OCRA-0030 - BadAss: Boss Themes

[Pavos]

So, where are all the track-by-track reviews you guys promised us?

[firedude750]

So, where are all the track-by-track reviews you guys promised us?

I'll get one up very soon, just trying to get together what I want to say

[firedude750]

As promised, track by track review!!!!!

1. "Master of the Blades" by pu_freak: Alright, great way to kick off the album, a piano solo by a very talented pianist, pu_freak. I love the source for this piece, and hearing it as a piano solo was new, and exciting. The bells were cool, the piano playing was elite h4x0r, and the whole piece is kick ass and soothing at the same time. I love the dynamic contrast present through out the mix. It starts calm, then OMG FORTE AHHHH, then calm again, it's just superb. Great way to start an awesome album.

2. "The Curse of Yamato" by RoeTaKa: As you may know, I love orchestral pieces, and this one is proof as to why orchestra pieces are awesome. The percussion near the beginning is so in your face and almost catches you off guard. The synths that show up as the track progresses are fitting and add to the epicosity of the piece. The low end synths back up the higher-strings nicely. The quality of how the instruments sound is amazing. The mix builds itself up and the theme is present through out and heard evenly. Once it gets quiet you're like "uh wut" then it picks up again which I thought was pretty swell. haha. The violins in the background to the main violins fit in nicely. Nice mix.

3. "Routine of War" by The Dual Dragons: Ok, the first metal mix of the album, and a good one at that. This mix doesn't mess around, it jumps right into it. Once I heard that first guitar chord, I was like "yes." haha. The rhythm guitar backs the melody guitar up nicely. One thing that bothers me about the mix is that the quality of the guitars is a little low, I think the guitar could have sounded a little cleaner and would have sounded better with a better recording, but that's just a small gripe. The synths compliment the guitar playing nicely, and fit the theme appropriately. A good metal mix.

4. "Duel of the Apes" by Big Giant Circles: This mix just punches you in the face right when its starts haha. The guitar and other various instruments are a very nice combo. The guitar playing is very smooth and memorable. The strings in the background are very well placed and add to the epicosity of the mix. The choirs are an interesting touch, but a cool one nonetheless. Really cool part is where the synth takes lead as a rhythm guitar backs it up. This mix does a great job of not getting repetitive and keeps the listener's attention through out the song. This is my favorite remix from the album. Great mix!

5. "To Slay a Butcher" by Arcana: Ok, another orchestral mix with synthy touches here and there. The drums were very cool sounding, and made the mix sound almost like a song armies would play before going into battle. The guitar playing wasn't very complicated, but added nicely to the established formula the mix had at that point. The computerey sounding harmonies were a nice touch. The horns that play the main melody were very strong and confident and were fun to listen to. The mix seemed to drag on and not really go anywhere, and it seems like it could have ended a bit sooner without sounding boring by the end, but overall a good mix.

6. "Lights Out" by Lashmush: MOAR M3TAL!!! Quality of the guitar recordings is good, and the playing is executed nicely. One gripe I have is that the lead guitar is a bit weak. The harmony and rhythm guitars seem to overpower the lead, and the background guitars can actually be distracting. Other than that, the mix is cool. I also didn't care for the screamo bits, but thankfully there was only one small bit. The lead may have been drowned out at times, but that didn't stop it from being totally awesome. It was played very skillfully, and was fun to listen to.

7. "All Existence Denied" by SKummel Maske, LuIzA, and pu_freak: The structure of this track reminds me of "Master of the Blades" in that it starts off very calm, then picks up rather abruptly. The guitar playing is excellent, and the track as a whole reminds me of the Black Mages, and that is a very good thing . The vocal parts are creepy as anything, but they seem to fit the part nicely. The guitar playing is very clean, and mixes nicely with the soft bits in the background. The percussion was done nicely and accompanied the rest of the piece greatly (is that a word?) Very nice mix.

