ReMix:Castlevania: Bloodlines "Crimson Twilight" 4:11

By Dr. Manhattan

Arranging the music of one song...

"Iron-Blue Intention (Stage 4 BGM · German Iron and Steel Factory)"

Primary Game: Castlevania: Bloodlines (Konami , 1994, GEN), music by Michiru Yamane

Posted 2011-04-07, evaluated by djpretzel


Dr. Manhattan sets his sights on the Castlevania franchise with this electrified rock/metal take on Bloodlines. Every single one of Hugo's mixes to date has rocked out, and each has been not only from a different game, but a different series/franchise, so while the shreddage remains consistently face-melting, I gotta give him props for the change of scenery, spreading love to the wider world of VGM.

The arrangement professionally fuses metal/rock elements, performed brilliantly, with orchestral/gothic accompanying components that blend perfectly. It sounds like a track off a professional arrange album, and then takes it up a notch from there with the introduction of wah-wah towards the end. I'm a sucker for wah, I admit it, but it's not like it's an autopilot effect - the part & playing both need to be written to take full advantage, and they certainly are in this case. I'm glad Hugo added it, because it provided that little extra edginess & surprise that gave the whole mix more attitude and character. Sometimes a track can sound TOO polished, if that makes any sense, and while no one should EVER take awesome, professional production & arrangement for granted, some aggression or deviation can really help drive the whole thing home. Like a stake. Through the heart. Of awesome...

Wonderful, rock-solid, completely enjoyable Castlevania Bloodlines mayhem from Dr. Manhattan... not much more I can add!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2012-10-11 15:06:33

The doc here just knows what it takes to melt your face off with quality rather than loudness, and with a source like Castlevania, he pretty much has to. This ReMix has the classic gothic idea to it in the arrangement, but the guitars drive home the absolute feeling of power. The breakdown and higher return was the extra mile of variety that makes this one of those ReMixes I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to someone. Amazing ReMix, doc.

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Mirby
on 2011-12-25 08:34:47

RAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWK!!!!!!!!

Seriously, this track rocks. I love it so much; fantastic job. Very enjoyable listen that remains faithful to the source in the conservative parts and rocks the fuck out in the liberal ones. :D

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Rexy
on 2011-12-08 03:45:45

Good choice of source, Dr M. I'm glad to see that the SEGA-based Castlevania side is getting some love :)

So the arrangement typically follows the source closely, but with some nice expressive guitar work and some sweet organ/string/drum work being thrown in to compliment the setting as well as a sweet transition at 1:45 it manages to show its expansions. And I got to admit the calm at 2:40 before leading into that insane wah solo was icing on the cake to me - showing a lot of Dr M's colors of a player. So we basically have an arrangement that generally has a straightforward approach but really starts diving into Dr M's character around it. Neat work.

I can't however leave this with a little criticism. I don't know if it's me though, but I can't help but notice some over-compression on the track somewhere. I think it's more noticeable on the rhythm guitars; often when they're making a presence they seem to push the mix down slightly uncomfortably.

But there is at least a plus to come out of it though - no MIDI trumpets this time :razz:

All in all, a very enjoyable track for me; be sure to keep rocking the Dwelling of Duels and sub to here every now and again; I've been quite a fan of yours over the past several years and I'm glad you're there to keep delivering :D

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Martin Penwald
on 2011-06-21 14:31:03

Sweet rockin' remix. Castlevania is always a good source, and it is nice to hear Bloodlines getting some love.

Breakdown around 2:40 is awesome; the guitar has a very Queen-ish sound to it.

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Belisarios
on 2011-04-26 12:57:39

:nicework:

DrManhattan as best as always

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Rambo
on 2011-04-13 02:41:35

I've never played this game but I love this remix. I'm getting the same pins and needles on my neck as when I hear one of my favorite tracks from a nostalgic game. Except there's no nostalgia here, just raw awesome.

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GarretGraves
on 2011-04-10 16:55:08

There's a lot of great musicianship here. Only thing i find odd is the amount of limiting kinda gives the track a sort of "pumping" feel. Gives me the same feeling as sticking q-tips in my ears. Not sure if that's normal. Im still getting the ins and outs of mixing myself. Other than that, really awesome stuff!

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luhny
on 2011-04-08 05:12:30

Ah, I love a good face melt. Very interesting piece to listen to. Nicely done, thumbs up!

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GravitySuitCollector
on 2011-04-08 03:59:00

:smile: I think your OCRemix on this one is fantastic; I'm definitely downloading this. The only thing that felt off to me were the choir aaahs after 2:40 (listened to youtube preview). I felt that the initial volume just took away from the whole effect somewhat; the attack might have been a bit too heavy for them (imho). The way it is each one feels almost too sudden to me.:? Anyways, I still love this, and I appreciate the time and effort you put into this. Thank you. :nicework:

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1day
on 2011-04-07 23:28:21

Reminds me of the incredibly awesome music representing Guilty Gear

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Sindra
on 2011-04-07 19:00:43

This was great when I first heard it in DoD. Still love it. Bloodlines has such awesome much and you did it justice!

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Txai
on 2011-04-07 18:33:27

Good to hear some more Bloodlines. I think it is also Dr. Manhattan's best work yet (love the breakdown at 2:38). Well done.

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djpretzel
on 2011-04-07 18:17:06

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Konami , 1994, GEN)
Music by Michiru Yamane
Songs:
"Iron-Blue Intention (Stage 4 BGM · German Iron and Steel Factory)"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Organ
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Castlevania_Bloodlines_Crimson_Twilight_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,105,960 bytes
MD5:
a6eb2ee1968de947d00a9cd4325a17b6
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:11

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