Album: Vampire Variations: Volume III

I'm late to the party, but I would like to say that this remains one of my favorite OCR albums to date. SCIV is one of my favorite OSTs of all time and all the Remixers have done a great job capturing not only the sound, but also the atmosphere of the game.

My favorite on this album is Slimy's Deadly Furniture. To me, the source seems to convey a sort of 'twisted ballroom' for the main hall of Dracula's castle - Slimy's interpretation brought all of the neat orchestral-sounding bits of the source to life, almost seeming to give the strings and percussion a life of their own. I still sometimes jump when I hear that bright progression cut through the quiet tension at 2:15.

On a side note, is that the same howl I hear in Selva Oscura, Dracula is Our Vampire, and the Night King's Lament? That is one persistent wolf ...

Long time since release, but I have to say it: this is a really amazing album! I always loved Castlevania IV and its soundtrack, so "weird" and unique, and it's a pity that most of the tracks (with the exception of Simon's theme) are so underrated and almost no decent covers of them. This album, homever, makes justice. A great tribute to a great soundtrack.

In contrast to the previous two volumes of this trilogy, this third one feels more varied, balanced and consistent. Many metal tracks, many orchestrals, many synth/electroincs and many everything, but all in its proper way. Making something with such a variety and experimentation while keeping a very own personality on it does not seems to be an easy task, but you all did it very well. Also a very nice job from Chernabogue to direct and manage the project and keeping it always alive and progressing despite the difficulties in the way (yes, I very rarely post something but I'm very often reading "in lurker mode" :P).

It was also a nice experience to go to the "online listening party" that Hallowen night, despite the confussions with the schudule. The first and only one I went to, and hope to go to many more later.

Some good remixes from musicians I already knew and liked (especially the one by Goat) and some others I just discovered in this release and I liked very much too (Slimy's orchestrals are really nice and interesting, as well as Timaeus222's crazy remix for the Treasure Room, and the "unofficial group" formed by Jorito, Tuberz, Keskitalo, etc has a very unique and interesting style too). It was great to listen to very nice remixes of very-little-remixed tracks like the Sumerged City, the Forest, the Dark Cellar, the "giant lamps' screen", etc too. This is an album where everything is worth, from the shortest interludes and narrations to the most complex and well-made music. No fillers nor questionable-quality stuff included.

If you are one of those many who, as me, always loved the original Super Castlevania IV and its weird and unique soundtrack, this album is the perfect tribute to it and you will sure love it as much as I do too. And if someone liked this album and did not played the game yet, you should do it too! Totally recommended, and I'd dare to say this is the best VGM arrangement/tribute album of 2015 year (at least in my opinion).

And well, not much more to say that I didn't. Maybe someday I'll write a more complete review of the whole album, as it deserves, but unfortunately my english level is maybe not enough to that xD.

Thanks again for the amazing job, and for making it free for all!

Thanks @nitrozsz for the kind words!

Thanks @nitrozsz for your kind reviews of the VV Trilogy, I'm glad you appreciated our hard work

....what the hell, I can't leave this one without a review after doing the other two.

General Overview:
Volume III AKA the Super Castlevana IV volume AKA the best pre-Michiru Yamane Castlevania. Point is, Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack was amazing, and this volume did that soundtrack justice. It's a lot darker and it feels more cinematic compared to the other two. The other two volumes had more loud, fast paced, upbeat highlights. But this volume contains a perfect balance of those fast tracks, and tracks that are a lot slower, and more soothing. And of course, Nicolas Cage.

Album Strengths (AKA Personal Favs):
Track 1-4: Heart of Limestone (Limestone Cavern) by Rexy
The original track was already creepy enough, but the original track relied on synth notes to convey a horror feeling. This track relies only on the piano to convey horror, and it does a really good job of doing so. (Couldn't think of anything else to add beyond what I said in my original review)

Track 1-7: Whipped into Shape (Rotating Room) by Sbeast
The rock elements of this track make this seem like it would be fun. But then you add the synths and the piano, and it becomes a lot darker. And I love that feeling of having fun in a dark environment.

