- Catalog Number: OCRA-0022
- Published: 2011-02-07 by OverClocked ReMix
- Media: Digital
SoundCloud
Disc 1
1. Samus Aran (Metroid) - The Bounty of a Brain | 3:55 |
2. Mother Brain (Metroid) - Dieselbrainage | 4:20 |
3. Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island) - Pirate Shout | 3:32 |
4. LeChuck (Monkey Island) - Voodoo, Roots 'n Grog | 3:45 |
5. Kratos (God of War) - Born of Ashes, Baptized in Blood | 5:25 |
6. Zeus (God of War) - Wrath Industrial | 3:01 |
7. Axel (Streets of Rage) - Bare Knuckle Blitz | 4:00 |
8. Mr. X (Streets of Rage) - Mr. Z | 5:57 |
9. Mega Man (Mega Man) - Screw Wily, I'm Taking a Vacation | 4:08 |
10. Dr. Wily (Mega Man) - Screw Mega Man, I'm Taking Over the World | 3:19 |
Disc 2
1. T.M.N.T. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) - Go Ninja, Go | 4:13 |
2. Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) - Enter the Shredder | 4:09 |
3. Link (Legend of Zelda) - He Ain't a G | 4:22 |
4. Ganon (Legend of Zelda) - Bladewalker | 7:19 |
5. Ryu (Street Fighter) - Satsui no Koto | 2:57 |
6. Sagat (Street Fighter) - Coconut Milk | 3:40 |
7. Kirby (Kirby) - The Life and Death of Kirby | 3:54 |
8. King Dedede (Kirby) - Hot Air Penguin | 3:37 |
9. Simon Belmont (Castlevania) - The Prodigal Son Returns | 3:49 |
10. Dracula (Castlevania) - A Walk with Death | 4:16 |
Credits
- Directors
- Arrangers
- Ailsean, Alex Jones, audio fidelity, Ben Briggs, Big Giant Circles, bLiNd, Brandon Strader, Danimal Cannon, Derek Meler, Diggi Dis, Eric Griffin, halc, Insert Rupee, José the Bronx Rican, Joshua Morse, ktriton, Marcus Affeldt, Mattias Häggström Gerdt, Mazedude, Mustin, posu yan, Stacy Morse, WillRock, zircon, zykO
- Composers
- Andy Newell, Barney Jones, Cris Velasco, Dan Miyakawa, David Wise, Gerard K. Marino, Harumi Ueko, Hirokazu Ando, Hirokazu Tanaka, Hiroki Isogai, Ippo Yamada, Isao Abe, Jun Funahashi, Jun Ishikawa, Junichi Masuda, Kazuhiko Uehara, Kazumi Totaka, Keiichi Suzuki, Kenichi Matsubara, Kenji Yamamoto (I), Kinuyo Yamashita, Koji Kondo, Kozo Nakamura, Manami Matsumae, Masanori Adachi, Michael Land, Mike Reagan, Minae Fujii, Minako Hamano, Motohiro Kawashima, Mutsuhiko Izumi, Patric Mundy, Peter McConnell, Ron Fish, Ryo Kawakami, Satoe Terashima, Takashi Tateishi, Taro Bando, Taro Kudo, Winifred Phillips, Yoko Shimomura, Yoshinori Sasaki, Yu Shimoda, Yukie Morimoto, Yuzo Koshiro
Latest Albums
Discussion
on 2020-06-09 13:55:58
I've skipped over this album over the years because it's not heavy on series where I know the music well, but it was only my loss. There are some fun tracks here. The Link/Ganon rap battle is a highlight, and for a former (but forever at heart) trombone player hearing some jazz-adjacent solo trombone in both the villain tracks for Monkey Island and Kirby was a treat I'm not used to getting. Neat concept and I'm glad I finally gave it a listen.
on 2011-11-08 18:24:40
Great work everyone, I'm loving it. My favorite tunes being Monkey Island, God of War, and Kirby.
on 2011-07-14 19:04:29
I've been enjoying this for a while now, but now that I go to burn it to CD, I find that it doesn't fit on one disk! Oh well, it's still a great album.
on 2011-03-28 22:01:08
I love it. It just oozes greatness from every track, even the ones I don't particularly like. Good stuff.
