OCRA-0030 - BadAss: Boss Themes

[Liontamer]

• Preview it: http://www.youtube.com/embed/HjV0fIXFtgI
• Download it: http://badass.ocremix.org/
• Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/BadAss_-_Boss_Themes.torrent

BadAss. Hardcore. Ass-Kickery, if you're dirty. These are the words I used when I officially announced BadAss back in March of 2009. The origins of BadAss begin a few years earlier. It was 2006, and a guy named Pi_R_[]ed decided he wanted to make a project that was nothing but boss themes. Kanjika joined up as the co-director and they made a good push with it. I eventually joined up, as did pu_freak. This incarnation was called Crescendo to Chaos, and while it was a great concept, it still felt like something was lacking. I always felt that it needed to be harder, grittier, and simply more evil than it was, you dig? The concept of an album made up entirely of boss themes conjured up a certain feeling; a certain state of mind, and this wasn't delivering it.

Crescendo to Chaos eventually went defunct. Where many saw a loss, I saw a glimmer of awesomeness. With the encouragement of Kyle Crouse and the support of my assistant director, pu_freak, I re-launched the project with new guidelines: "Everything must be BadAss! Can you hear me, damn you?" The album needed to encapsulate the idea of bosses by featuring dark, visceral, and aggressive tracks. The name was changed to BadAss for obvious reasons, and here we are today. I'd be remiss not to thank KyleJCrb, evktalo, and everyone else at the KNGI Boards for all their contributions, so thank you guys! To every artist, ReMixer and graphic artist alike, I salute you! You all indeed are BadAsses.

We're unleashing hell on an unassuming populace! Can you feel it?! Can you hear it?! That?s the sound of ass-kickery of a magnitude previously unheard of. We're not just gonna win, we're gonna change the game! We are BadAss. Hope you enjoy the ride!

-The Joker

[The Joker]

Hell yeah! I'm so porud of everyone who contributed to this project right here! Awesome Album overall!

Edited December 6, 2011 by The Joker

[HitoriJaNai]

Y'know, I figure since this month is Reviews Month, I'm going to go ahead and give a track-by-track review, particularly since the consistency on this project really seems top-notch, and I'm not entirely sure whose tracks will get posted when... not sure whether or not I'll count this towards defeating OA (probably not ), but hey, at least the artists may know firsthand how awesome they made this album.

(To be filled in)

[HitoriJaNai]

Twenty artists collaborated on musical tributes to some of gaming's biggest evildoers, including:

Not to be a nitpicker or anything (really, I mean it), but I counted only nineteen artists. O_O;

That aside: YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! BADASS ALBUM IS BADASS!

[Pavos]

A track-by-track review would be awesome!

[Melbu Frahma]

Did you count both members of the Dual Dragons?

Also, congrats on an awesome 30th album, OCR.

[HitoriJaNai]

Did you count both members of the Dual Dragons?

Also, congrats on an awesome 30th album, OCR.

.... DOH! That's it!

[GTAHater836]

I heard somewhere that this is only Volume 1. Will there ever be a second volume?

[Brandon Strader]

Don't let them haters on YouTube get to you! List each FF separately.

[Chernabogue]

A track-by-track review would be awesome!

Seconded!

I heard somewhere that this is only Volume 1. Will there ever be a second volume?

Yes, there will be a second volume if everything is okay. But for now, enjoy Volume 1.

[Liontamer]

Don't let them haters on YouTube get to you! List each FF separately.

Nah, it was just too long at 18 lines. If I could have combined more, I would have!

[firedude750]

I think this album can be summed up in two words: KICK-ASS!

This is literally one of the greatest OCR albums ever. It had so much rock, which is nice because not many OCR albums are like that. I absolutely love this kinda genre, with the bass and the drums and freaking awesome stuff and the what-have-you.

