ReMix:Breath of Death VII: The Beginning "Quest in Peace" 6:40

Our first ReMix of Breath of Death VII: The Beginning, described by Wiki as a "retro-style comedy RPG" (hint: there aren't six prequels) is a dark industrial rock ballad from the arrangement dream-team of Strader, Rexy, Jeff Ball, & WillRock. Just based on the collab roster alone, this mix almost HAS to be awesome, right? Let's just sort out the who-did-whats, first:

• Brandon Strader - drums, guitars, bass, glockenspiel, improvising, mix/master
• Rexy - arrangement, keyboards
• some1namedjeff - viola
• WillRock - guitar solo battle at 3:52 (panned left)

So this is primarily a Rexy & BS production, with Jeff & Will lending their respective stringed performances. Brandon writes:

"This is something I kept bugging Rexy to write for months. She finally finished it due to Indie Month at DoD. The goal with this mix is that I wanted us to do something different that was unusual for both of us. I like how arty the final song is and the live drums and atmosphere created by all of these organic instruments. Thanks to Jeff Ball and Willrock who played a couple cool little spots on request."

Rexy adds:

"I admit this was one of the most difficult tracks I wrote this year, no thanks due to my recent upbeat streak. Luckily the game loved making fun of itself, the sources were solid, and I saw a firm direction to take the post-apocalyptic feel. I have a feeling this might be the South Of Heaven of my works with Brandon, but if it won us the DoD that month, we know we're onto something. Thank you for all feedback! :)"

First thing that catches my ear is the lovely stereo imaging on the opening acoustic guitar progression, reprised at the end - very nice. Things get darker from there, reflecting the post-apocalyptic atmosphere Bev alludes to above. Jeff's gorgeous viola at 2'44" creates moments of serene beauty before the skies open up again & fire spews forth. The single most unusual and potentially off-putting production decision here was the processing on the drums - very stylized, compressed, centered, and generally mauled... This ends up defining the aesthetic, to a large extent, and while I think it lends a unique & intentional starkness and desperation that's quite appropriate, it certainly defies expectations. It's great to hear something from a newer game, and the dynamic B&B duo never disappoint. Jeff & Will add an extra dimension, and overall the piece develops nicely over time and musically paints a landscape that oscillates between hope & armageddon.