ReMix:Silent Hill "Dreaded Mist" 10:12

After no Silent Hill ReMixes for over 21 years, we've already had one this year! But are we gonna settle for just that? NO! It's time to post this Black SeeD ReMix today, not tomorrow. ;-) Black SeeD's back with an extended black metal lament for Silent Hill's blackmailed nurse, Lisa! The ReMixer said this submission was a gamble -- we know better than to liken gambling to playing Balatro; nevertheless, they felt like they were playing the odds on an arrangement with a fair bit of repetition:

"Here's another song from my album of remixed video game tracks in an atmospheric black metal way, Farplane of Memories (2021)!

This one is more of a gamble for an OC ReMix submission. This track takes inspiration from ambient black metal (like this), which is a style that takes its sweet time and assumes a lot of repetitiveness (with slight differences) for the listener to get comfortable with it. Usually long calm intro, themes that are repeated with melodies coming on top of it, big ambient pads melding with guitars, two or three identifiable sections...

Coming back to my track, there is a lot of intentional repetition, but I try to get something new in each big section (new pad, new melody behind, etc..). The main melody of the original track is voluntarily in the back as the ambient guitars, leading the whole thing while pluck pads are doing the smaller melody repetition. Almost each melody smashed together is from the track.

So, here you go, a 10-minute black metal ambient track that repeats with variations. I hope you'll like it! Thanks a lot!"

Even knowing that black metal was in the cards, the opening sounds lush, I dig it. This one was given ample time to breathe, which allowed prophetik music to go Henry-David-thorough with his rundown:

"intro is very simple but i love the layering and fade-in of the heavy distortion. the initial hit with everything in it that happens at 1:06 sounds great. it's a fat, heavy, dark mastering method that you're using and i think that the approach works great for such a depressing original tune. the flute's lead is represented in the leads clearly, and the iconic arpeggio is repeatedly represented in a variety of instruments through the first big band blow and the subsequent break at 2:43 or so.

the break is honestly earlier than i expected, but i don't mind. the switch to the B theme in this break is also welcome - i didn't expect it at all, and the octave leads do a nice job highlighting those shifts. we come out of that into a band section with some triplet kick at about 3:48, using that set of chords. this continues to be mastered like a bratwurst, but there continue to be shifts in how it's being handled - the change in leads at 4:54 to the guitar as the lead with some altered synth work behind is a simple one, but seems huge in the fairly uniform context of the work so far. [...]

there's another break right at 6:30, hearkening back to the beginning's instrumentation. as one does, another slam transition at 7:04, and we truck back into the full band sound for essentially the rest of the track. there are some subtle brass/string sustained lines in the background that honestly add a ton to this section. at 8:42 or so, we get the triplet kicks back with the B section's chords and melodic content, with more and more layering on top of the existing band sound. then, finally, what we all were waiting for, some sextuplet bass drum right at the end before a fadeout on the acoustic part.

this is great. it's mastered extremely well, it's indicative of the style, it features a preponderance of the original's content, and it's interesting to actively listen to. nice work."

prophetik was joined in plaudits by the queen of mastering of the judges panel, Chimpazilla, who A-OK'ed the intentions of Black SeeD's genre-authentic mixing as well as the instrumentation, performances, and dynamic arc of the gloomy journey:

"I love this intro, the progression from clean acoustic to distorted and then heavy/dark is amazing. What a lovely arrangement too, the denser sections being broken up by simple, clean synth writing, building back up gently then loudly back into the heavier sections. I can still hear the beautiful synth arp from 2:43's section during the next heavy section starting at 3:47, and the writing is haunting yet hopeful, just beautiful. The guitar work is competent and emotive. The padding fits in very well and the drums are cutting through well. The arrangement comes off quite repetitive but that's a hallmark of this genre. There are just enough variations to keep it fresh as it moves along while being fully immersive. [...]

The effect during the densest sections is sort of a wash of sound, heavy on both distortion and reverb, but that is characteristic of the genre. It is purposeful.

I love this. It is luscious and lovely and completely engrossing. The arrangement is giving me all the feels for ten solid minutes without losing my attention. YES please."

Once again with some of the scene's metal tracks, I don't dread the mist as much as I do the noise, so I slink off once again to my old-man cave to get my Q-Tips. :-) Regardless, on the arrangement side, I love it, and the Js collectively aren't anywhere near as sonically curmudgeonly as me. For all your dark designs, Black SeeD's the one!