Torque
04-24-2008, 12:28 PM
So, huge fan of the Black Mages here. Loved their first album so much that I actually BOUGHT the second one (no MP3's for ME!).
I enjoyed the second one hugely, but found that Uematsu was kinda ruining the music a bit with his goofy jazz keyboard solo's in these really awesome heavy metal remixes of my favorite final fantasy songs.
But hey, he started the group, it's HIS music that's being covered, and I love the man for making video game history.
Enter their third album, bought without a trial, just like the second.
I want my money back :(
It's like they took everything they did bad in the second album, doubled down at the tables, and got their knees broke by a fat bookie named Icepick for losing everything GOOD they did in the first album.
I hate to say it, but if you REALLY enjoyed the previous albums, and haven't heard the third... Listen with a Grain of Salt. I won't be presumptuous to say you "Won't like it", since I don't know what you all like, but I think I can safely say that if you DO like it, you won't like it AS MUCH as the first two.
A brief run down...:
Opening- Bombing Mission; FF7.
Not bad, but like the newer songs from the second album, not much has changed. It's basically the exact same song, but without the midi synthesizer. Except for THIS song there's lots of midi synthesizer, and Uematsu's goddamned Jazz keyboards! :(
NEO Exdeath; FF5.
Here we go. This was a pretty intense song from FF5. A good prelude to what was coming in FF6. And the remix is actually pretty damned good. Very little synth, and no jazz solo's from N.U. Good song, and I approve.
The Extreme; FF8
This was the final battle song from the battle with Griever in FF8. a good mix of trance, and rock in the original, and a decent remix here. The transition from the piano opening to the main riff of the song seems a little forced tho, and they don't really take advantage of the intensity you can get with a good set of rock instruments to add to this great song.
Assault of the Silver Dragons; FF9
Avoid this bitch like the plague. Not only is it from my least favorite FF game, FF11 not withstanding, but it's just not a great song. Either the original OR the remix. Too much synth.
KURAYAMINOKUMO; FF3
If I recall, this was the final boss fight from the NES FF3(j). Since I can't read Japanese I never played it, so I only have the arranged midi version to compare with. But the remix is decent. Good song, some synth, but it works in this one, and the guitar solo is pretty deep and intense (Something they could have used in The Extreme).
Distant Worlds; FF11;
Never played FF11, but judged solely on the merits of the remix alone, I'd say: Not bad. It's not really what I'd call a rock arrangement, and I think it should have stayed that way. It's a 7+ minute song with about the last two of which featuring any real "Rock" which seemed out of place to me.
Premonition; FF8
Oy. Here we go again with the synth. If you're going to rearrange music from the midi era into rock compositions why, dear god, WHY do you go and put the synthesizers back in it?! Other than that, I guess the song is actually alright, if you just try and pretend that the synth is a REALLY overdriven guitar or something.
Grand Cross; FF9
Yet another FF9 monstrosity. No idea which part of this game this comes from, but just on it's own merits, it just features WAY too much synth in the lead for my tastes.
Darkness and Starlight; FF6
The eponymous track of the Album. It's a 15+ minute remix of the Opera of Maria and Draco from FF6. I would like to go on record and say that I loved the arranged version of this song that was featured on the Orchestrated FF6 album (Name slips my mind at the moment). So I expected a lot from this track, as I am a big fan of classical/opera and rock combo's.
And I'd have to say this is a pretty damned good track. The only problem is that the narration (which was done in text by the Impresario in FF6) is in Japanese, which means if you don't remember it (Or never played the game) you're screwed. Admittedly the lyrics are in either Latin, or Italian, or whichever, and so you don't get much from those EITHER, but I come to expect that from Opera, and so I rely heavily on the narration, which in this case is in Japanese (Fuck).
But back to the review. Good song. I recommend it. Especially once you get to the "Battle with Ultros" Segment. My olny complaint is that I don't think that the Black Mages themselves were the best choices for the male role of the opera
Life, In memory of Keiten.
It's a Memoriam to Yoshitaka Tagawa. click here (http://www.dogearrecords.com/tbm3_eg/index.htm) and scroll to the info on the song near the middle of the page, if you wanna know the story.