on 2011-03-27 17:20:24
[Part Two Here:]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T.M.N.T. IV: Turtles in Time
-
The Turtles: Go Ninja, Go - Oh. My. God. bLiNd has
done it again! As an avid listener of OC Remix from its start
back in nearly ten years ago (or is it eleven years now?), I
have not been disappointed with any of bLiNd's work when I
first stumbled across him. This time is no exception. I am
completely amazed from start to finish of this song just how
incredible this piece is. NES T.M.N.T. pissed me off so bad
because the game was so freaking hard, especially for a girl
who hadn't even made it past the 1st grade yet. But that's
neither here nor there. At age six to sixteen, this game is
still a nightmare for some of us gamers and this song made me
forget just how badly it whooped my ass. The rhythm has a
"cruise" sort of feel - like something you would just blast in
your car, windows down and your car set on cruise control for
the long stretch of highway. But of course, bLiNd is known for
his unpredictability in his music and not even a minute into
the song, he's changed gears on us. Still going with the feel
of just racing down the street, I feel like the splash of the
Turtles theme with heavy guitar and in a "challenging" way
suited this perfectly. Then, just shy of 2 minutes, we've
transitioned back into that lazy highway feel. Enjoying the
"starry" sounds that envelope my ears, I try not to allow
myself to get too comfortable in the sound because bLiNd won't
let me fall into that lazy sync. No, he's going to make my ears
work to enjoy this piece and that's exactly what happened
again. But oh no, what is this? 3:00 ... is the song over? I
think not! Changing it up once again, the song has gone a
completely different direction with a heavier tone and even
heavier bass line - the skips and glitch reminscent of finally
settling into something - the last bits fading out with a nice
feel. bLiNd, you never cease to amaze me and you certainly hit
home with this one. I commend you!
-
Shredder: Enter The Shredder - Now when one thinks of
"Shredder" in the musical sense, we think of some sick and
killer guitar sounds. Danimal delivered flawlessly and on a
theme from a classic game. God, Turtles in Time ... definitely
an all time favorite for me - well, next to T.M.N.T. II. That
one was always a bit closer to my heart than the others. Two
minutes into the song, Danimal's changed up gears and added
sound bits from the original game that go in perfectly with the
song. In a way, it almost reminds me of a dirty mix. Add a
sultry female voice saying "Enter the Shredder" and we'll all
want to be flashing our Shredder Fanclub Membership cards.
-laughs- The song goes on relatively in the same directed pace
of heavy on the guitar and smooth on the percussion until we
get toward the end of the song when things don't start syncing
up anymore ... and then it sounds like a skippy CD to where,
for once, I don'w want to freak out and whip out the CD cleaner
to get the damn thing to play right. Danimal Cannon, great job,
and I look forward to hearing more of your stuff.
The Legend of Zelda
-
Link: He Ain't a G - -laughs- The titles of some of
these songs are amazing and José the Bronx Rican's is no
different. I always enjoy his rhymes in songs and was actually
first exposed to his work directly when he did a remix of
Vega's theme for the "Blood on the Asphalt" OC Remix album
collaboration. This is definitely the best of the best of some
of his work. And the fact that the classic "Overworld" theme is
used for the main beat of the battle rap. I can't help but feel
like this scenario is like the Battle from "8 Mile" with B.
Rabbit and Free World. O.O Is that zyko I hear? Wow, again I'm
amazed. Staying true to the "battle" mentality, Link is
throwing hits left and right at poor poor Ganon (and when I
mean poor, I say this in the sense of sarcasm - I hated that
guy). Even was he tries to come back, he is ultimately stomped
down by Link (as it should be) and well - guess that's all she
wrote. Great job again, José.
-
Ganon: Bladwalker - Oh Ganon, leave it to you to just
well ... not do what needs to be done. The skit was amazing in
the beginning, setting the stage up for Ganon's evil and cruel
ways. Is he intimidating? Just a tad. But that's okay, because
the rhymes he spits to battle back against Link may not be too
terrible in dissing our hero, but they definitely have you
worrying for the future. Stroking his ego to the max is
probably what suits a villain best so zyko definitely played up
and delivered that as well as it needed to. Great idea on the
part of this being a "rap battle" and I think the feel was
successful. I enjoyed this mix and though I would have to say
that Link has won the battle once again, this is certainly
something that I felt was different in flavor from zyko and a
piece I thoroughly enjoyed. Again, well done!
