Posted 2005-11-21, evaluated by djpretzel


This Bladiator/TO collab is actually from The Dark Side of Phobos, and is seeing the light side of OCR just now as it wasn't one of the initially posted tracks and sorta slipped through the direct-post cracks. It's dern good, though: creepy, soundtrackish work that blends a spooky-verbed piano with legato and pizzicato strings, layered electronic and acoustic kits, ambient vocal and white noise fx, and my favorite, these little flutter-trills that remind me of the excellent BGM from HBO's prematurely canceled series Carnivale. It's an unsettling musical effect, not unlike a flying insect buzzing around one's ears; it worked well there, and it works well here, creating an atmosphere of tension, suspense, and most of all unease. From there, the mix doesn't really have what I'd call a melodic direction, but it continues to build percussively and in overall intensity, which is fitting with the genre/tone. The ReMixers make intelligent decisions on instrumentation, with pizzicato fitting the bill perfectly and the distant, almost observant piano floating over the crests of waves created by the underlying arrangement. There's not too much more to say, really; if you're into dark, developing pieces, not necessarily something you can hum and definitely something you'd have trouble dancing to, but atmospheric, nocturnal, swirling, and enveloping, this is definitely something you'll get into.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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MechaFone
on 2010-12-20 23:33:04

An excellent ambiance-driven remix. Makes me wish I'd paid more attention to this album, and perhaps now I will.

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Brew
on 2010-12-13 22:55:13

You know, I've had this song in my collection for a long time now, and to this day I still turn up the volume and listen closely.

It just does such a good job of telling the story of a lone marine facing such impossible odds and impending doom, yet continuing to push forward.

Like at 1:25 when there's the first big piano hit, there's a sense of something really big coming. It tapers off a bit, like shock wearing off, and at the 2 minute mark when it transitions to a major key, its almost like this marine has begun to pray that this trip to Hell will spare him his soul, that he's actively seeking and maybe even receiving some kind of spiritual aid..

2:25 it goes a bit further with some tentatively positive vibes, perhaps having found a stash of advanced weaponry or health packs. Or maybe he's just accepted his imminent death and is ready to begin the battle.

At 2:42, it unceremoniously transitions back to a minor key. Sh*t's about to get real.

And it just goes from there, ever more intense until the very end where it finishes with almost a whisper. Maybe his soul DID escape, even if his body didn't.

That one piano note where the drums end at 5:29.. I always picture someone looking down, slowly pulling their hand from their chest and seeing blood.. those final high piano notes at the very end, looking up and seeing bright light..

Then again, I'm a computer geek, software engineer, musician, and gamer - I get into remixes on many levels.. maybe I'm just reading too deep :)

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Marmiduke
on 2009-09-16 10:40:57

Beautiful piano piece backed up with some perfect subtle atmospheric details. Surprisingly optimistic in parts, while others had a bleaker edge more characteristic of the source material. It's quite an odd ride, submerging into eerieness and surfacing into some very pretty sounding moments over and over. As strange as it is, it never stops sounding fantastic. The female vocals sounded very Twilight Princess-ish, but I dug them regardless.

I really enjoyed the relaxed nature of the mix's structure. It's a piano piece, through and through, and I appreciate that everything else was gravy. Getting atmosphere crazy or intruding on the piano's turf would have created an entirely different mix; not for the better methinks.

Awesome collab piece and a favourite when it comes to both ambience and piano. Big ups.

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Mr Azar
on 2008-11-09 06:13:02

Amazingly well done piece - it is so calming, it helps put me to sleep!

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OA
on 2008-02-13 12:11:45

Fantastic atmosphere that TO is clearly a master at, with some great backing strings and hugely reverberated percussion. This song feels incomprehensibly deep, yet at the same time, the tension is so high to make it feel claustrophobic. The in-game monster sounds hidden about and the vocals punctuate this . An excellent juxtaposition that works very well. To make it even better, Bladiator adds some sorrowful and understatedly beautiful piano work.

As the beat gains intensity, I was expecting it to have a more prominent climax, but it seemed not as strong as it could have been. The piano outro was nice, but seemed somewhat tacked on. A minor complaint, as the song itself is excellent.

Highly Recommended.

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meccaneer
on 2006-03-23 15:00:22

Ah, I'm anxious! Then there's some high and reverbed piano and it goes away. Is this the MYST mix? I suppose it sounds like 'jade.' Very pretty stuff, though, I dunno how much of the original feeling it leaves. I'm gonna give it a 4 on Ormgas. Btw, those drums kick lotsa arse.

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Palindrome
on 2005-12-18 22:29:22

This is an excellent piece. I actually enjoy the sort of ambient "uneasy" feeling that it eminates, while at the same time it isn't too overpowering. Personally, I feel there should be more mixes like this one :D

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Jered Cain Denton
on 2005-12-10 20:08:22

Hmm, that's strange... when I listen to this, I hear at certain parts some kind of sound that sounds like one of those Imps...

Makes me a little paranoid, that I hear Imps in the background of this track.

Great work, very mellow sounding, definatly perfect to listen to for a rainy day.

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swampbug
on 2005-12-01 15:09:07

Why O' why didnt doom3 have this kind of mood and feel?

Awesome song.. I love the womanesque voice humming.

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Souliarc
on 2005-11-27 10:28:16

This is a beautiful piece. It keeps a steady, enticing atmosphere that's always changing, so it needs no real climax. It's just great to listen to.

When the bass line came in, it's reminded me directly of Craig Armstrong's "Weatherstorm". They even share the same aspect of arrangement in regards to a more ambient structure.

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jorgandar
on 2005-11-23 17:00:04

Lovely. Great job. Besides the piano lead, nice use of effects throughout. Professional quality. hmm.. not much i can bitch about here. ;)

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Devonai
on 2005-11-22 20:36:43

This is one of my DSoP favorites, reminiscent of Mark Snow's X-Files work.

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Bobwillis
on 2005-11-21 14:11:18

I had heard this piece a while back on VGMix. I was wondering when it was going to be posted on OCR :P .

This is good, high quality music.

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Navi
on 2005-11-21 12:39:21

Easily one of the most brooding and dark pieces on the Dark Side of Phobos, Jade Spawn is also one of my personal favorites (amongst a whole slew of awesome tracks). TO's moody atmosphere blends together perfectly with Bladiator's piano and the result is excellent.

As I pointed out to TO, when the drums pick up pace midsong, it always reminds me of the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack. Not the best comparison but it's my personal note to the song. :D

A classic track.

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GrayLightning
on 2005-11-21 01:38:26
I'm assuming that since Jade Spawn has been sitting in the direct-post queue for some time, it hasn't been altered since its DSoP inception, but if has, I'd like to know. Just to save myself the trouble of downloading it again.

Yes it's been on the direct post queue. It's the same, as far as I know.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Doom (id Software , 1993, DOS)
Music by Bobby Prince
Songs:
"Waltz of the Demons (E2M7)"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Ambient,Cinematic
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Piano,Strings
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Usage > Halloween

File Information


Name:
Doom_Jade_Spawn_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
8,247,955 bytes
MD5:
ed2d4866fc7f998530a37cd2cd566c3a
Bitrate:
214Kbps
Duration:
5:04

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