ReMix:Metroid "Mission Complete: Ending Suite" 8:17

You want some EPIC ORCHESTRAL? Orchestral so damn epic you'll be crapping hobbits and slaying balrogs in your sleep? Instrumentation so supple and nuanced that your spine will tingle... until it breaks like a twig? I don't honestly know why I'm introducing this excellent orchestral medley of Metroid endings from Sam Dillard like a monster truck show announcer might, but it seemed like the right thing to do. While you may not excrete wee folk and your vertebrae should remain intact, this is nonetheless 8+ minutes of pure awesome, from Harmony of a Hunter. Sam writes:

"...a mix of the endings of the first four Metroid games. It was a really tough track to produce, since I had about 120 individual instruments or so playing at once and it was causing my computer to crash constantly and just took forever to compose. But I was going for something that sounded really symphonic and realistic, and that's no easy task. In the end though, I think it turned out pretty decent. Hopefully it makes for a fun listen at least :)"

You can hear the detail & scope of the instrumentation in every second - the symphonic palate is filled out, PLUS you've got choral components featuring more prominently toward the end. So it sounds awesome, but the real test of any mix that's stringing together ending themes from four different games is how well everything is woven together. Even if all the games are from the same franchise, and all four songs are ending themes, from a compositional perspective there's still a lot of work to be done in fitting them into a cohesive whole. Well, you can check that box off quite definitely, as this opus - even at a rather hefty 8'17" - has a completely natural & engrossingly narrative structure. It goes from point A to point B & beyond with complete fluidity, and is always introducing new points of interest along the way. Fantastic work from Mr. Dillard, who contributed a large part of what made Harmony of a Hunter so special!