Street Fighter
-
Ryu: Satsui no Koto - Now then, seeing as how I'm not
only half Asian, but a pretty avid listener of traditional
Asian music, the fact that "Koto" was in this song
automatically got me excited. zircon is definitely one of my
favorite OC Remix artists on the site and, like with bLiNd, I
am never disappointed with any of the mixes that he comes up
with. So, of course, I was excited about this piece for various
reasons. That and he has already done the Street Fighter genre
for "Blood on the Asphalt" (Fei Long's theme was incredible,
zircon), so I knew that I was going to be getting gold. Gold
was definitely what I received. Joining hands with Joshua
Morse, zircon was able to create a fantastic mesh of
traditional instruments, jazz flavor with a modern accent on
the bass/percussion beats. I have heard so many renditions of
Ryu's theme that it's not even funny and while
RyuInterpretation by ReMixer Malcos is still my
favorite, I will have to say that zircon's new mix is now a
close second in that category. Again, great job and the piece
ended just as beautifully as it opened up. Kudos to you, zircon
and Joshua.
-
Sagat: Coconut Milk - Sagat? Are you getting ready to
fight, or are you getting ready to offer Ryu some cool
beverages near that expensive beach house you're showing off to
everyone? -laughs- I enjoyed just how different this piece was
in contrast to what I believed it to be. I mean, big and
muscled up Sagat with such a pleasant, "Cheers" sort of theme
feel? I admit, I was definitely caught off guard. Then again,
what can I expect when the title is called "Coconut Milk", yes?
I enjoyed the different instruments introduced in this song and
my favorite part would have to be the xylophone (maybe?) solo
followed by a deep bass transition that ultimately slowed the
piece down. It soon picked up with the guitar, bass and upbeat
of the percussion with the rim shots. Again, fantastic way to
go about his theme and the change back down to piano with
solid, reverb and tones to fill my ear drums was definitely an
excellent bit. I do feel like the ending was a bit sudden, but
the song in its entirety more than makes up for this. Applauds
go to you posu yan and Joshua Morse.
Kirby
-
Kirby: The Life and Death of Kirby - The fact that the
8-bit is actually in the hero transition was definitely a nice
change of pace. Tack that on with the fact that it's freaking
KIRBY and we have to assume that this will be made of
greatness. The hashed sound effects similar to what would be
thrown into a dirty mix had me bobbing my head back and forth
as if I was watching Kirby doing his thing - eating his way
through this that and the other. However, despite it being a
dirty mix that made me bounce my head here and there, it was
nothing close to it being all "oh yay I'm Kirby and I'm a cute
pink gumball," but more along the lines of "I'm Kirby bitch and
I'm gonna knock you out." The sound was much darker on the
edges than normal Kirby themes usually go. I was able to see
that this truly stuck with the "Heroes vs Villains" aspect
since he is, technically, battling it out with his nemesis.
Wonderful all around and I enjoyed hearing Kirby finally kick
some ass, Insert Rupee. Thank you for that.
-
King Dedede: Hot Air Penguin - Piano is a monster in
this. Beastly and tied in great with the beats in the
background - but don't get too excited. The sound mellows out
with heavy percussion muffled in the back to give you the feel
that yes, I'm taking a breather, but I'm coming back swinging
hard. We hear the classic 8-bit (or similar) thrown into the
mix and it's a nice little reminder that yes, the King has come
a long way. Add that in with some jazzy drunken brass and I say
we have something pretty fancy brewing here. Add to the fact
that all of this sounds like one jumbled up mess and it just
makes me happy. I wasn't upset or confused with the ...
confusion. In fact, it just brought back old memories. Thank
you, Mazedude, for another job well done.
