ReMix:Metroid "Footprints on Zebes" 6:33

Slimy made a memorable debut a couple months ago with an excellent orchestral arrangement of Super Castlevania IV that was part of the Vampire Variations III album, and I'm thrilled to see him follow that up with a standalone submission, taking on the music of the original Metroid with a similarly dramatic & symphonic flare:

"During which I express my love for Metroid and horns in one fell swoop. All while failing to meet a deadline that would make the title of this arrangement relevant to any real-world anniversaries. At 1:22, I tried very hard to capture the mood of the original, which I love. (Everyone listening can be the judge of whether I succeeded.) I didn't like the Metroid Zero Mission remix - it loses the rather lonesome feel, bombards you with loud, obnoxious chords, skips the opening, and changes the climax! So, I guess this is sort of my answer to that. Metroid for the NES has an incredible atmosphere, and, although other Metroid games had their own incredible atmospheres, I don't think any really matched the style of the original.

Of course, nostalgia goggles going through my skull is probably the biggest factor in my love for the original game. By the way, the second half of the remix is undoubtedly inspired by Nutritious's "The Galaxy Awaits" remix from the Reserve Tank: VARIAtions album."

Really cool, dramatic intro grabs hold of you right away with thunderous drums and sparse, haunting instrumentation, and things build from there into epic, space-faring proportions. Larry Oji writes:

"What a tremendous orchestration by Slimy. The ear candy's strong with this one, and, as usual, the Metroid series' themes lend themselves so naturally to exploratory, cinematic orchestration. Much like Sam Dillard's work, this was quite the extended ride through the Metroid universe, with Slimy primarily hitting the original game's title theme with some brief but tasteful and seamless cameos of other themes worked in.

There's a pretty subtly dynamic and extended treatment of the main "Title" theme for the first half before using the item room jingle, "Silence," as the jump off point to the tenser second half with the perfect pairing of Super Metroid's theme in the background from 4:18-4:49.

My personal highlight of smart original writing were the string chord accents from 4:50-5:13 that beautifully fit like a glove, but if you pay attention, there's way more detail work in the instrumentation and dynamics of the writing to appreciate, so I'm interested in hearing what stands out for other reviewers. I've been a big fan of Slimy's work since arriving at OCR through the Vampire Variations III album, and this one will continue to put him on the map within the community. Great job!"

Ditto all that; there's a weight & heft to this arrangement that achieves a modern scope & feel without deviating from traditional symphonic colors, and I love that. This is a great ReMix of some very iconic and distinct themes which puts an equally distinct spin on them, building something important & substantive in the process. Even better than Slimy's impressive debut, I think a LOT of folks will dig this, as it paints a very rich, striking, & expansive picture of Metroid's universe.