ReMix:Chrono Trigger "The Journey to the Darkest Depths" 3:22

Newcomer Schneider Souza sends us a sinister, energetic, & horror-film-inspired metal take on "Ocean Palace" from Chrono Trigger:

"Last October, I was looking for a song with some horror appeal to create a remix for Halloween.

When I was listening to my favorite songs I was intrigued about the scariness and tenseness of the harmonies and melodies of "Undersea Palace." Something clicked in my mind and my intuition told me to work with this song.

After listening several times, I began to imagine some 80's synthesizers creating an atmosphere similar to horror movies from that decade. It was a blurred vision of the sound, but at that moment I got an idea: make a darker synthwave remix inspired by Carpenter Brut, Scandroid, and Dance with the Dead.

After that, I started with the following steps: 1 - I wrote the basic kick and snare pattern of the style; 2 - I create a basic bassline to be the guideline. I was skeptical about the compound time signature in the bass, but when I wrote the basic lines and hit the play button, I immediately felt that I was on the right (evil) track. From that moment on, the arrangement flowed as if the dark energies of Halloween were guiding me.

Committed to the synthwave genre and inspired by John Carpenter's work, I crafted some timbers (using synthesizers) and experimented a lot with reverbs and delays to mimic a horror film feel. I really wanna do more of this kind of sound. I will do that eventually. I also used an organ sound to bring the horror movie imagery that was culturally constructed.

And, to complete the arrangement, I added some heavy guitar with power chords to make the song heavier and dense. With this, the solo was just a way to add another narrative within/through it and to create a moment to build the ending of the song.

I used the pitch and tempo automation to simulate the LP (long play/vinyl) changing of speed, because you know listening to LPs playing backwards is when you can hear some dark messages from hell. With that, I could start my narrative proposal to the song. The initial move of the LP is the beginning of the journey to the dark depths and the second is the end of the narrative. The ending idea, I confess, is inspired by "War Pigs" (Black Sabbath).

P.S. This is a resubmission after fixing what was asked in the reviews."

Equipment:

• WASHBURN PT-60
• Ibanez RGT420DXFM
• PRS SINGLECUT
• TASCAM US-2x2
• BIAS FX
• ANALOG DREAMS (Native Instruments)
• DAW: Cockos Reaper

First off... well, yes, I love this artist's name. It simultaneously reminds me of "The Stars & Stripes Forever" and Dark Schneider from the Bastard!! anime/manga, and that's a fabulous pairing that would make any sommelier jealous. SS laid everything out in the submission email, down to a detailed equipment list, so we've got the backstory - although I'll add that this hits me more as a metal mix with some electronic/synthwave elements than vice versa. Judges were unanimous on this revised edition, which mostly addressed mixing/balance issues; Rexy writes:

"When I heard the track via the inbox, I looked out for all criticisms I wanted to see get addressed. I detected the more varied beats and fills, some new synths with some fantastic modulations that shape their way through the mix, and a considerable cleanup effort that brought out your backing parts more. Not only did my main issues get checked there, but you threw in that bonus of the tempo shift at the end! I wasn't expecting my silly comment about making the ending sound more like "War Pigs" like you intended to get looked at, but that alone flat out made my night - so I appreciate you even looking into the small details!"

Bev did offer some pointers for future mixes, but Schneider addressed most of the panel's issues and pushed an already-strong mix over the edge; Gario adds:

"Wow, this sounds like a metal arrangement heavily influenced by the "Halloween" franchise, holy shit I am digging this style. Setting the arrangement to the swing of 6/8 rather than the 3/4 the source is set to is a nice touch, too - you can often get a lot of creative mileage out of that alone. Whatever mixing issues were present in the prior seems to have been fixed, since I can hear everything just fine in this, and it all sounds very well balanced. The ending is a little strange, but that could very well be personal preference on my end.

This is pretty great, let's get it up on the front page."

It's a fun, sinister-but-energetic track, and I think the aesthetic of blending Carpenter-era spooky synthwork with plenty of shreddage & high-impact drums came together quite well; the source *does* lend itself to this treatment, but the concept wouldn't have occurred to most, making it a unique take on a relatively popular classic, from (obligatory!) an absolutely legendary OST. Happy to welcome Schneider Souza aboard - excellent stuff!