8. "A Daring Escape" by Jago: You can't have too much orchestral in an album, and this track proves it. The name "A Daring Escape" is fitting, as the whole piece is rather frantic, and it could have been used as an escape scene track very nicely. It's very structured and defined, and those horns are backed up nicely by the very excited percussion, and that ending was cool as hell. It was really building up and up and then, BAM. It's over. The dynamic contrast as the piece began to end was just superb, nicely done. This is one of those tracks that hearing live by an orchestra would be reaaalllyy cool. Very, VERY nice mix.

9. "The Belmont Revolution" by Chernabogue and NintenJoe 64: This album seems to alternate between metal and orchestral and that is awesome, because I love both genres. This track starts off metal, and transitions to orchestral, and just goes back and forth, which is not easy to do. I found myself enjoying the orchestral bits more, but that doesn't mean that the metal was bad, on the contrary it was very good. The two seem to compliment each other nicely, and it's always cool when a track incorporates more than one genre, and this track does it with styyyyle. The production is very clean, which is probably why the two styles sound so nicely together. I couldn't imagine this track as one genre or the other, this mix is just awesome. Needless to say, nice mix.

10. "Astaroth's Awakening" by The Dual Dragons: Sweet another track by the Dual Dragons. The intro to this reminds me of traditional Japanese music for some reason. Once again, the Dual Dragons deliver in the guitar department. The vocals in the back are kinda cool, but I'm kinda glad they stayed there, and left the track for the guitar. My favorite part is the solo near the middle, it's just so damn cool. The arrangement is very good, and never gets too repetitive and stays focused on the melody at hand. The rhythm guitar accompanies the lead nicely, and does its job of staying in the back very nicely. Awesome mix.

11. "Real American Hero" by Nutritious: Ok, another orchestra/metal hybrid. I like it. As with "The Belmont Revolution", the metal does a nice job of accompanying the orchestra. Neither one tries to outdo the other, and I love it for that. The arrangement is solid, and is structured nicely. This mix seems like it'd be appropriate in the final part of a war movie, as the troops finally push through enemy lines and are just wrecking the other side. Epic on many levels, and that ending is just so freaking awesome. Nice, nice mix.

12. "Dragonfood" by Rozovian: This mix creates a very cool atmosphere with it's very heavy chiptune-ish environment. The effects of the mix are pretty cool, especially the ones where there's no bass, then all of a sudden boom, there's bass. It's pretty cool. The percussion just blends in so flawlessly with the melody, just like a perfectly blended strawberry smoothie. Yeah. The drum breakdowns about halfway through were pretty nice, then again with the boom, back to the melody. The crunching synths are pretty freaking sweet, and as said, add to the epic atmosphere. Very cool mix.

13. "Saren's Prayer" by Mazedude: First off, VERY cool intro. The drums, although pretty simple, just pull you into the music, and really set the mood. The melody is very humble, in that it presents itself, but doesn't seem to want to make a big deal about it. It kinda just lets the drums and harmonies do their thing. The mix doesn't seem to develop, kinda just straight forward. There aren't too many mixes like this one on the album, and that's a good thing, a change a pace can be refreshing. Production was pretty clean. Overall, a pretty solid mix.

14. "Dreams of Death" by Brandon Strader: ahhhhh. Screamo. I don't like it. But, I'll do my best to remain unbiased. The heavy guitar and bass are pretty cool and create a pretty sweet atmosphere. The string vibration about halfway through was unique and pretty cool. The guitar playing was pretty solid, and production was clean. The drums are pretty cool, and pretty fun to listen to. As stated the only grip with this mix is the screamo. Which is most of the mix. I understand that there are people who like screamo, and I am not one of them. Besides the screaming vocals, it was a good mix.