Castlevania
-
Simon Belmont: The Prodigal son Returns - Yes, we all
know the story. Could have it been told in a better fashion? I
think not. I always imagined Belmont's sound being very ...
noble, almost regal. But none of that stupid "trumpets
sounding" and "war drums banging" sort of deal. After all,
darkness is where some of his origins hail so why not have a
very gut guitar and bass heavy theme with the softness of piano
added into that. Throw in some classical church bell chimes and
the infamous whip cracks and I say we have another well created
reMix on our hands. Still holding true to the hero element of
the theme presented, this is certainly a fantastic way to have
our heroes end their share of the battle - Belmont cracking his
whip one good time to signal that if he's going down, he's not
going down without a fight and whip crack to your face! Mr. M,
switching sides are you? Well you certainly played your part
well and ended the fight for the Heroes in a noble, fiery
finish. Great job!
-
Dracula: A Walk With Death - I daresay that the
Villains will take this betrayal lightly and Ailsean is known
for his sick guitar bits and seemingly haunting melodies. This
is no exception and the fan in me of Ailsean wishes to cry out
that this is easily a victory for the Villains in this battle.
The stage has been set up and the ship has now docked (it is a
ship, right? XD I fear my hearing is not picking up sound
effects like they used to). Death is knocking on the doors of
those foolish enough to open it and invite him in. Ailsean's
dark, rumbling sound mixed with the guitar solos and chords are
a welcome and expected sound for Dracula, the Lord of Darkness.
Mixing that with the feel of, again, another Western scenario
and I say that he will certainly be giving Belmont a run for
his money. It just goes to show that Ailsean did not take this
turn coating business as lightly as some would have hoped. Nice
job, Ailsean!
Overall, as an album, this was another project well done. I am excited to see future collaborations between these two groups and am expecting great things (since all I have ever heard are great things at this point). This album shall surely be synced to my mp3 player as soon as I get done posting this review for you guys. Keep up the hard work! It's great and it's always a pleasure to know that this kind of thing - the things that you all love doing - are still available for free to the public for those of us too poor to be able to buy your albums ... at least right now. Though I may not post as fervently on the boards as I would like, know that I do support everything that you do at OC Remix and that what you all have given to the VGM community, we, as fans, will do our best to give back someday.
on 2011-03-27 17:19:09
I know that this album has been out for a while and I'm probably late with my review (life has been a pain in the ass). I have been diligent in checking the site as often as I can and looking at all the new stuff. Sorry guys, though I'm just a run of the mill member I feel like my opinion doesn't matter sometimes. XD
Okay, I don't know how I would go about splitting this up so I guess I'll go by sections? Oh, and the album art/poster? Holy frackin' shit, it was amazing to look at and I stared at it for half an hour like the horrible fangirl I am. -laughs-
Metroid:
-
Samus Aran: The Bounty of a Brain - This was simply
amazing. The haunting intro plus the digitized clicks really
were a great way to start this song off. In all honest to
goodness, I felt like I was playing Metroid Prime all over
again. Samus has always been one of my favorite heroines in a
video game since, well, I dunno ... she's so hardcore in her
own silence? If that even makes any sense. But yes, the build
up was incredible and when the main melody finally came into
play, I was astounded. Percussion beat was well timed and
guitar solo equates to phenomenal. The transition from hardcore
to more mellowed out over halfway through the song was also
great and I enjoyed it. It certainly gave it a more "Hero"esque
feel for Samus, the conclusion closing out her theme perfectly
for the following transition for Mother Brain's theme.
Excellent job, Big Giant Circles - I shall make it a point to
look forward to more of your works.
-
Mother Brain: Dieselbrainage - Perhaps this is the
gamer in me subconsciously trying to rise to the surface and
express my deep hatred for this villain ... but I love to hate
this song. But in the same sense, I hate to love this song. The
tone is dark, sinister, and almost menacing ... then the
infamous 8-bit pops up and I am left slack-jawed for all of two
seconds before hearing psychotic maniacal laughter in my ears
(Btw, was that laughter track taken from Michael Jackson's
"Thriller"? -applauds- Bravo). Yes, I am blinking in
astonishment at this point. If that wasn't a serious blast from
the past, I don't know what else it could have been. Great job,
again, for reminding how much I completely hated this boss
fight with a passion. -smirks- Again, I say this all in a
positive light - very well done Mazedude.