Some tracks did get repetitive and I didn't particularly care for the screamo, but those are only minor gripes. I'm not gonna lie, I was unfamiliar with a lot of the source material, but the epic arrangements and production and face-melting RAWK made up for it. This album places in my top 5 OCR albums.

I'll do a track by track review once I soak in its epicness some more.

[Subz1987]

BAH GAWD this album is awesome. Evil rules

[RoeTaKa]

This album really rocks guys great work. With the amount of awesome guitar skills on show here I really should've politely asked one of you to collaborate with me haha. I'm looking forward to vol.2 it's a great concept and I'll provide a killer track or 2 for it fo'sho! I would like to do a review of each track, I've not really been around for a long time so it's the least I can do to be supportive. I'll try to get that done within the next couple of days.

[GentlemanGamer]

Let's makes some noise people ! We'rve gotten not one, but two epic OC ReMix Albums in just two weeks! My iPod is loving you guys right now, it's being very well fed with so much tight tunage I can't wait to listen to this! I'll be sure to do a review when I've finished

[Swanky]

This thing is insane(ly good). That Vergil remix is legendary.

[Catharsis]

Oh man, it's about time I've heard an awesome Ultimecia remix. That's probably up in my top three final boss fight songs ever.

[Brandon Strader]

I didn't particularly care for the screamo

I agree, Screamo is terrible

[StreetFlare]

You know, I was surprised that there was no Sonic villains on here. I mean, you've got Dr. Eggman, Neo Metal Sonic, Mephiles/Solaris, and Dark Gaia...then again, Eggman is common, the other three, only one game. So...well, I like the album as it is.

[DeepChild]

Wow, another excellent album. I love the concept, and the music really delivers what I'd expect given the title. What I didn't expect was Mazedude's Saren remix. It was probably a minute into the track before I "got it". From there on I was just blown away.

Bravo and thanks to all the artists!

Oh, and kudos to Sixto for that cut of dialog from the original TMNT movie. That took me back some years.

[Arcana]

Still downloading this, but I am SO EXCITED that this has been released!

[K.B.]

My initial reaction to one of the tracks: "Aw man, it's over? That was good - I wish it would have kept going. I wonder who did it. Wait... Arcana? HOLY CRAP that's awesome!"

Kinda steals my thunder what with you posting right before me, but I still wanted to give props. Nice work!

Kickass album. I'll have to listen a few more times to really appreciate everything, but off the cuff I can say that I was rocking to it nearly the entire time.

[Project R2K]

Man, this album came out of nowhere. It kicked down the door, stormed into my room, threw what I was currently listening to to the curb, and thusly began raping my eardrums. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I am truly digging the kick-assery over here; soaking in the myriad of malevolence. Nostalgia flooded as I beheld the visages of foes long since felled and I steeled myself as I looked into the eyes of evils I've yet to vanquish. I always enjoy album projects just for that reason; they reaquaint me with tunes I know by heart and introduce ones I've never heard before. Bad ass indeed. You guys put together one hell of an album. Can't wait for Vol.2! On that note, might I suggest Tabuu's theme from Super Smash Bros Brawl? I know he's not an iconic villain (not yet at least), but his music is loaded with kick-assery and I'd love to hear it remixed.

Great work guys! Keep it up!

[MagiusNecros]

GILGAMESH! That is all.

Really enjoyed this album. Can't wait for volume 2. Love the sad approach with Clash on the Big Bridge.

[Inferno232]

Okay, first of all, let me say I loved the whole thing. I have been waiting for this for a long time thanks to "Badazz", but I didn't know how good the rest of the album would be in comparison.

By and large, hoo boy, is it. It's all AWESOME.

But, most of all, my favorite piece has to be "The Sound of a Thousand Voices Screaming in Unison". Wow. Kidd Cabbage, congrats, you did the Mad God proud. That song is unrelentingly savage and chaotic and I LOVE it.

And, like I said, the other tracks are GREAT as well. But, being a Final Fantasy fanboi, those last two just really stuck out for me. Can't wait for the next one, guys. Bravo.