ReMix:Super Castlevania IV "Dark Cellar" 6:24

By Bloodaxe, Existence Zero

Arranging the music of one song...

"Cellar (Stage 8 BGM)"

Primary Game: Super Castlevania IV (Konami , 1991, SNES), music by Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo

Posted 2015-10-31, evaluated by djpretzel


Another newcomer to OCR that Vampire Variations: Volume III is bringing in, Existence Zero are:

  • Vishal Soni - bass & drum programming
  • Jorge Gurreiro - lead, rhythm guitars
  • Mark Crabtree - orchestration
  • Eric "Bloodaxe" Gillingham - guitar solos

And they've got a face-melting metal arrangement of the Stage 8 BGM for you, with chugs, shreds, & machine-gun drums aplenty:

"Whilst normally traversing the furthest reaches of cosmic war, Existence Zero has returned to Earth and plunged into the darkest depths of Castlevania. There could be no response other than to confront the ravages of vampyric insanity with an unadulterated barrage of crushing brutality. Yet somewhere, buried amidst the devastation, we uncovered a sinister seam of malign beauty, like noble blood running along the stone floor of a dungeon that has heard countless screams..."

I like these guys already :) Many of the sources on the SCIV OST are melodically sparse and thus present certain challenges, but I think EZ have done hard work in creatively expanding & filling in the gaps to create a satisfying metal arrangement that pulls no punches. Chernabogue writes:

"Existence Zero participated to all of the Vampire Variations albums, and it is nice to see how they progressed since the first volume. Vish was very excited about arranging this track, and you can hear his band had great ideas in mind: the softer/cleaner guitars contribute to the album's pace. Despite its length, the track doesn't get repetitive thanks to the use of different variations on the theme."

From the strong, rolling kick/tom intro pattern to the searing, cross-panned solo @ 2'42" to the break & bass riff @ 3'43", there's a lot going on here, and the group keeps things varied and compelling for 6+ minutes, which is impressive. Great & substantial rock/metal debut from Existence Zero, who've made their presence known on each entry in the Vampire Variations trilogy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 5 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Crulex
on 2018-03-31 19:54:11

I like that this track uses it's time to explore it's musical possibilities and bring in a lot of ideas like a cycle. Some of those I ideas, like the bells near the end, were sweet and I would have enjoyed being used more. I was afraid at the end with the volume lowered that it was going to be a fade out ending, which I normally don't mind but I don't think would have worked as well for this mix, so I'm glad it had a more definitive ending note, though I wish it was louder and/or longer to punctuate it. Minor production nitpicks aside, I enjoyed this a lot and seems like a very strong mix from a good group. Not bad, guys!

avatar
nitrozsz
on 2015-12-14 00:56:44

I second everything Coaltergeist said. I do want to add that the cross-pan solo mentioned in the profile was pretty good. I’d still call this a fun track, but some of the levels seem a little uneven for me to fully appreciate this track.

avatar
Coaltergeist
on 2015-12-05 23:18:47

Takes a bit to get going, but when it get's there, it's fantastic! The only complaints I have is that the flute seems to be off a bit throughout the piece, and the guitars could use some better mixing. Still high-powered and fun overall!

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timaeus222
on 2015-12-02 02:21:03

Those toms can get anyone excited. :twisted: That aside, I couldn't tell where this was going, at least until 0:47 when the rhythm guitar brought things into a bit more focus. The solo at 1:44 was pretty well-written, though I wish it was louder to again, bring more focus into the arrangement. The guitars could use some more meaty low end. I do like the live band feel of this, though, since it brings a spontaneity to what's going on here.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2015-10-31 07:34:05

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Castlevania IV (Konami , 1991, SNES)
Music by Masanori Adachi,Taro Kudo
Songs:
"Cellar (Stage 8 BGM)"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Metal
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Orchestral
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Super_Castlevania_4_Dark_Cellar_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
11,757,617 bytes
MD5:
db1066672bdc4d89047ce4663cb8b9f8
Bitrate:
243Kbps
Duration:
6:24

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