ReMix:Mega Man Zero 2 "Never Stop" 3:57

By Cyril the Wolf

Arranging the music of one song...

"Gravity"

Primary Game: Mega Man Zero 2 (Capcom , 2003, GBA), music by Chicken Mob, Ippo Yamada, Luna Umegaki, Masaki Suzuki, Tsutomu Kurihara

Posted 2013-06-12, evaluated by the judges panel


With an intro that sounds like a blend of Led Zep's 'Kashmir' & some heavy metal James Bond action, this screamin' (literally AND figuratively) vocal metal arrangement of MMZ2 from Cyril is, first and foremost, intense. Connor made his vocal debut on OCR back in 2011 on a dark & tortured Sonic the Hedgehog 'Finality' collab w/ JH, and this solo mix explores similarly emotive territory, albeit with a little more shreddage. For the original submission, he writes:

"This mix may seem conservative, especially since the intro is almost verbatim to the source, but I change it up more noticeably as the song continues. Around :50 I change the beat around which that riff is built. I added a little repeating line that kept the song from stagnating, and I change up the vocal melody each time with different octaves and trills and other such things in the verses. 2:32 on is a very interpretive bridge, with the guitar solo switching meters for some fun. The final chorus also changes up the rhythms significantly."

Judges were digging the creativity & approach for the first version, but wanted Connor to polish it up & tighten the vocals a bit, and this new version is definitely an improvement. He adds:

"I took some time and tried to see if I could better myself. Additionally I re-recorded the rhythm guitars to a more natural tone in my opinion. Mastered more loudly than the previous one with the vocals more present, though I didn't try to win any loudness wars here. This was the product of me getting rejected and wanting to show you I could come back and make something 100% better. If you remember the old version, this should rustle your jimmies in the best of ways."

To me, the highlight of this mix is the "over and over" chorus, which is really nicely doubled/harmonized - this is the section that has the most interesting cadence and also highlights the artist's voice most effectively. Some of the solo vocal portions work better than others; it's an insanely demanding vocal part, basically balls-to-the-wall metal singing, and while there are definitely moments that waver a bit, when Connor hits that scream at 3'11" and it sustains over the aforementioned chorus, well... that's some pretty hot shit, in my opinion. A loooong time ago, back in 2003, we posted some mixes by Jason Brian Merrill, aka silent, and then we never heard from him again. While there were some production issues with his tracks, there was also a certain fearlessness to his vocal approach, and I particularly liked his Ninja Gaiden II ReMix for its original lyrics as well. I feel like with this mix and his previous Sonic vocal, Connor's almost picking that torch back up a bit, and while doing vocals of this nature is not only hella difficult but also alienates certain listeners, I think it's something unique that OCR has been missing for a good long while. OA sums it up:

"Connor's strong point has always been his passion, and I think the control is starting to get there. Some of the more subdued sections felt not as in control, but the improvement was definitely there on hitting the right note and holding i. The sections where he cranked it up to 11 were great, and the Dickinson style falsettos were pretty solid. I even heard some pretty passable Anselmo phrases in there too, and the harmony rich sections were very compelling. The wide variety of styles vocally make this really fun to listen to, and I really encourage you to further push yourself vocally; there is still a good deal of untapped potential, which is a pretty exciting prospect. The references to several eras of metal vocal history is pretty awesome to me from a fan, and while I don't think most people will 'get it', I appreciate the thought put into it. Pretty excellent upgrade over the previous track; which I really enjoyed. It's not polished to a mirror shine, but it's got a lot of heart, and what is being attempted is pretty damn difficult."

Truth; there are plenty of moments of brilliance in this mix, and I was digging it, so for my money, Connor should keep doin' what he's doin' - I see room for improvement, but I also see some epic, kickass music!!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 6 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Necrox
on 2015-12-06 17:36:51

Not too big on the clean vocals; the harsh vocals are great though. That sustained scream is seriously demanding. Vocal mixes aren't really my thing, but good work regardless.

avatar
Crulex
on 2013-06-13 09:46:14

Cyril's voice really fits the arrangement here, especially the harmonization and "never stop" growls at points. Great guitar work, the percussion is awesome, I loved the little falsetto yell at the end and the production sounds solid. Honestly, this is grade A stuff. So good to see a quality Mega Man Zero ReMix hit the front page. Great work Cyril!

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Damashii!!
on 2013-06-13 03:49:17

*cannot express my reaction to this beast of an arrangement through text.*

:nicework:

Yeeeah, gonna be jamming to this one for a while.

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timaeus222
on 2013-06-13 00:14:29

Intro was interesting. The kick seems to change off of the first beat sometimes, which is pretty cool. The hits at 0:33 were well-controlled. Awesome bass guitar.

Vocals are still a tiny bit iffy, but I like them anyways. Lead guitar felt buried at 2:32 at first, but it was alright later on. 3:11 was a bold move, and it's pretty awesome. 3:26 was even more awesome. :D

Fun to listen to, brave effort, and downright jelly.

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Adventdawn
on 2013-06-12 19:54:29

I think it is about time this got posted, I've been listening to this one for awhile :P

avatar
djpretzel
on 2013-06-12 16:04:16

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man Zero 2 (Capcom , 2003, GBA)
Music by Chicken Mob,Ippo Yamada,Luna Umegaki,Masaki Suzuki,Tsutomu Kurihara
Songs:
"Gravity"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Singing,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Origin > Resubmission

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_Zero_2_Never_Stop_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,785,258 bytes
MD5:
2bcd8f6a5b03348a6796b5840702c3fd
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:57

Energy flows through their wires
They will never tire
All the time you had fought for
They never stop

Foolish humans, faulty machines
Giving rise to evil things
One by one, they will fall to you
Though... they never stop, yeah!

Over and over again
The forces of evil rise
(They never stop)
Over and over again
They come meet their demise

You keep fighting through the protest
Some think giving in is best
Keep going through your own misgivings
This will never stop, yeah!

Over and over again
Our innocents will all die
(Never stop)
Over and over again
No matter how hard we cry

Fear has power if we give it
You gave us hope and spirit
We will take this threat no longer
THIS WILL NEVER STOP!!!

Over and over again
We fight for all our lives
(WE WILL NEVER STOP!!!)
Over and over again
We always will survive

WILL NEVER STOP!!!

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