15. "The Shredder" by Sixto Sounds: The intro is very cool, with the guitar chords and the quote. Then that synth kicks in and you're just like "O YAAA". The lead guitar reminds me of classic rock, something like Guns N' Roses or ACDC. The guitar is just so kickass, and that crazy synth in the background is just so epic. The solo towards the end is just facemelting epicosity. Then everything stops you're like whaa, then more, and thhhhheeeeeennnnn finale! Just very solid arrangment and structure, and the production is very clean and that helps the guitar sound as badass as it can. Very excellent mix.

16. "BadAzz" by PrototypRaptor: Sephiroth. One of the most famous villains in video game history and his theme is equally as famous. This mix does it justice. The synths are just so overwhelmingly epic, and the crunchy chiptuney harmonies are just so cool, it makes you want to go kick some ass. That bass is just so clean and amazing, it's awesome. I like how "Sephiroth" is said throughout the piece, just like the original. The cool effects with the vocals saying something in Latin (I think) are just so trippy it's awesome. The structure is pretty well designed, I like how it'll play the main melody, go off on a tangent and then return to the melody. Very nice mix.

17. "The Sound of a Thousand Voices Screaming in Unison" by Kidd Cabbage: The guitar playing has a weird tone to it, and the intro part of the guitar playing gets a bit repetitive, but the drums and bass are pretty cool. The arrangement is well written, and the background guitar adds a pretty cool tone to the overall piece. The piano that comes in is a pretty cool change of pace, and fits the theme nicely. I like the effects that are going on around the piano. The guitar that comes back in after the piano is a bit better than the earlier part, but both are cool, just like I said, the tone is kinda weird. But that doesn't stop this from being a cool mix.

18. "The Last Dance" by The Joker: Cool synthy effect and bell type instruments in the intro. Pretty calm mix compared to the rest of the album, but I like it. The album starts and ends the same way, a calm and soothing track. The harmonies are pretty damn relaxing, and the bells remind me of like a crytsal-y type environment. It's just a very chill piece, and I like it. The mix doesn't seem to go anywhere, but when it's this mellow, who cares? haha. The strings in the background help make the bells really take the melody and just chill it down. An awesome way to end an awesome album. Very nice mix.

[Brandon Strader]

14. "Dreams of Death" by Brandon Strader: ahhhhh. Screamo. I don't like it. But, I'll do my best to remain unbiased. The heavy guitar and bass are pretty cool and create a pretty sweet atmosphere. The string vibration about halfway through was unique and pretty cool. The guitar playing was pretty solid, and production was clean. The drums are pretty cool, and pretty fun to listen to. As stated the only grip with this mix is the screamo. Which is most of the mix. I understand that there are people who like screamo, and I am not one of them. Besides the screaming vocals, it was a good mix.

I made a joke before but now I feel I should correct you.

This is screamo:

This is death metal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnEU77kcA8

That is all.

edit: That's not all! You only have to pretend to be unbiased if you're a judge. If you don't like something, just be honest about it.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Brandon Strader

[firedude750]

I made a joke before but now I feel I should correct you.

This is screamo:

This is death metal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnEU77kcA8

That is all.

edit: That's not all! You only have to pretend to be unbiased if you're a judge. If you don't like something, just be honest about it.

Ok, as you can probably tell, I'm not very experienced in that field haha.

[Pavos]

Awesome that you did a track-by-track review and thanks for the comments!

[Chernabogue]

Awesome track by track review, man! Thanks for the comments, I was afraid my track was not as good as the rest of the album.

[firedude750]

Awesome that you did a track-by-track review and thanks for the comments!

Thanks man, I'm glad I got express my opinion of this awesome album.

Awesome track by track review, man! Thanks for the comments, I was afraid my track was not as good as the rest of the album.

Thanks, and whatchu talkin? Your track was awesome!

[The Joker]

A track by track review? What is this madness?

Glad you ejoyed the album, & thanks for reviewing all the tracks individually!

