ReMix:Metroid "Kraid's Forgotten Lair" 4:45

SO HEAVY!

Alternative mix title: "Dude, Where's My Lair?" - newcomer Schmoo delivers a blistering, captivating, & downright molten metal arrangement of Metroid where you can actually smell & taste the sulfur:

"Guitar cover of "Kraid's Lair" from the original Metroid on NES. What can I say, this is the first remix I've done all by myself. It's a bit slower and more atmospheric approach to the classic tune from Metroid. There are no samples used, apart from the drums. It's worth noting that the vinyl noise at the beginning and the guitar noises at about 1:10-1:1:15 are completely intentional."

They certainly *felt* intentional to me, so that's good. I enjoyed the heck out of this entire mix BUT, I must say, the unleashing of hell at 1'16" was immensely satisfying; the guitar noises alluded to above have that anticipatory, "OHSHIIIIIII....." feeling on lockdown, and the wall of sound that ensues will grow some non-binary gender hair on your unobjectified chest. This mix belongs on alarm clocks everywhere, because if that power chord don't wake you up, you might be dead. Clem writes:

"Cool mix. Love the intro. I hear murky mids in the busy sections. Your distorted tones are a bit dry and up-front, but overall, the production quality is good. The arrangement is straight in the middle, with expansive intro and outro sections keeping things fresh. Cool harmonic development in the extended solo section nicely rolling back into the familiar Kraid riff."

Ditto all that. Also ditto this, from Sir_NutS:

"When the track hits, the mix sounds pretty clear. Interesting choice of distortion tone for the rhythm guitars... feels dry and has sort of a digital quality to it... but it works, it didn't put me off. The lead guitar performance was pretty good and shines in the original sections around 3:20. I really dig the chord and progression change at 3:50, this felt really refreshing and new. Perfect ending."

I'm glad Schmoo added more interpretation in the intro and especially towards the end, but even if he hadn't, this still could have passed as a more conservative yet personalized arrangement. The ending bits open things up & suggest other possibilities, but the mix stays neatly packaged & sating at 4'44" without going off on a tangent. I think the way the intro appetizer segues into the seared steak entree elevates this from a good mix to a great one - those guitar noises are clutch, I'd never have taken them for unintentional given the barrage they precede, and I generally dig most if not all of the decisions the artist made on this arrangement. Heavy isn't just about loud, as I think Led Zeppelin proved many times over, and while it's certainly not quiet, this mix delivers some serious weight. Great debut from Schmoo; definitely looking forward to hearing more!