Monkey Island
-
Guybrush Threepwood: Pirate Shout - I will admit, the
beginning of this song had me thinking I was set up for a
traditional "Pirate's Life For Me" sort of sound. Seconds end I
come to find out that, again, I am mistaken and taken for a
different spin. Heavy guitar and the actual shouts of a group
of pirates was definitely a nice touch. I had to resist the
urge to swing my arms in sync with the rhythm of their chorus
("Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" ^^) and opted for just bobbing
my head instead. This is definitely a rich symphony of sounds
using more guitar and metal influences. I enjoyed this piece
greatly. Excellent job audio fidelity, Eric Griffin, Derek
Meler, Marcus Affeldt!
-
LeChuck: Voodoo, Roots 'n Grog - This was certainly a
stark compliment to "Pirate Shout" simply because it was so
bouncy, uplifting and made a grin break out on my face. I was
suddenly wondering who was the bad guy and who was the good
guy, but then I'm reminded, of course, of The Jungle Book and
how "King Louis" was technically supposed to be the "baddie" in
that particular scene. But "yoo hoo hoo, I wanna be like you"
is certainly a song that we all recognize as fun, catchy, and
something you woudln't expect an antagonist character to have.
The gut guitar and groove beats remind me of Leo's theme when
he was disguising himself as "Mystere" in Lunar 2: Eternal
Blue. Also, is the 8-bit throw in going to be a reoccurring
theme for the Villains in games of old because if so, I
certainly am getting more excited as I listen and I'm only four
tracks in! Conclusion of the song was timed well, ending Monkey
Island and allowing us to enter into the next videogame series.
Great job Digi Dis Alex Jones.
God of War
-
Kratos: Born of Ashes, Baptized in Blood - From start
to finish, this song fits Kratos perfectly and sets an overall
tone of what the game's atmosphere is supposed to be like. I am
impressed and do not think for one second that any of this does
not fit his character in general. The deep and almost soulful
guitar melody is flawless and again, suits Kratos's character.
The seemingly soft transition to a more somber sound also makes
me, the listener, feel like Kratos is taking a pause from his
tumultuous atmosphere to enjoy the effects his chaos has reaped
... in a way. -laughs- Perhaps that is just the weirdo in me,
who knows? Fantastic job, Brandon Strader.
-
Zeus: Wrath Industrial - Now just by looking at the
title, I should have know that there was going to be some New
Age influence in this - or at least some bits of electronica.
However, seeing as this is Zeus, I expected more classic
instruments. Again, I was not given what I was expected which,
of course, is always a good thing. I enjoy surprises. The
combination of orchestral sounds plus the digital effects were
a welcome change of pace and I enjoyed the overall sound this
gave the piece. Kunal Majmudar, I commend you.
Streets of Rage
-
Axel: Bare Knuckl Blitz - From 0:01 all the way to the
end, this screamed "I am a hero dammit! Hear me roar!" I loved
it! Willrock delivered the feel that was needed for this
classic game and I felt that it truly brought out Axel's
character. It's uplifting, powerful and gives the listener
energy. Perfect fight scene music for those of us who cling to
music for literary inspiration. Even though 8-bit was not
introduced into this track, the tight syncopated beat was
enough to give the illusion that it was there. All the sounds
that play out 1:27 to 1:48 was enough to blow my mind.
Everything had a different beat, sound and flavor but none of
it was terrible to listen. In fact, it was exciting! Truly
something worth listening to again and yes, I have repeated the
track at least three times while trying to write out my little
reivew here. Percussion is spectacular and the build up a
minute and change before the end of the song was leaving me
wanting more and Willrock granted my wish, even though he
didn't even realize it. Excellent job!
-
Mr. X: Mr. Z - zyko, zyko, zyko ... he never ceases to
amaze me. The menacing intro and the original sound bytes from
the game are an excellent way to introduce this piece. Add that
to the feel of it being a modernized/post-apocalyptic spaghetti
western feel was enough to have me hooked. Add that to the
guitar and steady tempo of the percussion beats had me already
fearing for SoR's hero, Axel. But where there is a will, there
is certainly a way ... but enough about our Hero. Let's get
back to our villain. 1:04 to 1:20 inroduces us to what can only
be assumed as a sick succession of guitar sound and sure
enough, at 1:27, the guitar picks up with a taste of off-beat
sounds to throw our senses a little off kilter but coming back
to end it wonderfully with a hint of a build up at just shy of
2 minutes. We return to the rise in sound at about half past
two and it is at this point that I am bobbing my head to the
beat (the organ was a nice touch, zyko, by the way). Throw that
in with a sparcity of different digital sound effects and we
have ourselves a mixture of every kind of flavor you could
possibly imagine (oh, and 3:52? -nods head in approval- Very
nice job; a great way to pick the piece back up until its
finish). Close it off with great guitar riffs and the "battle
ensuing" and we've got ourselves another masterpiece. Again,
zyko, bravo.
