Posted 2017-08-07, evaluated by Liontamer


We are thrilled to announce the release of our 63rd FREE community arrangement album, Mirror Image: A Link to the Past ReMixed!!

Eighteen arrangements of the soundtrack to legendary SNES RPG The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from eighteen artists, in a variety of styles ranging from EDM to orchestral to jazz to prog rock, paying homage to composer Koji Kondo's amazing music and one of Nintendo's enduring classics. Check it out at http://mirrorimage.ocremix.org and please help us spread the news!

Directors William “WillRock” Harby and Emery “DaMonz” Monzerol worked long & hard with a team of amazing musicians to produce a fantastic tribute to a true VGM masterpiece, with some GORGEOUS album art from Annie Doyon that reflects (get it?) the music within. We begin in grand form with an epic symphonic opus from Sam Dillard; album co-director WillRock writes:

"Who we intended to ask to cover the main theme was always a big consideration due to the iconic status of the track. Sam Dillard was the original person we picked out, due to the strength of his "Dark World" ReMix on OCR. However, he was unable to take the track, so we gave it to Theory of N. Theory of N, however, ended up dropping his claim so we ended up asking Sam again, who accepted.

He went ahead and created a huge, orchestral medley of various overworld themes from the Zelda series while being cohesive and faithful to the original source material. In hindsight, we felt the track was such a gargantuan effort that it deserved the first track placement on the album. I believe it's one of the most epic things you'll ever hear and have to applaud Sam for doing what is an absolutely outstanding job."

Fellow director DaMonz writez:

"The "Overworld" track. Probably one of the most iconic pieces of video game music. As a ReMixer, I know I would probably have a hard time taking this on because of all the baggage this source carries. Doing it justice with a quality arrangement, and still adding some value to it with personal creative touches would definitely be an enormous challenge in my mind.

The great news is, Sam has managed to overcome that challenge. The incorporation of all the other iconic Zelda themes should have made this even more difficult (as it probably did), but the end result flows incredibly well and has such an epic progression that I don't think I could have hoped for anything better for this album."

Much brass! Such choir! I'm used to hearing Sam work in a darker setting & incorporate more electronic/hybrid elements as per Metroid aesthetics, but this is 110% Zelda - a rousing, substantive, & fittingly epic start to our journey! Check it out, then check out the rest of Mirror Image, and stay tuned for more!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 8 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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dfcentre
on 2017-11-11 20:50:28

Incredible, I think it could be the best Zelda orchestration that I've ever heard! "SamWOW!" ;)

Seriously, I'm going to throw in a request that I think that you are up to. If you ever played and loved Yoshi's Island, feel free to give the end sequence music your interpretation. That would be so dang amazing. Part of me thinks you could even weave the final battle into it in a way that rivals Scheherazade's Festival of Bagdad.

So impressive. Don't stop.

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docnano
on 2017-08-13 22:23:23

I'm not usually a fan of medleys, but this one gets a pass due to its amazing execution and interweaving of decades of themes that never sounds forced. I'm especially glad that Sam preserved the call-and-answer component of the original overworld theme, as that usually gets dropped in arrangements of the theme.

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timaeus222
on 2017-08-12 17:00:11

I actually listened to this on its own merits, rather than for its being Zelda. Sam Dillard is one of those guys who we know has already nailed his orchestral production. To me, it came as no big surprise that he did exceptionally well with this composition, irrespective of the source tunes.

He has a careful hand with soft dynamics (the shifts at 2:03 - 2:06 and 2:41 - 2:44, for example) and with writing practical parts for each instrument (3:43 - 4:14 was a particularly seamless interplay between the french horn and violins/violas). What he has brought to the originals was also innovative; I particularly liked the modulation at 2:57 - 3:11, and how the chord progression and new melodic contour at 3:52 - 4:15 cleverly enhanced the "Overworld" melody in a clearly recognizable manner.

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TheChargingRhino
on 2017-08-11 21:31:48

This is absolutely FANTASTIC, however, my first listen was marred by the video messing up around 4:20....

Still a great piece, though.

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DimeTower
on 2017-08-11 00:13:24

Holy chickens, talk about living up to a large legacy. The epic opening is almost a requirement to nail, but 2:18+ really impressed me with the way that it flowed back and forth from theme to theme, always adding up to a larger, thoughtful arrangement. Serious skill on display here. Bonus props for the personal touches on 3:23-3:40. You've done Link and Zelda proud!

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Sam Dillard
on 2017-08-08 21:56:49

Glad you liked it and thanks for supporting the Cinematica albums; in fact I posted this piece on Kickstarter publicly several months ago so it was indeed heard there first, however I gave permission for this track to be used for this album so they could fill in the slot for the main theme since I was just too busy to make something exclusive for it and had already completed this overworld medley piece. So things worked out in the end, and for those who do like the music and aren't familiar with my own Zelda Cinematica album, perhaps they'll be interested in that as well when it is released in the next month or two.

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Flam1ng Dem0n
on 2017-08-08 17:29:36

I actually was one of the people to back both Chrono Cinematica and Zelda Cinematica. Surprised that Sam posted this publicly as (from what I recall) it was a backer/supporter only track. Though i personally don't mind, Sam Dillard does amazing work and I glad that others who might not have been able to back his projects can listen to his work.

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Liontamer
on 2017-08-07 00:03:01

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

Sources Arranged (7 Songs, 7 Games)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo , 1991, SNES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Overworld"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo , 1986, NES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Above Ground"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo , 2011, WII)
Music by Hajime Wakai,Koji Kondo,Mahito Yokota,Shiho Fujii,Takeshi Hama
Songs:
"The Sky"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo , 2009, NDS)
Music by Asuka Hayazaki,Koji Kondo,Manaka Kataoka,Toru Minegishi
Songs:
"Overworld Adventure (Main Theme)"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo , 2003, GCN)
Music by Hajime Wakai,Kenta Nagata,Koji Kondo,Toru Minegishi
Songs:
"Ocean"
Additional Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo , 2006, WII)
Music by Asuka Hayazaki,Koji Kondo,Toru Minegishi
Songs:
"Hyrule Field Main Theme"
Additional Game:
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo , 1987, NES)
Music by Akito Nakatsuka
Songs:
"Overworld BGM"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Symphonic
Mood:
Energetic,Epic
Instrumentation:
Brass,Choir,Orchestral,Strings
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_A_Link_to_the_Past_Timeless_Journey_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
11,043,240 bytes
MD5:
279d28d676d77234814ea57a45a9ec49
Bitrate:
219Kbps
Duration:
6:40

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