Metal Gear Solid "Solid" 7:47

Featuring driving strings and soaring guitars, newcomer Amaury Sabau delivers a vibrant arrangement of several themes from the MGS series!

• Original arrangements and composition: Amaury Sabau
• Guitar: François Kukla
• Vocals: Lydie Berthet
• Scoring mixer and mastering: Maxime Marion

"I spent my teenage years listening to Hollywood action scores. Trevor Rabin, Hans Zimmer, and Mark Mancina were my pop stars. This remix is a tribute to these guys, but also to a kind of music that's been part of my life for such a loooong time.

The remix is mainly using the music of Tappy's theme. It's developed in several parts:

1) The overture, combining orchestral and electronic elements, is an original arrangement. After a few seconds, it introduces the MGS main theme with an electronic vibe (0:54-1:10).

2) Then, the theme is displayed in an orchestral and anthemic version, 90's Hollywood action scores-style, with the guitar of my collaborator, François Kukla (1:10-1:57).

3) The track goes darker, and introduces the theme of Psycho Mantis in a massive orchestral and choral version (1:58-2:30).

I wanted to remind the listener of the fearlessness of Mantis, and how dangerous he is.

4) The next part is an original arrangement of the beginning of the song "The Best Is Yet to Come" with the voice of my collaborator, Lydie Berthet (4:26-5:54).

This song is one of the highlights of the soundtrack, and I wanted my arrangement to keep its dramatic and elegiac signature. I added a Bulgarian choir to back up Lydie's beautiful voice, building in intensity, and leading to the finale of the track.

5) The main theme comes back, first in a dramatic form on piano, accompanied by vocals and sound design. It then evolves to glorious and solemn territories, with additional guitar and vocals by François Kukla and Lydie Berthet. Just a touch of nostalgia and respect for this great theme. A saga that had its golden age a long time ago (5:55-end).

There it is! Sorry for this exhaustive explanation. Very proud of this great collaboration! Music is always better with others! I hope you will enjoy this track as much as I enjoyed producing it!"

Maxime Marion, the scoring mixer, adds:

"I've been working with Amaury for many years now. He's been the composer on several animated short films and web series I directed. I love his way of working, doing every project with commitment, craftsmanship, and enthusiasm. When he submitted to me his very first demo of the MGS remix, I knew I wanted to be part of it, help him on the mixing and production. I also immediately thought OverClocked ReMix! I've been a regular visitor of the website for the past 20 years, and thought that, maybe, this remix would find a warm welcome here."

Love the breakdown and especially the overall shape of the piece. There's a real journey that's represented here. Judges were mixed on some of the volume levels throughout, some pitchy vocals, and a few mixing choices, but loved the drama and emotive execution of the arrangement as well as the breadth. Liontamer notes:

"Nice development throughout; no repetitive sections to be found in this lengthy exploration of the MGS main theme with some other themes thrown in to help color the overall arrangement."

I found the final minute or so of the orchestral parts to be some of the best of this work - big brass swells, a fun guitar lead, and a fitting way to close an epic track. Don't let this one sneak by!