ReMix:Metal Gear "Snake's Revenge" 3:31

By Musicalman

Arranging the music of one song...

"Jungle"

Primary Game: Metal Gear (Ultra Software , 1987, NES), music by Kazuki Muraoka

Posted 2008-06-14, evaluated by the judges panel


Many of you with PS3s (or friends with PS3s) are no doubt busy enjoying the epicality that is Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, so what better time to post this ReMix of the original Metal Gear from newcomer musicalman, aka Pascal Lamarche. This arrangement won DoD's MAGFest 6 free month back in January, so you know it's awesome, and Pascal's cleaned it up a little bit since then. Judges basically had some reservations about the treble ratio, specifically the volume of the cymbals in the original mix:

"Aw, hell. This thing just kicks ass all around town. High quality sounds used in awesome ways. Epic intro, excellent performances, and some really cool detours. I could have listened to another minute of this easily. It'd be incredibly hard to say NO to this and yet...

...Larry's dead on about the cymbals. This song is already pretty loud, and the cymbals are really loud. I feel like I can't play this at the volume I want to because the high end just gets overpowering. If you can tone it down a little, this is a no-brainer pass."

Well, this version can go to 11 (and BEYOND...) since Pascal toned 'em down a bit, so brain is no longer required, making judges happy. There's a sci-fi/horror flick-style operatic vocal to intro things, as a brief orchestral prelude starts us on our journey. I love how right out of the gate the arrangement shows such depth of character, freely mixing musical genres & inspirations. Rock/metal starts at 0'22" after a quick radio-static effect transition. Pascal's not afraid to blend textures, and rather than keep things pure guitar/bass/drums, adds some synths and vocal timbres in as well. Transitions here are brilliant and effortless thanks not only to intelligent arranging but also refined production and willingness to experiment; 0'58" is a brief but fantastic segue into more exposed lead territory at 1'05" that - while continuing to rock out - is actually rather beautiful at the same time. 1'25" employs the same static effect as before to transition into a softer section where the cross-delayed attacks of muted guitar and bass percolate under a swirling exchange of ensemble and solo choral passages and brass hits. 1'53" changes the demeanor from ethereal to downright demonic, with a heavy 'One-Winged Angel' style section that transitions to more soloing. An ingame "Snake... Hurry" sample prefaces a final push of the main melodic motif before a bombastic ending fitting the grandeur of the overall arrangement.

This is fantastic work that's a textbook lesson in the perfect ReMixing trifecta:

  1. Creative, interpretive arrangement that takes risks but still respects the source material.
  2. Slick, professional production that sounds absolutely gorgeous.
  3. Amazing performance technique and musicianship.

Certain genres don't really allow for the third element as much, and as a pretty mediocre musician myself, I certainly focus more on the first two, which are more core to what OCR's all about, but it's amazing when someone can put something together that so clearly encompasses all three so completely. Pascal would probably still be able to make a badass mix if he wasn't as skillful a guitar player - I personally feel that composition and production can be excelled at without comparable mastery of performance - but then this specific mix wouldn't have been made, or would have necessitated collaboration. Instead, we've got a relatively short piece that nevertheless displays a truly formidable arsenal of musical weapons wielded by a single dude... not unlike Snake himself.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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derezr
on 2024-01-25 21:16:50

This Metal Gear remix rocks ? The vocal samples used were just right. Really fun.

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MegaMixtape
on 2024-01-25 21:15:41

This remix goes way harder than the original! Some of the samples sound dated to me, but his performance and arrangement shine through, no doubt. First time listening to Musicalman's stuff, but I'm gonna go check out the rest of his stuff.

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paradiddlesjosh
on 2024-01-25 21:13:47

Virt took a solid intro BGM and sent it to Outer Heaven with this one. Tasty guitar work, solid rhythm section, killer arrangement through and through!

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Xaleph
on 2024-01-25 21:13:38

Synths are super cheezy but the guitar and drums really carry this piece. The 1:30+ part really adds some great dynamics. I also liked the double guitars at 2:50ish.

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Dyluck
on 2024-01-25 21:13:37

Operatic-classical fanfare to start and straight into headbanging-worthy slaying of the Metal Gear theme. MGS and Greggson-Williams meets oldschool. Great understated but featurable vox that's relevant and not overdone. Killer ReMix...pity we don't have too much here from Musicalman. Come back to us!

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DarkeSword
on 2024-01-25 21:13:27

Just really solid guitar work on display here. Fantastic dynamics on this one. Love that part in the middle where the energy comes down a bit. Guitar solo is killer, tasteful use of vox. Really great.

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pixelseph
on 2024-01-25 21:13:25

Feels like an 80s film opening on the intro. Great guitar tone and playing too! The more modern scoring a la Harry Greggson-Williams is a welcome addition.

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Liontamer
on 2024-01-25 21:13:08

Awesome intro. Needed stronger brass, but that was about the only weak link that stuck way out. Loads of strong dynamics here, led by Pascal's axe!

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Marmiduke
on 2009-01-23 19:34:47

The intro and the outro couldn't be more different, which I don't really care about, but I find the intro interesting seeings as it seems to suggest one direction for the mix straight out, and then it's thrust into quite another. In terms of melody, I strongly, STRONGLY agree with the direction taken.

The ending turns this mix into what was above average into top-tier stuff. Great guitar, great arrangement, great everything. Love it.

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Wild Armor
on 2008-10-17 22:32:47

I found this track to be very catchy. Good tune here :)

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glasfen
on 2008-10-16 15:26:46

Excellent ReMix. Just... excellent. Even though I'm not a big Metal Gear fan, I've had the mix stuck in my head all day and it's been great.

Nice work, musicalman! Any more in the works?

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OA
on 2008-09-16 11:16:50

When I first heard this one at DoD, I thought "Virt? Viiiiiiirt!!! Why did you redo your song from a few years back?"

After a few listens, though, it was pretty clear it was a different guy altogether doing a somewhat similar song on the surface, but underneath, there are a lot of unique differences.

The guitar playing on this is beautiful, great emotion and some good chops to boot, a few sections that seemed a little sloppy, but it's solid (lolz) where it counts. The chorus sections are excellent, and really help make the song great.

Arrangement and flow are excellent, with the vocal samples and sound efffects used to add punch to transitions in a tasteful and cool way. It kicks up the song a lot, and the varied soundscapes and colors are great.

This one is great, I wish there was some more from Musicalman all up in this.

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Mistle
on 2008-07-27 23:24:50

Clean mix, impressive arrangement. Although, for some reason, i get a distinct Michiru Yamane feel from the guitar work. Maintains a bit of semblance to the classic structure of a military march, but deviates in the best possible way.

Definitely looking forward to more submissions like this one.

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Tziufu
on 2008-07-15 18:04:52

This song is very addictive. Great job, and thank you.

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Jaybell
on 2008-07-11 19:28:25

this is all kinds of awesome, all kinds!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Metal Gear (Ultra Software , 1987, NES)
Music by Kazuki Muraoka
Songs:
"Jungle"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Orchestral
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Metal_Gear_Snake's_Revenge_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,155,449 bytes
MD5:
c0265690f6135aa944e12f997fa0d018
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:31

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