[RoeTaKa]

I'm sorry it took so long. Was busy over christmas and stuff. Been having to remind myself to do this since I wrote a review for each song then had a powercut, not fair, so I apologize for the lack of detail in some reviews.

pu_freak - Master of the Blades

A soft beginning to the album. It somberly hums BadAss but the haunting and operatic qualities are nice. I never really played any off the FF's pre VI so sadly I'm unfamiliar with Gilgamesh . The beginning was great I thought it would become something really energetic but as the music box came in I knew it would stay moody. I enjoyed the mix and I really liked the section at 1:56 and the arpeggiations there was some good build there. I didn't expect this to open the album, but the mood is solid.

The Dual Dragons - Routine of War

Crazy choice of material! This boss battle was tense, one of my favourite bits of the game. I love the mix of orchestra and guitar, sections like 1:31 get me right into the song. The very end was a bit of a let down but the whole thing was a consistent headbang and the second half was a great listen. Nice production values.

BGC - Dual of the Apes

Lol DK, enough of the where is bowser, this guy was the original badass! I didn't expect this to be your mix when I heard guitar, it has a great tone about it and parts like 0:40 make it really memorable. For a BadAss song I thought it was a bit too jolly and swingish and the choir feels out of place. It's a good mix, the first half of the song is really good but I wasn't keen on it.

Arcana - To Slay a Butcher

I love this. Great choice to remix. It has a real subtle epicness about it and it made me go look up Suikoden II again. It might stick close to the source at times but I think it does a great job at celebrating it. Personally I would have ended the song around 4:20. Good job on this, I found myself looping this for some time. Wish I had more to say because this is really cool.

Lashmush - Lights Out

I think this is a great example of taking an old boss tune and BadAssifying it. A real stick out moment. It's not my cup of tea genre wise but thinking about it being Zelda and how pounding it is, can't help but think how this suits this album so well. I love how crazy it gets at the end as well, if I were drunk I'd be moshing to it in a club!

Skummel Maske, LuIzA, pu_freak - All Existence Denied

Another moody mix but as I'm a lot more familiar with this song I find it wholly appropriate. Infact my favourite moments of this song are the piano moments which have a eery feel of imminent devastation. There's some good guitar playing and Luiza adds good creepyness but for me this song is all about the tension. The last minute has great energy about it.

Jago - A Daring Escape

An optimistic and heroic sounding mix. The orchestration is good and I particularly like the brass staccato that gives this a good drive. For this album I expected more, something heavier, something more of a beat. It sounds like it would fit right square into a Smash Bros game which is great. I thought the change of time signature towards the end was a good idea but the transition in and out of it for me is a bit odd. It's a good mix but I just didn't think it really fit on the album.

Chernabogue, NintenJoe 64 - The Belmont Revolution

The Castlevania feeling in this is awesome. Sometimes it seems quiet or the orchestra isn't brought out enough, which made it a hard listen for a while. But when I really listen closely there's loads of awesome detail here, if I think about playing castlevania I get really pumped about it. It took me a few listens to properly appreciate it and think it's pretty awesome. But the end was awkward and weird I'm afraid.

The Dual Dragons - Astaroth's Awakening

Shadow Hearts 1 and 2 are a couple of my favourite RPG's ever with awesome soundtracks. Can't say I really remember this song though. There's some great texture throughout this mix between the instruments and the lead guitar like 1:09 really sells this mix. I wish you guys did Evil Gate Opener (2) that is a really badass song.

Nutritious - Real American Hero

Love the orchestrated intro, really dynamic and edgy. It's pretty consistenly energetic and packs a punch. The balance of orchestra with guitar and drums is also really nice. I can't think of much else to say but it's a good mix, just doesn't stand out much for some reason.

Dragonfood - Rozovian

There's some great sounds in this, in the big sections I keep thinking it's Ridley's voice and he's just singing in a way I've never heard haha. I wasn't so keen on the first half of the song it felt like it took some time to get into the best parts, I really like the moody parts like at around 2:00 I think it would have been great if the intro was longer like this then built into the sections like at 2:45. This whole mix really sticks out though, great stuff.

