Mega Man ZX "War Never Changes" 4:19

Humorously, my first time working with Cyril was when he answered my call for a saxophone player (ironically, also for a Mega Man spinoff)! Imagine my surprise when I found his YouTube channel, which is replete with killer vocal Mega Man covers!

Although Dwelling of Duels is an anonymous competition, I knew right away this Mega Man ZX track was Cyril's, and I was super-hyped for it as soon as the vocals kicked in.

"I'm back at it again writing way-too-serious lyrics about Mega Man! Dwelling of Duels had a theme month of Nintendo DS/3DS and, while there's plenty of games and series that are appropriate, I took another listen to "Green Grass Gradation" and something finally clicked. (I always read it as "Green Grass Gradiation", which is not the same, hahah.)"

It's clear that you've been honing your musicality in all areas: arrangement, production, and of course, vocals, because this track slaps. The band mix is tight, the guitars sound huge, and the synth ostinato is full of super fun sound choices, all of which I love. Judge proph says:

"the band sound is big and beefy and great, and the guitar solo elements really are solid and fitting for the arrangement. i think the adaptation is really interesting and much broader than i'd have expected a synth rock to heavier rock transition to be. and ofc cyril's tone is spectacular - just continues to get better as he gets more experienced."

Cyril's rock vocals are indeed spectacular, befitting of the style and arrangement. The vocal stacks are a real treat too, with octaves and harmonies weaving in and out through the whole listen. It's so hard not to sing along! Judge jnWake has lots to compliment:

"Love the singing, the small touches like that slightly rougher tone at 0:40 are awesome. Your tone kinda reminds me of the singer of prog. metal band Andromeda at times. ... Some nice vocal focus at 1:43, it's hard to enunciate properly while singing so high! ... Switch-up at 3:13 was lovely, the deeper tone and calm vibe are a welcome change. There's a chorus repeat and then we repeat the section from 0:15, now with moar epic vocal layering."

Cyril writes that the lyrics are about...:

"choosing to the do the right thing in the face of your own past and the history of the world (which is a primary theme of ZX and its sequel)."

It's very easy to imagine standing atop a hill, wind making waves in the grass, with a fist clenched in resolve ready to take on the world.

As a guitarist myself, I'd be remiss not to mention how beefy the rhythm guitars sound. Excellent tone, excellent crunch, absolutely in your face at all the right times, and wonderfully subtle in the softer sections.

I would also be remiss not to mention ZackParrish's slick guitar solo. I'm jealous when listening to it, which means you know it's good! :p The solo was universally praised by the judges. As a snippet, judge paradiddlesjosh says, "Zack's guitar solo is tasty and even references the source melody."

Alright, enough of my yammering. Go check out Cyril's awesome metal remix of "Green Grass Gradation", and witness all the green grass and trees rise as you rock out!