped on this track at the very end of the production, but the source was screaming for an orchestral arrangement. I swear I can hear some Mussorgsky bits in his track, which wouldn't surprise anyone. With its big orchestra outbursts in the middle of the track, the arrangement carries on the epic mood, but adds a baroque twist to it. A very nice and epic way to begin the end of the first album."

The artist adds:

"During this stage of Super Castlevania IV, you run across giant chandeliers as they swing precariously, dodge even more chandeliers as they attempt to fall and crush you, dinner tables slide toward you, and coffins come alive, trying to slam shut on you. It's awesome. And hence the name, "Deadly Furniture.""

It was a great stage, and the music fit like a glove. So does this arrangement/style; Larry sums it up nicely:

"Excellent cover that ups the gothic feel and the tension. Nice use of tempo changes as well. Brass samples were a bit exposed from 2:55-3:04, but no big deal, and the overall production and treatment of the samples was pulled off nicely. Welcome aboard! :-)"

I love that the artist was able to work piano, organ, & harpsichord all in, alongside a full gamut of brass, strings, & woodwinds, and still have time for some nice string effects as well - those prickly pizzicato clusters are indeed spine-tingling! Orchestration & part-writing are generally spot-on, and the structure/tempo does a nice job transitioning from clockwork momentum to dark disorder. Slimy's asking a lot of these samples, and sometimes there's an element that sticks out when it's not supposed to, but that's gonna happen when you're not playing it safe... some minor balance issues, but nothing prohibitive; I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more in the future, as the fundamentals here are very impressive...

The one-and-only Sixto Sounds was originally slated for this track, and I do still think it would make for an epic hard rock/metal shredfest, but it's great to see a new orchestral face on OCR, Slimy's first posted mix is strong and shows tons of promise, and he's taken a source I'm near & dear to and come up with an enjoyable interpretation that adds something new. Can't argue with any of that!