Mazedude - Saren's Prayer

I love Mass Effect. I can't recall Saren having a theme...the game has a good soundtrack, the only song I really cared for was the Normandy's theme. I'm two sides about this as on the one hand it feels pretty moody and dark but on the other hand I just want to skip it after a minute, sadly it's a pretty boring mix.

Dreams of Death - Brandon Strader

I have a love hate thing going on with this mix. One, I love that you did it, why the fuck not, it actually makes me laugh because I just wouldn't expect it. Then I hate that it isn't something else, when I first heard this song when the trailers for FFX came out I thought it was the most awesome song...so I was expecting something really epic. But this is good death metal and a great interpretation in that respect so I'm sorry I couldn't like it more.

The Shredder - Sixto

Great intro, awesome into the first minute, the last minute is also particularly awesome. Hard to fault anything it's a great rocking mix (blame the power outage).

BadAzz - Prototype Raptor

This is probably most people's favourite track on the album. After hearing the clip in the trailer I thought I'd love it but I think I just set my expectations too high. It has really good production values. I love what goes on just after the first minute and at around 2:40 those are my favourite parts but besides that I wasn't really digging this mix. I think I would've enjoyed something shorter more.

The Sound of a Thousand Voices Screaming in Unison - Kidd Cabbage

I'm furious at my power outage because I actually wrote you a great review. There were some really good moments in this song...bar the piano part, that was just so out of place I thought I was being hypnotised. The whole tone of the song does feel flat and a little lifeless, it sounds like it wants a lead but if the production were nicer I know it would already feel like a complete song. I really liked 1:42 and 2:28, mosh mosh mosh.

The Last Dance - The Joker

King Dedededelicious, Dededelerious, Dedededelightful! I could go on with the puns! At first I didn't really get the mix for some reason. After hearing it alot now...I think it's brilliant. What you've done with the melody and style is really creative. I dont like to do the "this one's better" thing, but im gonna and I think this is way better than Mazedude's mix. My only gripe is there's this big contrast between the high pitched sounds and the low end, it feels like it could have been filled just a little. I totally can imagine Dede with a sort of Saints Row trailer now.

From now on, Ctrl S every minute, must get that into my muscle memory. I already lost a bunch of song tonight from a crash, if there is a God he is telling me to save much more often. So this is a really good album but I hope with volume 2 there is more quality control because there were a few mixes here I thought could have been absolute standouts but were let down by production values.

Thanks to those that commented on my mix. It was already over a year old or so before the album came out and I've been on a big break, lots of changes, and will do even better for volume 2.

[Pavos]

Thanks for the track-by-track review man... too bad you had a power outage, hopefully you didn't lose much progress on your songs

[Ginosion]

Hey guys. I did a pretty awesome review on my blog. Check it out: Tell Me What You Cherish Most. Give Me The Pleasure of Taking it Away.

[hyrulekitty]

Very awesome! I'm new to this. I liked the whole track by track review thing as a little preview for what I was getting myself into. Cool work!

[The Speed Buster]

I made a review too If anyone wants to read it, here it is:

http://forum.thechaostheatre.com/showthread.php?tid=4186

[Brandon Strader]

I made a review too If anyone wants to read it, here it is:

http://forum.thechaostheatre.com/showthread.php?tid=4186

Now this one was actually good. Nice work.

[The Speed Buster]

Now this one was actually good. Nice work.

Thanks for being my first music review I did my best.

[Pavos]

Thanks for the review man, awesome!

[Chernabogue]

Nice one, dude! Thanks for the kind comments.

[The Speed Buster]

Don't worry guys, you made a great and awesome work in the album, and I'm anxiously waiting for Volume 2.

[Cobra]

Loving track #7, All existence denied

The piano part is killing me, the bests part of the original track are magnified extremely well, the voice effects are really nice.

