ReMix:Final Fantasy II "The Last March" 4:34

By Dr. Manhattan

Arranging the music of one song...

"Imperial Army Theme"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy II (Square , 1988, NES), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2015-06-08, evaluated by djpretzel


The Rebellion continues, as Dr. Manhattan enters the fray! We haven't seen Hugo in over two years, which is far too long to go without his unique brand of impeccably-constructed, cleanly-produced, malevolent metal mischief. Brandon writes:

"Dr. Manhattan is neither a doctor nor a city, but his methodical riffs apply metropolitan levels of creativity that may leave you needing medical attention. If he did have a medical degree, he'd have a Ph. Drop D. Alright, sorry. I honestly didn't expect this result when I asked him to cover the song. He went so far beyond anything I could have imagined, and produced a song that, in my mind, stands among the shredding greats of our time. Between the structure, the solos, and the attention to detail with the effects, you just have to hear this remix. Stop reading this and listen."

Listen to the man and do what he says :) If you're somehow not yet convinced, Larry was on board with this piece working well within the context of the album (as well as echoing Brandon's doctor-oriented shtick at the end). He observes:

"This one's an excellent album contribution from Hugo that reminds me in places of ilp0's style, only more \m/. Of course, this is going to be a comparatively heavier sound with oppression being the name of the game here, but it's not necessarily an entirely dark piece. Rather, it's one where the brief lighter moments of piano & chromatic percussion give way to longer, more oppressive doses of militaristic drumming and aggressive guitar work. Particularly from 2:37-on, the imagery totally fit for me of a poor town being overrun by an unrelenting imperial army. Can the townspeople stand up and fight back? To me, it sounds like they're giving it their all. The fadeout ending at 4:06 focused solely on the guitars was money, by the way. What a prescription of pain from the good doctor... in a good way, of course. ;-)"

I'll just add that on a great album, this arrangement is probably the one that for me most vividly conjures images of rebellion & revolution & everything that goes along with them. Epic stuff; the machine has been thoroughly raged against.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 5 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Chernabogue
on 2015-12-11 12:54:18

Nice guitar work here -- it sounds quite raw, but I guess it nicely fits the source/theme. The piano and other instruments are nice (but maybe quiet) additions. The track has a "sickening" feeling to it, I guess it comes from the minor chords or something like that -- it's not negative, I think it fits the track too. The production is excellent, and the ending was interesting. A nice metal remix -- not my fav though.

avatar
Crulex
on 2015-06-23 12:04:56

Now this is raw power, and fitting for the Imperial Army. Things do ramp up almost half-way through the second minute, making it better than it started out with, and the constant tense feeling kept things menacing and threatening, so between that and the metallistic energy, this is a wonderful soundscape for an army marching on. One of the best tracks on the album in my opinion. Nicely done, man.

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DimeTower
on 2015-06-10 01:01:08

This starts off as a decent cover of the Imperial Army Theme until about 1:40, where everything gets thrown several steps up the awesome ladder. By the time we're at 2:20-245 plus, get ready to grab your stones and torches. There is an uprising, with a sword raised to the sky and a defiant shout at the relentlessly approaching imperial army. Man, this mix really gets better as it goes along. Interesting ending too!

Do yourself a favor and keep listening past the first minute. Great stuff awaits.

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DanielsonsXe
on 2015-06-09 00:51:27

Is this the same "The Last March" as was posted on Dwelling of Duels previously?

avatar
Liontamer
on 2015-06-08 03:05:55

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy II (Square , 1988, NES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Imperial Army Theme"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Chromatic Percussion,Electric Guitar,Piano
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_2_The_Last_March_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,817,651 bytes
MD5:
f93b74c814996bd9650109212bf37204
Bitrate:
225Kbps
Duration:
4:34

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