Mega Man II IV
-
Mega Man: Screw Wily, I'm Taking a Vacation - Okay,
the title to this just made me laugh. My friend and I (who,
btw, claims that Mega Man is/will be her husband someday)
thought these were very amusing. The laid back feel to this
theme had me feeling like Mega Man just has no idea of the shit
he's going to be having to deal with through out all the Mega
Man series. He's wanting a vacation at II? What's he gonna need
when he finally hits IV? A Sabbatical? But again, this had a
very laid back, jazzy feel almost in sync with "Costa del Sol"
from Final Fantasy VII. I could imagine Mega Man soaking up
some sun, drinking a cocktail and putting on those infamous
"goggles that do nothing." The percussion was tasteful, as was
the bass and piano bits that were included. There are probably
a few instruments in here that I'm missing, (did I mention
electric piano? I probably failed to and for that apologize)
but overall I was pleased with this piece. Including the well
known jazz stinger at the end. Well done, Mattias Häggström
Gerdt!
-
Dr. Wily: Screw Mega Man, I'm Taking Over the World -
Again, title, love it. Also, the fact that the titles have
anything to do with what kind of feel this piece will have just
had me excited. After all, if I heard a jazzy laid back beat
for Mega Man, can I expect a similar flow for this piece since
the titles are so close in wording? I was not disappointed, not
in the least. A mixture of groove, jazz and some funk just made
this song exciting and upbeat. Fitting for Dr. Wily, though I
wish that my dear Mega Man had not taken a vacation and showed
us what his blue suited self was made of. Overall, I was
pleased with the sound, especially piano and high points around
2:25 and onward. The fadeout was nice in transition to the
stinger on Mega Man's piece. My only disappointment? ... I felt
like this song ended sooner than I would have wished. But my
love for it is still the same. Fantastic job, Joshua Morse! Oh,
and do I hear Wily's Theme from Mega Man II scattered in here
as well? -nods- Very well done.
[Part Two is to Follow]
on 2011-03-08 14:32:27
Posu Yan and Morse...is a match made in deliciousness, to echo Geneson's earlier comments...
please put more coconut milk on that watermelon flavored ice cream. Yes indeed.
on 2011-02-18 20:59:51
Kirby: Dudes, I love this matchup. Both songs sound drugged out as hell, like if Shnabubula decided one day to Play Kirby While Taking Mushrooms. And to read that Ben Briggs wrote the ending to the Kirby song while hella drunk? good shit. Wonder if that title is a play off of AnSo's Life and Death of the Mario Bros, which was originally intended for this album. But anyway, this is some next level chiptune madness with all kinds of crazy stutter effects. Bomb diggity. Mazedude's track is a bit of a miss for me once that trumpet comes in. Certainly I applaud you for your artistic bravery, but the Dedede theme is such a satisfying tune and I can never get used to the bizarre nature of the second half. The chorus of the source, which gets stuck in my head at random times, only comes in once in this song in chiptune mode, leaving me very unsatisfied. I think it could have worked beautifully if you closed the song with one more refrain of that chorus played by piano (Bladiator, where art thou). Regardless, still a very cool battle, who knew that Kirby would be the trippy druggie battle (would have been even more perfect if Dedede was in ACID jazz). Insert Rupee ftw.
Castlevania: Haha love the title to Mustin's song, so fitting for a traitor . Why can't I stop picturing Mustin as Hulk Hogan everytime this song comes on?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwr1dTrLbY0
"MUSTIN is here! MUSTIN IS IN THE BUILDING! Wait, who's side is he on?" *Mustin promptly dropkicks a fallen Mazedude* "OH MY GOD. Mustin has betrayed the Bad Dudes!"