I love your work folks, it's obvious you have a deep culture of VG and put a lot of virtuosity in all of this.

[The Joker]

Glad you dug it! Volume 2 is almost done, keep on the lookout for it.

Loving track #7, All existence denied

The piano part is killing me, the bests part of the original track are magnified extremely well, the voice effects are really nice.

I love your work folks, it's obvious you have a deep culture of VG and put a lot of virtuosity in all of this.

[XerotheInfinite]

You guys did really awesome in that album I love the second track and the 12th track there my favorite one's can't wait for volume 2!

[Tubamaphone]

I have been listening to OC remix for a decade now, and this album is probably THE best collection you've put out. Track one really sold me on the whole thing. Thank you all for this amazing beast!

[nitrozsz]

To hype myself for BadAss Volume 3, I revisited the first two volumes and thought I'd give them both a "small" review

First, BadAss Volume 1: The BadAss Menace.

Some of the best boss theme arrangements can be found in this album. I'm not surprised by the heavy amount of hard rock represented in this album. But some of the tracks in this album do an excellent job in their performances, creating performances that scream "THIS ENEMY WILL KILL YOU" rather than just creating a hard rock remaster with the loudest and fastest riffs. But not all of it is rock, there are orchestrated arrangements as well. Hell, there's even rock AND orchestrated arrangements. This album is more than just artists making their interpretations of random boss battle themes (and stage themes). These artists really thought outside the box with these arrangements. 

Personal Favorites:

Track 1: Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy V) - Master of the Blades [pu_freak]

This is such a misleading track. And I mean that in a good way of course. It tempts you into thinking this will be a peaceful, serene sounding experience, before blasting you with all the BadAss themes that await listeners of this album. But what I actually love about this album is how an originally fast paced battle theme like Gilgamesh’s can sound so haunting and so soothing.

Track 3: Laughing Octopus (Metal Gear Solid 4) - Routine of War [The Dual Dragons]

Man I wish the battle themes in Guns of the Patriots sounded half as good as this track. I don’t know if this was intentional, but I love how the artists used the guitars to create an experience as if Laughing Octopus was actually inside your ears taunting you.

Track 8: Dr. Wily (Mega Man 3) - A Daring Escape [Jago]

I've heard orchestrated arrangements of this particular stage theme before, but this one knocked it out of the park for me. It adds a sense of urgency to make an otherwise exciting track more dramatic.

Track 10: Astaroth (Shadow Hearts - Covenant) - Astaroth's Awakening [The Dual Dragons]

I have to confess, I added this track to the custom soundtrack of my copy of Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Specifically the stage where you fight True Ogre. But besides that, Astaroth's battle theme is one of my all time favorite Yasunori Mitsuda tracks. I love that the Dual Dragons didn't try to be Yasunori Mitsuda, and crafted their own mood based on the original melody of the Astaroth battle theme. 

Track 11: Cobra (G.I. Joe) - Real American Hero [Nutritious]

I mostly love how this track combines the drama of an 80s action flick to a modern day battle track. It’s not really intense, but it’s more of an encouraging battle theme. And sometimes, encouraging battle themes are the best.

Track 15: Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV) - The Shredder [Sixto Sounds]

The beginning made me think that this would be more of an oriental style remix with slower, more ominous tones. But then the track just surges out right in your face, and belts you with the fastest, exciting, most intense riffs you’ll ever hear in an arrangement of a boss battle theme.

[Clem Fandango]

I have a near-limitless appetite for versions of "Dancing Mad" where guitars are shredding the hell out of the Kefka music and am glad for this album giving me another one of those if nothing else. Some other great stuff in here too, of course. The Sephiroth track where the choir's high-pitched "Sephiroth" is replaced by a low-pitched robot dragging out the last syllable is cool. I think my favorite one on the album is actually the Dr. Wily track, which is fun because it creates a sense of "The hero is fighting the villain" rather than it just being, "This is the bad guy's music."