Posted 2010-05-12, evaluated by the judges panel


I loved me some Bloodlines back in the day, so I'm glad we've finally got a mix, courtesy newcomer Elliot Newman, aka elzfernomusic. He writes:

"Recorded the intro to this very roughly a very long time ago and piece by piece I kept adding little bits until nearly a full song came out of it, and it's since been a good few weeks just tweaking little bits to get rid of the rough edges. For a game I've never played it's one I definitely want to, the soundtrack is great and much under-represented!"

Amen. Things intro with acoustic drums up front and personal, actually overpowering the guitars a bit, but it's cool since the drum work is pretty durn nice - while the samples themselves got mixed reviews from the judges, I personally think the sequencing is quite effective. Synths actually take over the from there, which was a little unexpected but certainly not unwelcome, as rhythm guitar provides accompaniment for some gothic soloing. Then we get a transition into a nice headbanging section at 1'14" that builds and segues into a guitar solo. Vinnie writes:

"Besides the fact that this has synth and guitar energy via crazy arpeggios (par for the course in a Castlevania synth/rock arrangement), you've got little moments like the soft synth gliding above the crunchy guitars at 0:47 that make this stand out from the pack. I really liked it. The first half was pretty conservative but you've got a cool original(?) bridging section followed by a more varied take on Iron Blue Intention. Interpretive enough for me."

OA adds:

"Wow, awesome arrangement and some stellar playing. A+ arrangement here; I loved the minor 1-off rhythm changes in the backing chugs. :O Also props for picking out some of the more under-covered Castlevania tracks. Nice variety of lead sounds, and dead-on articulating."

All in all, this is a sweet, well thought-out Castlevania mix that blends metal and synth rock very convincingly, and it's easy to hear & appreciate the tweaking and refining the artist has done. It also covers some less familiar but VERY deserving musical territory from the series, and represents a great debut - I'd love to hear more from Elliot off the same OST, but am looking forward to his next mix either way!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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MeRToN
on 2022-04-07 20:14:59

Did you know that you've made one of the top 10 best remix on this site?

I had this on my smartphone and i listen it sometime on my car.

Very good job dude !!!

Love from France.

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Crulex
on 2012-08-20 11:11:20

Awesome! This has the CastleVania feel written all over it and that arrangement is to die for. Such rocking gothy goodness in a little less than five minute package makes this an enjoyable ReMix for sure. Some of the production bits were the only drawback, but hell, for a debut this was a damn good one.

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timaeus222
on 2012-08-10 15:15:11

Looking forward to hear any other remixes from Elzferno. This is one of my favorite tracks. xD If only.

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WesternZypher
on 2012-08-06 14:43:38

Has this Remixer's remixing career bitten the dust, or will it return from the grave? What a horrible night for a curse of the one-remix-remixer!

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WesternZypher
on 2011-01-31 11:36:08

So looking forward to hearing more from this Remixer. Rock out with your chain whip out.

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Koka2785
on 2010-06-08 15:26:16

The gothic days of swinging across levels from the ceiling, much fun indeed! This has so much going for it, the guitar, drums, and all the nuances I can't pick out; they mesh together so well like John Morris' vest. Matching Michiru Yamane's work is a task unto itself, and Elzfernomusic, you did excellently! I am not one of much musical talent, but I know the source very well, and this could very easily be subbed in without much hassle. The changes between songs flow very well, even though some of BL's songs don't match up quite well, and the variety of sources you used matched the original's variety. Thank you very much for remixing a long deserving game!

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Level 99
on 2010-06-01 09:26:45

At first I was all :-/ but then I was all :-D

This is a great concept, and well-executed, but I have to echo that the production could have been a good bit better. The production is, frankly, what holds this back from being "OMFGJHJSHFnj NJhu Awesome!!1", instead it just being "dude, this friggin' rocks".

Guitar playing is great almost throughout, and the synths are what put it up there as being kickass. Arrangement is clever in how it moves, and never really stops for directions to the next place to shred.

The overall mixing, especially the drums, have room for improvement.

I'm still giving it two-to-three thumbs up. Looking forward to where you go from here. It may have me needing to "acquire" a fourth thumb just to give it four thumbs up.

_

_

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-05-29 12:21:47

Arrangement's good, guitars sound nice, and personally, I really like the synths.

I do agree with some of the comments made on the drums/kick/snare, though. Production-wise, that aspect could've been handled better.

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Sindra
on 2010-05-18 22:41:31

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for finally breaking the CV:Bloodlines cherry here at OCR. I can't stress enough how much it pained me that such a great soundtrack was largely overlooked.

That being said, wonderful job you did here. You picked two of the best tracks of the game (though almost all the game's music was awesome) to arrange, and did so in a manner that both preserved the original source while giving just enough fresh sound to make it equally enjoyable.

I salute you.

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Chernabogue
on 2010-05-14 05:19:15

Awesome pick, it's cool to hear more ReMixes of Bloodlines!

Great arrangement, I will look for more from you. Nice work :nicework:

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zneoson
on 2010-05-13 16:46:33

First off, I must apologize for never playing Bloodlines. I must also apologizing for only knowing of Castlevania from my step-bro playing it on the NES. Stake me, I have a lot to get caught up on in games, but I do of the series and how awesome it can be.

That being said, when I listen to this mix, I can definitely feel the monster hunting vibe from this and how closely connected it is to the series. I seriously feel as if I am a part of the game, whip in hand and a full arsenal of weapons for the other with a multitude of monsters surrounding me and wanting a piece of awesome. Truly epic stuff, man, truly EPIC!

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OA
on 2010-05-13 12:10:24

A great track, and Elliot's production can only improve from here on out. The attention to detail on every element of the song is exceptional, and I was rocking out for this one. This is a guy to watch, folks! I hope to hear some more soon! :-)

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DragnBreth
on 2010-05-13 11:48:43

Awesome! Lovin' it, dude. Lookin' forward to the next one (there will be a next one, right? There had better be!).

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Gario
on 2010-05-13 01:19:22

Glad this one made it through - one of my favorites on the WIP forums...

Yeah, the guitars sound a little too far back in the mix, but otherwise it's just sexy music, man. For some reason, although I can hear what Will is saying I personally find the drums strangely fitting... Waitin' for more from ya!

Oh, and for those that haven't played the game... just play the damn thing - it's seriously one of the best games on the Sega.

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Dunther
on 2010-05-12 19:57:27

thumbs up!

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Konami , 1994, GEN)
Music by Michiru Yamane
Songs:
"Iron-Blue Intention (Stage 4 BGM · German Iron and Steel Factory)"
"Reincarnated Soul (Start Demo ~ Stage 1 BGM · Old Castle Dracula)"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_Bloodlines_Unintentional_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,971,124 bytes
MD5:
a5725476fd27e75975b4afb41a286981
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:05

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