ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Devotio Aeternus" 3:55

2013 continues to cement its status as the best year EVAR for artist comebacks, and here to further that trend is none other than Darangen! We last saw Michael Boyd almost seven years ago, with a sweet Lufia ReMix, and now he's back to rock us all out with some Chrono Trigger!! This track was resubbed twice and revised based on panel feedback into a final incarnation that really shows what Michael is capable of; I'm thrilled he stuck with it & persevered through revisions and technical difficulties as well:

"I thought I had lost this with a computer crash after an obviously incompetent computer repairman told me it was irretrievable. Luckily I had a few friends who were able to guide me through restoring most of it. I still had to redo some things but most of it was salvaged well enough. Anyway, here was my original write-up:

Oh noes, a Schala mix! There’s a reason everyone remixes Schala though. I was listening to Chrono Symphonic at work one day and Rellik’s “Beneath The Surface” came up. That got me thinking about the undersea palace theme and through various other tracks with Schala’s theme, I eventually started molding them together in my head. Then this track was born. Its working title was Killer Studio Chops. It’s somewhat symphonic heavy metal. Schala’s theme has been converted to 3/4, and the section in the intro is in 11/8. I tried swapping between 3/4 and 4/4 for the two sources, but it just wasn’t gelling like I wanted it to. I’m happy with the result though. As always, hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it."

There were two main issues - some harshness on the strings, and timing issues with the rhythm guitar - that were holding previous versions of this mix back, but DAMN am I glad they got fixed, because this is one of Michael's best, baddest, most enjoyable mixes to date. Things might still get a little muddy at points, and the timing is a little loose towards the very end, but the majority of this mix is all out of bubblegum, and left with the sole option of kicking ass, which it does. For any minor quibbles one might have, the strength & energy of this interpretive (but still easily recognizable) arrangement easily compensate. The wah guitar soloing alone makes this an awesome ride, and overall the mix fulfilled my mental image of what a badass Darangen comeback mix SHOULD sound like, so I was happy. So was Vinnie:

"The chorus sounds awesome in particular, and I love the solo following the second chorus. So expressive, great tone."

I think this mix will be deservedly popular, as it strikes a great balance betwen interpretation and identifiability, covers some relatively well-known source tunes (to put it mildly), and (especially in this final revision) rocks out with energy, intelligence, and emotion. Great to see you back, Michael!