Track 1-11: Deadly Furniture (Banquet Hall) by Slimy
Intense orchestrated arrangement. Almost Night on Bald Mountain-esq. Only instead of Chernabog sending little demons to cause havoc, Dracula is possessing random pieces of furniture to cause havoc.

Track 2-1: Endless Tomes (Library - Collection Space) by Sam Dillard
This sounds to me like what would happen if Yasunori Mitsuda worked on a track for a Castlevania game. It's so ominous, with a hint of intensity here and there to make that sense of exploring the unknown that much more wicked.

Track 2-4: The Harbinger of Death (Treasure Room) by timaeus222
It's a good exploration track, but when the beat drops, it turns into an aggressive battle theme. The build-ups to the beat drops are what make this track great, and the beat dropping segments themselves are just incredible.

Track 2-8: Stairway to Perdition (Beginning) by Audio Sprite
This isn't as complex or as intense as many of the other tracks here, but maybe that's why I like it so much. It's very nice, funky, and nice music to relax to or to go out walking with your headphones.

Track 2-9: Dracula's Secretaries (The Attendants' Rooms) by Slimy
Very nice and cinematic take on one of the last levels in the game. It feels very much like a climax to the Castlevania adventure.

Track 2-10: The Night King's Lament (Dracula's Room) by Sam Dillard
The best track in the entire Super Castlevania IV soundtrack evolved, and made to present an incredible showdown between Simon and Dracula. If you listen to Dracula's Secretaries and The Night King's Lament back to back, it almost sounds like it could be a medley about Simon on the home stretch towards Dracula, and then finally meeting him in a memorable showdown.

Wait, I'm confused.

Why are the first two being released just now? Where were the first two this whole time?

Vampire Variations was released in 2011, and Volume II in 2013, as KNGI (independant) releases. They have been updated (some tracks, the art) and re-released by OCR with Volume III as a full trilogy.

Wait, I'm confused.

Why are the first two being released just now? Where were the first two this whole time?

to the overdriven metal of PirateCrab, Sbeast, Existence Zero, etc.! Thanks for a great album!

Squash the clarinets! Squash them all!

I love the diversity of moods here, from the transportive and expansive atmospheres of Sam Dillard, to the ambitious unsettling vibes from Slimy, to the overdriven metal of PirateCrab, Sbeast, Existence Zero, etc.! Thanks for a great album!

• Preview Vampire Variations: Volume III: http://youtu.be/KKBHKD4uwio
• Download the Vampire Variations trilogy: http://vampire.ocremix.org
• Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Vampire_Variations_Trilogy.torrent

This is the end of a grand adventure. Looking back five years ago, I didn't expect I would end up finishing an album trilogy in 2015. I wasn't a posted remixer and not well-known in the VGM scene, and I know I improved a lot since. It started all out as a simple tribute to Castlevania's 25th anniversary, and we're now celebrating its 30th with the final volume of the Vampire Variations trilogy. Once again, Dracula rises as humans wish to pay him tribute.

This last album's production started after several people encouraged me to do it. Plus, when you already have two albums out, you cannot quit before doing a third one. After thinking about which game we should cover, and discussing it with djpretzel himself, I decided to choose Super Castlevania IV for its classic, yet under-remixed soundtrack. As the final volume had to be the most epic, I also decided that all tracks should feature orchestra instruments in order to create a somewhat cinematic experience.

I cannot thank enough all the artists who helped me and dedicated their time to create those albums. I truly hope we have been able to do justice to the Castlevania series with this trilogy, and that people will appreciate our hard work. I am far from being good at writing such notes, so I'll keep it short: enjoy, and thank you for everything.

-Alexandre "Chernabogue" Mourey