The Black Mages

[Regulus Tera]

So my order from Play-Asia just arrived yesterday with the third album of the Black Mages, Darkness and Starlight, which includes, among other things, the FFVII Opening Bombing Mission and the OPERA FROM FINAL FANTASY VI. I'll let you enjoy the latter thanks to the magic of youtube:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyBOABdMkwc
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOp8miV--Gc

Something I'm finding is that in the first hearing I just don't like their songs, but after a while I can really appreciate their efforts with the melodies. Their cover of Aria di Mezzo Caraterre has really grown on me (probably because I'm getting a Bohemian Rhapsody vibe out of it, but I'm crazy and you shouldn't take my word at all). However, they can also fuck up some songs really, really bad (Zeromus, Otherworld, Neo EXDEATH...). I have a love/hate relationship with them.

So who else here likes to listen to them? Critiques, comments?

[POS Industries]

I like them the closer they stick to the original arrangements. This Aria di Mezzo Caraterre is fantastic, for instance, and I adore their version of Dancing Mad, but the two FF6 battle themes they did just disappointed me beyond belief. Everybody else seems to love those arrangements and I can't understand why. They all feel so.... sluggish to me.

[Mike McC]

I was really disappointed with thier version of Otherworld. The female vocals just didn't work as well as the vocals in the original.

I'm pretty sure I really liked the version of The Decisive Battle from FFVI they did, but I can't play it back in my head right now, and my mp3s are at home, which I won't return to for another 3 1/4 hours. I'll edit/post my impressions then, along with the youtube linkd verisons (can't really do audio on the library computers, you know).

[Xaeta]

When you mention Black Mages I keep hearing the "Black Mage Villiage" theme from Final Fantasy IX. I actually liked that song, though it was strangely up-beat of a theme for a villiage of depressed black-magic-wielding drones.

My friend's and I had remixed the "Advent One Winged Angel" song to emphasize the rock music interlude. Also we have a remix of Final Fantasy X's main battle them and boss battle themes that sounds like a cool techno beat. Unfortunately I can't present because they're saved on my computer at home and my monitor's f***ed so I can't share :(

[Blues]

I don't even like Final Fantasy VI, but I thought they did a fine job on the decisive battle one. The regular battle theme was kinda slow.

Their second album is still their best, in my opinion, though the new one is good. I was really hoping they would do Necron, and god dammit they did. Also Kurayami No Kumo was really something, they did a great job with that song.

They don't get everything right, but they really blew me away when I first heard them last year and I enjoy almost all of their songs. This is great music to drive to.

Otherworld is annoying, though, yeah. I'm not a big fan of female vocalists in general, and that woman was not even a good one.