Ok, so I guess that wasn't very brief. But that's how I roll! lol
I enjoyed the second one hugely, but found that Uematsu was kinda ruining the music a bit with his goofy jazz keyboard solo's in these really awesome heavy metal remixes of my favorite final fantasy songs.
But hey, he started the group, it's HIS music that's being covered, and I love the man for making video game history.
Enter their third album, bought without a trial, just like the second.
I want my money back :(
It's like they took everything they did bad in the second album, doubled down at the tables, and got their knees broke by a fat bookie named Icepick for losing everything GOOD they did in the first album.
I hate to say it, but if you REALLY enjoyed the previous albums, and haven't heard the third... Listen with a Grain of Salt. I won't be presumptuous to say you "Won't like it", since I don't know what you all like, but I think I can safely say that if you DO like it, you won't like it AS MUCH as the first two.
A brief run down...:
Opening- Bombing Mission; FF7.
Not bad, but like the newer songs from the second album, not much has changed. It's basically the exact same song, but without the midi synthesizer. Except for THIS song there's lots of midi synthesizer, and Uematsu's goddamned Jazz keyboards! :(
NEO Exdeath; FF5.
Here we go. This was a pretty intense song from FF5. A good prelude to what was coming in FF6. And the remix is actually pretty damned good. Very little synth, and no jazz solo's from N.U. Good song, and I approve.
The Extreme; FF8
This was the final battle song from the battle with Griever in FF8. a good mix of trance, and rock in the original, and a decent remix here. The transition from the piano opening to the main riff of the song seems a little forced tho, and they don't really take advantage of the intensity you can get with a good set of rock instruments to add to this great song.
Assault of the Silver Dragons; FF9
Avoid this bitch like the plague. Not only is it from my least favorite FF game, FF11 not withstanding, but it's just not a great song. Either the original OR the remix. Too much synth.
KURAYAMINOKUMO; FF3
If I recall, this was the final boss fight from the NES FF3(j). Since I can't read Japanese I never played it, so I only have the arranged midi version to compare with. But the remix is decent. Good song, some synth, but it works in this one, and the guitar solo is pretty deep and intense (Something they could have used in The Extreme).
Distant Worlds; FF11;
Never played FF11, but judged solely on the merits of the remix alone, I'd say: Not bad. It's not really what I'd call a rock arrangement, and I think it should have stayed that way. It's a 7+ minute song with about the last two of which featuring any real "Rock" which seemed out of place to me.
Premonition; FF8
Oy. Here we go again with the synth. If you're going to rearrange music from the midi era into rock compositions why, dear god, WHY do you go and put the synthesizers back in it?! Other than that, I guess the song is actually alright, if you just try and pretend that the synth is a REALLY overdriven guitar or something.
Grand Cross; FF9
Yet another FF9 monstrosity. No idea which part of this game this comes from, but just on it's own merits, it just features WAY too much synth in the lead for my tastes.
Darkness and Starlight; FF6
The eponymous track of the Album. It's a 15+ minute remix of the Opera of Maria and Draco from FF6. I would like to go on record and say that I loved the arranged version of this song that was featured on the Orchestrated FF6 album (Name slips my mind at the moment). So I expected a lot from this track, as I am a big fan of classical/opera and rock combo's.
And I'd have to say this is a pretty damned good track. The only problem is that the narration (which was done in text by the Impresario in FF6) is in Japanese, which means if you don't remember it (Or never played the game) you're screwed. Admittedly the lyrics are in either Latin, or Italian, or whichever, and so you don't get much from those EITHER, but I come to expect that from Opera, and so I rely heavily on the narration, which in this case is in Japanese (Fuck).
But back to the review. Good song. I recommend it. Especially once you get to the "Battle with Ultros" Segment. My olny complaint is that I don't think that the Black Mages themselves were the best choices for the male role of the opera
Life, In memory of Keiten.
It's a Memoriam to Yoshitaka Tagawa. click here (http://www.dogearrecords.com/tbm3_eg/index.htm) and scroll to the info on the song near the middle of the page, if you wanna know the story.
Ok, so I guess that wasn't very brief. But that's how I roll! lol