But I have to say, this is an awesome twist, and a matchup with great old school flavor. While we're all disappointed we didn't get McVaffe vs Mustin or Snappelman vs Ailsean, Mustin vs Ailsean ain't bad. I go with Ailsean on this track though for a brooding arrangement topped off with unexpected use of Clockwork. It's not that Mustin's track is too relaxed, it's just a bit too predictable and less dynamic than I'd like it to be.
My final tally: 6-4 in favor of the Villains, but overall I thought the Heroes side was more consistently great while the Villains had the bigger standout tracks. Hold out on volume 2 for a couple years guys, I'm still trying to catch my breath from this collection.
on 2011-02-18 20:34:03
Zelda: THE most hyped match of the whole thing in my mind. Rap battle was a genius idea and I had really high hopes for this one. The end result is fun and an awesome effort but perhaps made me realize my expectations were a bit too lofty. I think both these guys have done better rap songs in every facet, Niggaz 4 Life and Spittin Narcissism both exhibit better production, lyricism, and flow in my humble opinion...
zyko's 'Bladewalker' is an interesting companion piece to 'Rime of the Wanderin Seafarer' as Zelda storytelling songs, but I don't think the execution is as strong. The rap delivery in both songs felt a little bit off-beat and awkward at times. As far as guest verses go, zyko's verse on 'He Ain't a G' hit much harder than Jose's verse on 'Bladewalker.' Part of the reason for that though is because Jose provided an easier hip hop beat to rap on, I have no qualms about the Zelda theme arrangement and therefore proclaim Jose my winner here.
"nigga I'm a cavalry Hyrulian, chop you down as I cut through your whole fuckin battalion!"
Street Fighter: watermelon flava to the ice cream truck to garlic to...coconut milk? hell yeah. Lots of tasty treats from posu and Mr. Morse over the years, and this Sagat mix proves there's still boundaries untouched in the theme that will never die. zircon is no slouch either and I favor his song probably 4 out of 10 times...but my heart still says to go with the irresistible mix from posu and Morse, an undeniably infectious and groovy mix that feels so organic and alive.
on 2011-02-18 19:57:45
Alright I got lazy with my reviews. Here's the rest of my decisions:
Streets of Rage: Thought WillRock won easily during the first couple of listens, but his track didn't hold up to repeated listens while zyko's just kept getting better. 'Go Straight' was melded into 'Fighting in the Street' pretty ingeniously. I'm a big fan of the source zyko got to work with and thought he had the right idea turning it into a big booming Latin club song, which he almost nailed. I'm not a fan of the lead guitar here carrying the song, I do find zyko's signature guitar sound unique and exemplary depending on the context, but here it completely drowned out that big booming beat that I love. The rhythm guitar sections do work really well though. Would have absolutely hit this one out of the park with some Latin guitar or something noodling around that sick booming bass. Nevertheless, advantage zyko.
Mega Man: LOVE the playful song titles. Good route for Mr. Gerdt turning the familiar MM2 theme into a lounge jazz tune. I wanted this piece a little bit more dynamic. Morse's track, on the other hand, moves in all kinds of crazy directions and IMO is one of his most fluid and fun arrangements. I'm slightly disappointed that JJT couldn't assume the Wily role, but more Morse is never a bad thing.
TMNT: Aside from the Zelda rap duel, I thought this was the matchup with the most hype. I was excited to hear the juxtaposition between one of the best electronic artists against one of the best rock/metal artists. Plus there was a little bit of extra motivation after the scuffle for the rights to the Shredder track...surely Danimal wanted to prove he was worthy of handling a song bLinD wanted so much. The end result is even more amazing than I had expected...both artists throw curveballs and briefly put on their opponent's hat! I thought Danimal's electronic elements worked better than bLinD's guitar sampling which came off a little bit too harsh for my tastes. On the first few listens I was definitely leaning Danimal; from 1:40 on, you can tell he completely pushed himself to new limits here. The guitar shredding on the theme is more interpretive than in the first minute, and I'm totally a HUGE fan of the glitchy CD-skip effects that close the track. I know a lot of people don't like them, but I thought it fit with Shredder's personality and the whole time-distortion aspect of Turtles in Time.
bLinD's track was an awesome homage to the radical turtles. In my head I can imagine different sections dedicated to each turtle; the meditative Asian sections are for Leonardo, the guitar parts for Mikey and Raph representing their dichotomy of free-flowing fun vs aggression, with the warbled dubstep segment reflecting Donatello's mechanical knowledge and calculating mind. That might just be my interpretation of it and I don't think bLiNd intended it that way, otherwise there would have been more distinct parts between Raphael and Mikey. Personally I can't get enough of the Asian sounds, everything else is just extra cheese on this wonderful pizza pie. I initially favored Danimal because he really pushed his creative powers to the limit on this matchup, but I find myself listening to the track from bLinD much more.
on 2011-02-17 12:33:25
And it's back to the reviews!
