Posted 2014-01-09, evaluated by djpretzel


Our first ReMix of Breath of Death VII: The Beginning, described by Wiki as a "retro-style comedy RPG" (hint: there aren't six prequels) is a dark industrial rock ballad from the arrangement dream-team of Strader, Rexy, Jeff Ball, & WillRock. Just based on the collab roster alone, this mix almost HAS to be awesome, right? Let's just sort out the who-did-whats, first:

  • Brandon Strader - drums, guitars, bass, glockenspiel, improvising, mix/master
  • Rexy - arrangement, keyboards
  • some1namedjeff - viola
  • WillRock - guitar solo battle at 3:52 (panned left)

So this is primarily a Rexy & BS production, with Jeff & Will lending their respective stringed performances. Brandon writes:

"This is something I kept bugging Rexy to write for months. She finally finished it due to Indie Month at DoD. The goal with this mix is that I wanted us to do something different that was unusual for both of us. I like how arty the final song is and the live drums and atmosphere created by all of these organic instruments. Thanks to Jeff Ball and Willrock who played a couple cool little spots on request."

Rexy adds:

"I admit this was one of the most difficult tracks I wrote this year, no thanks due to my recent upbeat streak. Luckily the game loved making fun of itself, the sources were solid, and I saw a firm direction to take the post-apocalyptic feel. I have a feeling this might be the South Of Heaven of my works with Brandon, but if it won us the DoD that month, we know we're onto something. Thank you for all feedback! :)"

First thing that catches my ear is the lovely stereo imaging on the opening acoustic guitar progression, reprised at the end - very nice. Things get darker from there, reflecting the post-apocalyptic atmosphere Bev alludes to above. Jeff's gorgeous viola at 2'44" creates moments of serene beauty before the skies open up again & fire spews forth. The single most unusual and potentially off-putting production decision here was the processing on the drums - very stylized, compressed, centered, and generally mauled... This ends up defining the aesthetic, to a large extent, and while I think it lends a unique & intentional starkness and desperation that's quite appropriate, it certainly defies expectations. It's great to hear something from a newer game, and the dynamic B&B duo never disappoint. Jeff & Will add an extra dimension, and overall the piece develops nicely over time and musically paints a landscape that oscillates between hope & armageddon.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 7 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Cloudsol
on 2014-01-15 17:26:38

I started playing this about a week ago. I love the music, so thanks for the mix!

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Brandon Strader
on 2014-01-12 10:52:12

Wow, thanks guys! And I'm glad to hear my out-of-the-box 5-piece kit can sound comparable to stormdrum, that's high praise! :-)

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timaeus222
on 2014-01-11 22:17:07

Yeah, the drums sound like East West Stormdrums mangled with distortion and a lot of compression.

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evktalo
on 2014-01-11 19:02:08

Wow! The arrangement is a naturally flowing, calm/thoughtful instrumental jam. Good instrumentation sweet guest solo spots. I really liked the sound of the live drums, the playing is kind of loose but I think it works really well here. The only thing I don't like is the way the bass drum punches through the mix, it seems very detracting and takes attention away from the rest of it (I like the otherwise "recorded in a garage" sound of the drums), and also feels physically uncomfortable to me. Rest of it was absolutely great!

--Eino

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Crulex
on 2014-01-10 09:18:21

This is a pretty damn good example of ReMixes that carry out a whole up and down emotional spectrum, and the arrangement style (along with the range the instruments went in) just hammers it in. Amazing collab by all of you!

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timaeus222
on 2014-01-09 23:20:16

This gunna be a Waltz Waltz Revolution track, just you wait

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Liontamer
on 2014-01-09 13:42:47

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

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning (Zeboyd Games , 2010, XB360)
Music by Gordon McNeil,James Ghosh,John Osinski,Roald Strauss,yesso
Songs:
"Calm Streams"
"Metal Flowers"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar,Strings,Viola
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Origin > Competition > Dwelling of Duels
Time > Duration: Long
Time > Tempo: Slow

File Information


Name:
Breath_of_Death_7_Quest_in_Peace_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
12,536,666 bytes
MD5:
f297676bfa90cbb6f4441e95f5264bb2
Bitrate:
249Kbps
Duration:
6:40

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