Link (Jose the Bronx Rican feat. zyko) vs. Ganon (zyko feat. Jose the Bronx Rican)
This is an amusing battle in that they both collab with each other for both their tracks. zyko's track doesn't really fit the battle mantra, which he knows as is evident from the comment section of the tags. Jose's track is solid, mocking Ganon throughout.
zyko's track on the other hand is a serious track unusual in its combination of rapping and singing, along with a song structure that is out of the box for most hip hop with a fuller backing track that could evolve into a different song on its own.
I love this battle - it's one of my favorites on the album because I enjoy listening to both tracks. I have to give the edge to zyko here, but both tracks certainly deliver.
Ryu (zircon, Joshua Morse) vs. Sagat (posu yan, Joshua Morse)
Wait...Joshua Morse vs. Joshua Morse? Crazy. He certainly shows his influence on both tracks.
The zircon/Joshua Morse combo for Ryu is solid, keeping relatively conservative with the melody in comparison to the posu yan/Joshua Morse combo. The latter track is solid fun, but for me I just enjoyed the Ryu one more for some reason so I have to go with zircon and Joshua Morse (JM wins either way it seems ).
Kirby (Insert Rupee, halc, cthtonic) vs. King Dedede (Mazedude)
This is an intriguing matchup. halc cthtonic approach Kirby with the standard fare that you'd expect them to do, and then Mazedude goes completely off the wall with his source, although it might be harder for people to appreciate.
For me, the more traditional take by the Insert Rupee, halc, and cthtonic duo wins out, but I've been growing to like Mazedude's track more and more with each looping of the album.
Simon Belmont (Mustin) vs. Dracula (Ailsean)
For some reason, these two tracks is a strange way to end the album to me after all that transpires. They're both solid, but I find them harder to enjoy after the rest of the tracks in the given flow of the album. The styles are also drastically different - Mustin goes for the smooth sound while Ailsean goes with a dark somber ballad.
I think I might actually prefer Mustin's track here, though both tracks are solid.
All in all, I enjoyed this album a lot. The album flow was weird at times since some of it was just people doing their own takes on songs, but that's fine. All of the tracks had a good deal of merit to them, so I'm just glad I got to listen to a good collection of music for free.
on 2011-02-16 10:15:30
This is a pretty cool work guys. Although I am more addicted on samus aran track
on 2011-02-15 14:02:39
Ah... feeling the love...
http://gamergyrl.com/news/heroes-vs-villains-will-melt-your-face-off/
http://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/matt/heroesvsvillains.shtml
http://www.destructoid.com/the-bad-dudes-take-on-oc-remix-in-epic-musical-clash-193667.phtml
... and we're LOVING that so many of you are getting into the "battle" aspect of the project; by all means, keep the reviews coming!
~ Mazedude
on 2011-02-15 05:47:04
Kick ass album! Loving everything so far. I always thought Ridley was more of a nemesis than Mother Brain, though. He was in over double the games, keeps coming back, and is constantly showing up at the worst times for Samus. I think he had his own theme?
on 2011-02-14 20:21:00
One of the things I really love about this album is the amount of chivalrous interplay between the tracks and artists, for example Mattias Häggström Gerdt and Joshua Morse mirroring each other's track titles, Zyko and José the Bronx Rican featuring each other on the other's track, Joshua Morse teaming up with Zircon for Ryu's theme, Insert Rupee titling their track "The Life and Death of Kirby", and Mustin titling his track "The Prodigal Son Returns".
It's the little things like that that make me grin big.
Oh, wow. I love that album art so hard.
I won't lie: I wish I had it in a desktop wallpaper size. .
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